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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 Morris (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 Morris. 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.

Morris is located in Jefferson Davis 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 Jefferson Davis County: Covington, Lamar, Lawrence, Marion & Simpson.

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

  • Jefferson Davis County     (The home county of Morris)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Morris, with the one closest to Morris listed first.
    • Melba
      (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
      • Melba is located in Jefferson Davis County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Melba
    • Bassfield
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
      • Bassfield is located in Jefferson Davis County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bassfield
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 206 people
    • Prentiss
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
      • 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>
    • Oak Vale
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Oak Vale is located in Jefferson Davis County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Vale
  • Covington County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Morris, with the one closest to Morris listed first.
    • Williamsburg
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
      • Williamsburg is located in Covington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Williamsburg
    • Seminary
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Sanford
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
      • Sanford is located in Covington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sanford
    • Collins
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Kola
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Kola is located in Covington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kola
    • Lux
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
      • Lux is located in Covington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lux
    • Arbo
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Arbo is located in Covington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arbo
    • Mount Olive
      (20 miles [32.2 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
    • Hot Coffee
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Hot Coffee is located in Covington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hot Coffee
  • Forrest County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Morris, with the one closest to Morris listed first.
    • Hattiesburg
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
    • Petal
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Petal is located in Forrest County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Petal
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 10,692 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Petal <1>
  • Jones County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Morris, with the one closest to Morris listed first.
    • Ellisville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
    • Soso
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Soso is located in Jones County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Soso
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 396 people
  • Lamar County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Morris, with the one closest to Morris listed first.
    • Sumrall
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • West Hattiesburg
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • West Hattiesburg is located in Lamar County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Hattiesburg
    • Purvis
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
  • Lawrence County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Morris, with the one closest to Morris listed first.
    • Arm
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
      • Arm is located in Lawrence County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arm
    • Tilton
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Tilton is located in Lawrence County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tilton
    • Silver Creek
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Grange ‑ Historic
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Grange is located in Lawrence County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grange
    • Hooker
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Hooker is located in Lawrence County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hooker
    • New Hebron
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Monticello
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
    • Rosella
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Rosella is located in Lawrence County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rosella
  • Marion County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Morris, with the one closest to Morris listed first.
    • Expose
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Expose is located in Marion County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Expose
    • Goss
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Goss is located in Marion County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goss
    • Columbia
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Pinebur
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Pinebur is located in Marion County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pinebur
    • Kokomo
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
  • Simpson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Morris, with the one closest to Morris listed first.
    • Jaynesville
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Jaynesville is located in Simpson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jaynesville
    • Coats
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Coats is located in Simpson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coats
    • Magee
      (28 miles [45.1 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
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Sanatorium is located in Simpson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sanatorium
    • Shivers
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Shivers is located in Simpson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shivers
  • Smith County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Morris, with the one closest to Morris listed first.
    • Mize
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
    • Taylorsville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
  • Walthall County
    • Sartinville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Sartinville is located in Walthall County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sartinville

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

Cemeteries Near Morris ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Morris.

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

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

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

  • Williamson Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
  • McDonald Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
  • Old Melba Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
  • Melba Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
  • Lott Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
  • Lowland Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
  • McLeod Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
  • Blackburn - Carter Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Old Broom Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
  • Williamson Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
  • Stewart - Thompson Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
  • Magee - Sullivan Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
  • Continue List   (553 more) ...
    • Hathorn Cemetery
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Bond Cemetery
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Progress Cemetery
      (4 miles [6.4 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>

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

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

  • Williamsburg
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Williamsburg is located in Covington County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Williamsburg
  • Moscos
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Moscos is located in Covington County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moscos
  • Ora
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Ora is located in Covington County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ora
  • Goss
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Goss is located in Marion County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goss
  • Columbia
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Oak Vale
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
    • Oak Vale is located in Jefferson Davis County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Vale
  • Mount Olive
    (20 miles [32.2 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
  • Tilton
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
    • Tilton is located in Lawrence County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tilton
  • Jaynesville
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
    • Jaynesville is located in Simpson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jaynesville
  • Eastabuchie
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
    • Eastabuchie is located in Forrest County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eastabuchie
  • Moselle
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
    • Moselle is located in Jones County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moselle
  • Silver Creek
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Continue List   (12 more) ...
    • Hattiesburg
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
    • Pickwick
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Pickwick is located in Marion County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pickwick
    • Grange ‑ Historic
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Grange is located in Lawrence County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grange

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

Newspapers Published in Morris ...

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 13 newspapers that have been published in the area around Morris.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Morris, there are papers which were published within 17 miles [27.4 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Morris.

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 Morris:

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 Morris, 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' (or 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- Morris) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.