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Our Genealogy Helper

Introduction ...

We have a couple of goals for our Gazetteer:

  • That it be a tool which helps us with planning our trips.
  • We're trying to shape our Gazetteer as a tool to help us understand the community in which our ancestors lived, the community that was part of their daily lives.
  • On our trips, we try to visit those places where our ancestors left their footprints.

By learning about Hattiesburg (and the surrounding area) during the time that our ancestors lived, we hope to have a better understanding of both their community and its relationship to their lifes. We hope that this tool helps to give us an insight into their world.

As we add data and organize our Gazetteer to help with our family research, we will be adding to this our Genealogical Helper for Hattiesburg. While we don't have information that is specific to any given person or family, we intend to expand our understanding about where and how people lived.

Neighboring Counties ...

When searching for family records, we have frequently made the mistake of not checking the neighboring counties.

For example, we have great-grandparents who lived in the southeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors were in the next county to the east. Almost all of the nearby churches and cemeteries were in the county to the south.

So when searching for records, we had our best success by looking in neighboring counties instead of the county in which they lived:  their home county contained property and probate records; the county to the east contained birth and death records; the county to the south contained their burial records. If we hadn't included the neighboring counties, we would have missed many valuable sources of information.

If you're in a similar situation, we hope that the following information helps.

Hattiesburg is primarily located in Forrest County and is the County Seat. A portion of Hattiesburg extends into Lamar County.

To see how the shape of Mississippi's counties have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Forrest County: Covington, Jones, Lamar, Perry & Stone.

Below are the counties that are near Hattiesburg. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Hattiesburg:

  • Forrest County     (The home county of Hattiesburg)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Hattiesburg, with the one closest to Hattiesburg listed first.
    • Petal
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Petal
      • Petal is located in Forrest County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 10,692 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Petal <1>
    • Goodluck
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goodluck
      • Goodluck is located in Forrest County
    • McLaurin
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McLaurin
      • McLaurin is located in Forrest County
    • Carnes
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carnes
      • Carnes is located in Forrest County
  • Covington County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Hattiesburg, with the one closest to Hattiesburg listed first.
    • Lux
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lux
      • Lux is located in Covington County
    • Seminary
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Seminary have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seminary
      • Seminary is located in Covington County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 284 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Seminary <1>
    • Kola
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kola
      • Kola is located in Covington County
    • Collins
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Collins have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Collins
      • Collins is located in Covington County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,417 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Collins <1>
    • Williamsburg
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Williamsburg have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Williamsburg
      • Williamsburg is located in Covington County
    • Hot Coffee
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hot Coffee
      • Hot Coffee is located in Covington County
  • Jefferson Davis County
    • Bassfield
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bassfield have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bassfield
      • Bassfield is located in Jefferson Davis County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 206 people
  • Jones County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Hattiesburg, with the one closest to Hattiesburg listed first.
    • Ovett
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ovett
      • Ovett is located in Jones County
    • Ellisville
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
    • Antioch
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Antioch
      • Antioch is located in Jones County
    • Laurel
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
    • Soso
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Soso
      • Soso is located in Jones County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 396 people
  • Lamar County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Hattiesburg, with the one closest to Hattiesburg listed first.
    • West Hattiesburg
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for West Hattiesburg have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Hattiesburg
      • West Hattiesburg is located in Lamar County
    • Purvis
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Purvis have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Purvis
      • Purvis is located in Lamar County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,398 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Purvis <1>
    • Sumrall
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
    • Wells Town
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wells Town have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wells Town
      • Wells Town is located in Lamar County
    • Lumberton
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lumberton have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lumberton
      • Lumberton is located in Lamar County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,242 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lumberton <1>
  • Marion County
    • Pinebur
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pinebur
      • Pinebur is located in Marion County
  • Perry County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Hattiesburg, with the one closest to Hattiesburg listed first.
    • New Augusta
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for New Augusta have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Augusta
      • New Augusta is located in Perry County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 593 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for New Augusta <1>
    • Wingate
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wingate
      • Wingate is located in Perry County
    • Richton
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
    • Beaumont
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Beaumont have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beaumont
      • Beaumont is located in Perry County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 894 people
  • Wayne County
    • Mulberry
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mulberry have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mulberry
      • Mulberry is located in Wayne County

For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Hattiesburg, see our County-by-County Page for Hattiesburg.

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Hattiesburg ...

An ongoing effort between the Library of Congress and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) has resulted in the National Digital Newspaper Program (NDNP).

To share their results, the partnership has created the Chronicling America website. The goal of this partnership is to assemble a database about the current and historic newspapers of the United States. This includes a growing collection of scanned images from selected papers. All of it available to the public on their website.

Using information that we've taken from the Chronicling America website, we've identified 33 newspapers that have been published in the area around Hattiesburg.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Hattiesburg. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Hattiesburg and those printed in the larger area surrounding Hattiesburg.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 20 miles [32.2 km]<3> of Hattiesburg.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we like to start with the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These helpful websites offer the information directly or else point to where you can find it. Their information is open to everyone.

To help you get started, the following links will take you to the pages that are relevant to Hattiesburg:

Cemeteries Near Hattiesburg ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Hattiesburg.

This is a new section and is likely to have errors. If you find an error, such as a missing cemetery or we have the wrong name, please let us know. If you know of them, we would also appreciate learning about previous or alternate names.

If you need information about a burial or interment, photos, transcripts, how to contact the cemetery or local authorities, please visit our selection of Genealogy Websites (see below).

If not found below, our Cemetery List for Hattiesburg covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Hattiesburg, with the one closest to Hattiesburg listed first.

  • Oaklawn Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Oaklawn Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Oaklawn Cemetery
  • Burkett Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Burkett Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Burkett Cemetery
  • Riverview Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Riverview Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Riverview Cemetery
  • Petal Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Petal Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Petal Cemetery
  • Roseland Park Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Roseland Park Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Roseland Park Cemetery
  • Pine Ridge Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pine Ridge Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pine Ridge Cemetery
  • Forrest Memorial Gardens
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Forrest Memorial Gardens have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Forrest Memorial Gardens
  • Hillcrest Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hillcrest Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hillcrest Cemetery
  • Chappell Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Chappell Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Chappell Cemetery
  • Bennett Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bennett Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bennett Cemetery
  • Gillis Burkett Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Gillis Burkett Cemetery is located 3 miles [4.8 km]<3> to the northwest of Hattiesburg.
    • The Gillis Burkett Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Gillis African American Cemetery
    • Gillis Cemetery
    • Gillis Family Cemetery
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Gillis Burkett Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #59490 <4>
  • Jones Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Jones Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Jones Cemetery
  • Continue List   (391 more) ...
    • B'nai Israel Cemetery
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the B'nai Israel Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the B'nai Israel Cemetery
    • Highland Cemetery
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Highland Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Highland Cemetery
    • Quick Cemetery
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Quick Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Quick Cemetery

Nearby Communities in 1895 ...

We've built the following list with information that came from an Atlas published by Rand McNally in 1895. The Atlas had details such as the population of the community (which appears to have come from the 1890 Census) and whether there was a post office and/or railroad service available. We also indicate if the community no longer exists and is now historic.<5>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Hattiesburg had a population of 1,172 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Hattiesburg had a population of 45,806 people.

These communities are listed based on their distance from Hattiesburg, with the one closest to Hattiesburg listed first.

  • Eastabuchie
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Eastabuchie have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eastabuchie
    • Eastabuchie is located in Forrest County
  • Moselle
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Moselle have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moselle
    • Moselle is located in Jones County
  • Ellisville
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
  • Moscos
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Moscos have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moscos
    • Moscos is located in Covington County
  • Laurel
    (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
  • Williamsburg
    (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Williamsburg have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Williamsburg
    • Williamsburg is located in Covington County
  • Ora
    (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ora have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ora
    • Ora is located in Covington County
  • Soso
    (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Soso
    • Soso is located in Jones County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 396 people

We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Hattiesburg. See our List of 1890's Communities around Hattiesburg.

The official website for Hattiesburg: www.hattiesburgms.com/

The official website for Forrest County: www.co.forrest.ms.us/

The official website for State of Mississippi: https://www.ms.gov/

Footnotes ...

<1>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<2>The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required.
<3>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or point-to-point) distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Hattiesburg) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Hattiesburg. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 31.3279, Longitude: -89.2895    
<4>The Find-a-Grave website is an excellent research tool with information about a cemetery's location and interments. They also offer a forum for their members which can provide additional help. More information about Find-a-Grave can be found on their website: findagrave.com.
<5>We use the term 'Historic' broadly and it generally means that the community no longer exists. However, it can also mean that the community might still exist, but was significantly larger or had a more 'official' existence in the past than it does now. Unfortunately our sources of data have proven to be unreliable. If you can provide us with more specific information about Hattiesburg, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024