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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 McRaney (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 McRaney. 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 southwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors were in the next county to the west. 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 west 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.

McRaney is located in Covington 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 Covington County: Forrest, Jefferson Davis, Jones, Lamar, Simpson & Smith.

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

  • Covington County     (The home county of McRaney)
    • The following are listed by their distance from McRaney, with the one closest to McRaney listed first.
    • Williamsburg
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
      • Williamsburg is located in Covington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Williamsburg
    • Collins
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Arbo
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Arbo is located in Covington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arbo
    • Mount Olive
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
      • Mount Olive is located in Covington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Olive
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 896 people
    • Kola
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
      • Kola is located in Covington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kola
    • Seminary
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • Hot Coffee
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
      • Hot Coffee is located in Covington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hot Coffee
    • Sanford
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
      • Sanford is located in Covington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sanford
    • Lux
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Lux is located in Covington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lux
  • Jefferson Davis County
    • The following are listed by their distance from McRaney, with the one closest to McRaney listed first.
    • Bassfield
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
      • Bassfield is located in Jefferson Davis County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bassfield
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 206 people
    • Prentiss
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
      • Prentiss is located in Jefferson Davis County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prentiss
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 925 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Prentiss <1>
    • Melba
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
      • Melba is located in Jefferson Davis County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Melba
    • Oak Vale
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
      • Oak Vale is located in Jefferson Davis County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Vale
  • Jones County
    • The following are listed by their distance from McRaney, with the one closest to McRaney listed first.
    • Soso
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Soso is located in Jones County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Soso
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 396 people
    • Amy
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Amy is located in Jones County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amy
    • Ellisville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
    • Service
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Service is located in Jones County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Service
  • Lamar County
    • The following are listed by their distance from McRaney, with the one closest to McRaney listed first.
    • Sumrall
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
    • West Hattiesburg
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • West Hattiesburg is located in Lamar County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Hattiesburg
  • Lawrence County
    • The following are listed by their distance from McRaney, with the one closest to McRaney listed first.
    • Grange ‑ Historic
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
      • Grange is located in Lawrence County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grange
    • Silver Creek
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
    • New Hebron
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Arm
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
      • Arm is located in Lawrence County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arm
    • Hooker
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • Hooker is located in Lawrence County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hooker
    • Tilton
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Tilton is located in Lawrence County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tilton
    • Monticello
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
    • Rosella
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Rosella is located in Lawrence County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rosella
    • Tryus
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Tryus is located in Lawrence County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tryus
    • Nola
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Nola is located in Lawrence County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nola
  • Marion County
    • The following are listed by their distance from McRaney, with the one closest to McRaney listed first.
    • Goss
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Goss is located in Marion County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goss
    • Expose
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Expose is located in Marion County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Expose
    • Columbia
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
  • Rankin County
    • Galilee
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Galilee is located in Rankin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Galilee
  • Simpson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from McRaney, with the one closest to McRaney listed first.
    • Jaynesville
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
      • Jaynesville is located in Simpson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jaynesville
    • Coats
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
      • Coats is located in Simpson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coats
    • Magee
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Magee is located in Simpson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Magee
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,094 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Magee <1>
    • Sanatorium
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Sanatorium is located in Simpson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sanatorium
    • Shivers
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Shivers is located in Simpson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shivers
    • Westville
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Westville is located in Simpson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westville
    • Mendenhall
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • D'Lo
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • D'Lo is located in Simpson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for D'Lo
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 442 people
  • Smith County
    • The following are listed by their distance from McRaney, with the one closest to McRaney listed first.
    • Mize
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Taylorsville
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Bezer
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Bezer is located in Smith County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bezer
    • Mineral Springs
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Mineral Springs is located in Smith County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mineral Springs
  • Walthall County
    • Sartinville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Sartinville is located in Walthall County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sartinville

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

Cemeteries Near McRaney ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of McRaney.

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 McRaney - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Terrell Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
  • Lone Star Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
  • Hill Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
  • Saulters - McRaney Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
  • Santee Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
  • Old Chapel Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
  • Friendship Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
  • Friendship Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
  • Price Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
  • Graves Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
  • Graves Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
  • Santee Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
  • Continue List   (565 more) ...
    • King Cemetery
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Wilson Cemetery
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Graves Cemetery
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)

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>

While we didn't find McRaney in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of McRaney.

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

  • Williamsburg
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Williamsburg is located in Covington County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Williamsburg
  • Ora
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Ora is located in Covington County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ora
  • Mount Olive
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Mount Olive is located in Covington County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Olive
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 896 people
  • Jaynesville
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Jaynesville is located in Simpson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jaynesville
  • Moscos
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • Moscos is located in Covington County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moscos
  • Grange ‑ Historic
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
    • Grange is located in Lawrence County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grange
  • Silver Creek
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
  • Oak Vale
    (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
    • Oak Vale is located in Jefferson Davis County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Vale
  • Bunker Hill
    (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
    • Bunker Hill is located in Smith County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bunker Hill
  • Magee
    (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
    • Magee is located in Simpson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Magee
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,094 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Magee <1>
  • Hooker
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
    • Hooker is located in Lawrence County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hooker
  • Goss
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Goss is located in Marion County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goss
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Mize
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Shivers
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Shivers is located in Simpson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shivers
    • Tilton
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Tilton is located in Lawrence County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tilton

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

Newspapers Published in McRaney ...

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 28 newspapers that have been published in the area around McRaney.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of McRaney, there are papers which were published within 25 miles [40.2 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for McRaney.

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 McRaney:

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 McRaney, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<3>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- McRaney) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.