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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 Melis (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 Melis. 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/Parishes ...

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

For example, we have great-grandparents who lived in the northeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals were in the next county to the east. 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/parishes 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 north contained their burial records. If we hadn't included the neighboring counties/parishes, we would have missed many valuable sources of information.

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

Melis is located in Walthall 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 Walthall County: Washington (LA), Lawrence, Lincoln, Marion & Pike.

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

  • Walthall County     (The home county of Melis)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Melis, with the one closest to Melis listed first.
    • Sartinville
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sartinville
      • Sartinville is located in Walthall County
    • Tylertown
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tylertown have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tylertown
      • Tylertown is located in Walthall County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,419 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Tylertown <2>
  • Amite County
    • McElveen
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McElveen
      • McElveen is located in Amite County
  • Jefferson Davis County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Melis, with the one closest to Melis listed first.
    • Oak Vale
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Vale
      • Oak Vale is located in Jefferson Davis County
    • Bassfield
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bassfield have been provided by the GNIS.<1> 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
    • Prentiss
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prentiss
      • Prentiss is located in Jefferson Davis County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 925 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Prentiss <2>
  • Lawrence County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Melis, with the one closest to Melis listed first.
    • Verna
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Verna. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Verna
      • Verna is located in Lawrence County
    • Tilton
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Tilton. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tilton
      • Tilton is located in Lawrence County
    • Arm
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arm
      • Arm is located in Lawrence County
    • Monticello
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Monticello have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monticello
      • Monticello is located in Lawrence County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,447 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Monticello <2>
    • Rosella
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rosella
      • Rosella is located in Lawrence County
    • Silver Creek
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Silver Creek have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Silver Creek
      • Silver Creek is located in Lawrence County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 197 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Silver Creek <2>
    • Nola
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nola
      • Nola is located in Lawrence County
    • Hooker
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Hooker. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hooker
      • Hooker is located in Lawrence County
  • Lincoln County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Melis, with the one closest to Melis listed first.
    • Wellman
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Wellman. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wellman
      • Wellman is located in Lincoln County
    • Norfield
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Norfield. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Norfield
      • Norfield is located in Lincoln County
    • Brookhaven
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Marion County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Melis, with the one closest to Melis listed first.
    • Kokomo
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Goss
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Goss. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goss
      • Goss is located in Marion County
    • Expose
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Expose. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Expose
      • Expose is located in Marion County
    • Columbia
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
    • Pinebur
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pinebur
      • Pinebur is located in Marion County
  • Pike County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Melis, with the one closest to Melis listed first.
    • Topisaw
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Topisaw
      • Topisaw is located in Pike County
    • Holmesville
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holmesville
      • Holmesville is located in Pike County
    • Bacots
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bacots
      • Bacots is located in Pike County
    • Smithburg
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Smithburg. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smithburg
      • Smithburg is located in Pike County
    • Bear Town
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bear Town
      • Bear Town is located in Pike County
    • McComb
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
    • Magnolia
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
    • Summit
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
    • Chatawa
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Chatawa. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chatawa
      • Chatawa is located in Pike County
    • Osyka
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Osyka have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Osyka
      • Osyka is located in Pike County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 407 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Osyka <2>
  • Washington Parish (LA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Melis, with the one closest to Melis listed first.
    • Mount Hermon
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mount Hermon have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Hermon
      • Mount Hermon is located in Washington Parish (LA)
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mount Hermon <2>
    • Pine
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine
      • Pine is located in Washington Parish (LA)
    • Sunny Hill
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunny Hill
      • Sunny Hill is located in Washington Parish (LA)
    • Angie
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Angie have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Angie
      • Angie is located in Washington Parish (LA)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 246 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Angie <2>
    • Franklinton
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
    • Varnado
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Varnado have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Varnado
      • Varnado is located in Washington Parish (LA)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 332 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Varnado <2>
    • Stoney Point
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stoney Point
      • Stoney Point is located in Washington Parish (LA)

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

Cemeteries Near Melis ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Melis.

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 Melis covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

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

  • Spence Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Spence Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Spence Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Boyd Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Boyd Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Boyd Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Isaac Duncan Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Isaac Duncan Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Isaac Duncan Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Charlie Duncan Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Charlie Duncan Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Charlie Duncan Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • China Grove Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the China Grove Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the China Grove Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Darbun Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Darbun Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Darbun Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Magees Creek Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Magees Creek Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Magees Creek Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Foil Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Foil Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Foil Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Union Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Union Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Union Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Duncan Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Duncan Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Duncan Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Holmes Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Holmes Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Holmes Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Darbun Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Darbun Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Darbun Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (688 more) ...
    • Elisha Thornhill Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Elisha Thornhill Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Elisha Thornhill Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Rushing Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Rushing Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Rushing Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Kokomo Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Kokomo Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Kokomo Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.

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.<4>

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

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

  • Topisaw
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Topisaw
    • Topisaw is located in Pike County
  • Holmesville
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holmesville
    • Holmesville is located in Pike County
  • Tilton
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Tilton. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tilton
    • Tilton is located in Lawrence County
  • Goss
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Goss. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goss
    • Goss is located in Marion County
  • Ruth
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ruth have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ruth
    • Ruth is located in Lincoln County
  • Oak Vale
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Vale
    • Oak Vale is located in Jefferson Davis County
  • Smithburg
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Smithburg. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smithburg
    • Smithburg is located in Pike County
  • Pickwick
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pickwick have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pickwick
    • Pickwick is located in Marion County
  • Columbia
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
  • McComb
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
  • Fernwood
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fernwood have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fernwood
    • Fernwood is located in Pike County
  • Magnolia
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Mount Hermon
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mount Hermon have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Hermon
      • Mount Hermon is located in Washington Parish (LA)
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mount Hermon <2>
    • Wellman
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Wellman. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wellman
      • Wellman is located in Lincoln County
    • Johnstons Station
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Johnstons Station have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Johnstons Station
      • Johnstons Station is located in Lincoln County

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

Newspapers Published in Melis ...

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 35 newspapers that have been published in the area around Melis.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Melis, there are papers which were published within 26 miles [41.8 km]<5>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Melis.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we start with the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These websites either 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 Melis:

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Melis. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.

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

Footnotes ...

<1>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.
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<3>An 'estimated' location is one where we have been given GPS coordinates, but are unable to verify the accuracy of those coordinates. That said, we have some confidence that we have placed the marker near the actual location. A typical reason for being unable to verify a location is that it might be on private property or maybe historic and gone without an obvious trace.
<4>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 Melis, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<5>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 from Point A (ie- Melis) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Melis. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 31.2299, Longitude: -90.1126       In this case, the coordinates for Melis have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025