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 Hays (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 Hays. 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 northwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors and hospitals were in the next county to the west. Almost all of the nearby churches and cemeteries were in the county to the north.
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 west contained birth and death records; the county to the north 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.
Hays is located in Scott County.
To see how the shape of Mississippi's counties may have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.
The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Scott County: Jasper, Leake, Neshoba, Newton, Rankin & Smith.
Below are the counties that are near Hays. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Hays:
- Scott County (The home county of Hays)
- The following are listed by their distance from Hays, with the one closest to Hays listed first.
- Sebastopol
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Harperville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Harperville is located in Scott County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harperville
- Cash
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Cash is located in Scott County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cash
- Clifton
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Clifton is located in Scott County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clifton
- Lake
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Forest
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Raworth
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Raworth is located in Scott County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Raworth
- Beach
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- Beach is located in Scott County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beach
- Kalem
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Kalem is located in Scott County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kalem
- Ludlow
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Ludlow is located in Scott County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ludlow
- Hunter Town
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Hunter Town is located in Scott County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hunter Town
- Branch
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Branch is located in Scott County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Branch
- Jasper County
- The following are listed by their distance from Hays, with the one closest to Hays listed first.
- Success ‑ Historic
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Success is located in Jasper County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Success
- Baxter ‑ Historic
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Baxter is located in Jasper County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baxter
- Garlandsville
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Garlandsville is located in Jasper County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garlandsville
- Montrose
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Montrose is located in Jasper County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montrose
- Population from the 2020 Census: 137 people
- Verba ‑ Historic
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Verba is located in Jasper County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Verba
- Kemper County
- The following are listed by their distance from Hays, with the one closest to Hays listed first.
- Rio
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Rio is located in Kemper County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rio
- Spinks ‑ Historic
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Spinks is located in Kemper County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spinks
- Lauderdale County
- The following are listed by their distance from Hays, with the one closest to Hays listed first.
- Collinsville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Martin
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Martin is located in Lauderdale County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Martin
- Leake County
- The following are listed by their distance from Hays, with the one closest to Hays listed first.
- High Hill
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- High Hill is located in Leake County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for High Hill
- Walnut Grove
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Standing Pine
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Standing Pine is located in Leake County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Standing Pine
- Tuscola
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Tuscola is located in Leake County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tuscola
- Lena
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Carthage
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Redwater
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Redwater is located in Leake County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Redwater
- Coosa
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Coosa is located in Leake County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coosa
- Saint Ann
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Saint Ann is located in Leake County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Ann
- Neshoba County
- The following are listed by their distance from Hays, with the one closest to Hays listed first.
- Dowdville
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Dowdville is located in Neshoba County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dowdville
- Dixon
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Dixon is located in Neshoba County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dixon
- Laurel Hill
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Laurel Hill is located in Neshoba County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laurel Hill
- Neshoba
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Neshoba is located in Neshoba County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Neshoba
- Hope
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Hope is located in Neshoba County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hope
- Pearl River
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- Pearl River is located in Neshoba County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pearl River
- Philadelphia
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Tucker
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Tucker is located in Neshoba County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tucker
- House
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- House is located in Neshoba County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for House
- Ocobla
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Ocobla is located in Neshoba County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ocobla
- Newton County
- The following are listed by their distance from Hays, with the one closest to Hays listed first.
- Lucern
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Lucern is located in Newton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lucern
- Conehatta
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Conehatta is located in Newton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Conehatta
- Stamper ‑ Historic
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Stamper is located in Newton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stamper
- Union
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Pine Bluff
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- Pine Bluff is located in Newton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Bluff
- Decatur
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Newton
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Six Towns ‑ Historic
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Six Towns is located in Newton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Six Towns
- Hickory
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Hickory is located in Newton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hickory
- Population from the 2020 Census: 515 people
- Chunky
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Rankin County
- The following are listed by their distance from Hays, with the one closest to Hays listed first.
- Pelahatchie
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Sand Hill
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Sand Hill is located in Rankin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sand Hill
- Smith County
- The following are listed by their distance from Hays, with the one closest to Hays listed first.
- Burns
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Burns is located in Smith County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burns
- Trenton
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Trenton is located in Smith County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trenton
- Polkville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Polkville is located in Smith County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Polkville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 819 people
- Winston County
- The following are listed by their distance from Hays, with the one closest to Hays listed first.
- Plattsburg
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Plattsburg is located in Winston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plattsburg
- Vowell
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Vowell is located in Winston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vowell
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Hays, see our County-by-County Page for Hays.
Cemeteries Near Hays ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Hays.
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.
Although we don't have the information ourselves, if you need information about a burial or interment, photos, transcripts, how to contact the cemetery or local authorities, please visit our list of websites on our Genealogy Helper Page for Hays - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Hays covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Hays, with the one closest to Hays listed first.
- Damascus Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Amis Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Summers Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Salem Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Britt Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Old Union Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Milldale Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- High Hill Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Rock Hill Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Mt. Zion Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Walnut Grove Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Lay Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Continue List (277 more) ...
- True Light Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Fuston Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Lindsey Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
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.<2>
The Rand McNally Atlas shows that in 1895, Hays had a post office and no railroad service.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Hays, with the one closest to Hays listed first.
- Sebastopol
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Damascus
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Damascus is located in Scott County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Damascus
- Piketown
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Piketown is located in Scott County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Piketown
- Prospect
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Prospect is located in Newton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prospect
- High Hill
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- High Hill is located in Leake County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for High Hill
- Conehatta
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Conehatta is located in Newton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Conehatta
- Lucern
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Lucern is located in Newton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lucern
- Walnut Grove
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Harperville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Harperville is located in Scott County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harperville
- Madden
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Madden is located in Leake County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Madden
- Lillian
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Lillian is located in Scott County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lillian
- Hillsboro
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Hillsboro is located in Scott County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hillsboro
- Continue List (15 more) ...
- Standing Pine
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Standing Pine is located in Leake County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Standing Pine
- Free Trade
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Free Trade is located in Leake County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Free Trade
- Tuscola
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Tuscola is located in Leake County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tuscola
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Hays. See our List of 1890's Communities around Hays.
Newspapers Published in Hays ...
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 19 newspapers that have been published in the area around Hays.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Hays, there are papers which were published within 21 miles [33.8 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Hays.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we first turn to the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These professional and volunteer 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 Hays:
- Websites specific to Mississippi
- Pages specific to Scott County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Jasper County
- Kemper County
- Lauderdale County
- Leake County
- Neshoba County
- Newton County
- Rankin County
- Smith County
- Winston County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Mississippi
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> | 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 Hays, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <3> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Hays) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |