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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 Way (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 Way. 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 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.

Way is located in Madison 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 Madison County: Attala, Hinds, Holmes, Leake, Rankin, Scott & Yazoo.

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

  • Madison County     (The home county of Way)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Way, with the one closest to Way listed first.
    • Sharpsburg
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
      • Sharpsburg is located in Madison County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sharpsburg
    • Davis
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
      • Davis is located in Madison County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Davis
    • Cobbville
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
      • Cobbville is located in Madison County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cobbville
    • Mill Town
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
      • Mill Town is located in Madison County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mill Town
    • Maris Town
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
      • Maris Town is located in Madison County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maris Town
    • Sharon
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Sharon is located in Madison County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sharon
    • Canton
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Camden
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Madisonville
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
      • Madisonville is located in Madison County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Madisonville
    • Mannsdale
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Mannsdale is located in Madison County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mannsdale
    • Twelve Oaks
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
      • Twelve Oaks is located in Madison County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Twelve Oaks
    • Kearney Park
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Kearney Park is located in Madison County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kearney Park
  • Attala County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Way, with the one closest to Way listed first.
    • Newport
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Newport is located in Attala County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newport
    • Zemuly
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Zemuly is located in Attala County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zemuly
    • Sallis
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
  • Hinds County
    • North Town Plaza
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • North Town Plaza is located in Hinds County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Town Plaza
  • Holmes County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Way, with the one closest to Way listed first.
    • Pickens
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Richland
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
      • Richland is located in Holmes County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Richland
    • Goodman
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Coxburg
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Coxburg is located in Holmes County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coxburg
    • Tolarville
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Tolarville is located in Holmes County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tolarville
    • Lexington
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Durant
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Jones Crossing
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Jones Crossing is located in Holmes County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jones Crossing
    • Bee Lake
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Bee Lake is located in Holmes County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bee Lake
      • Bee Lake has also been known as:
      • Bee Lake Plantation
    • Mileston
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Mileston is located in Holmes County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mileston
    • Good Hope
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Good Hope is located in Holmes County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Good Hope
    • Pluto
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Pluto is located in Holmes County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pluto
  • Humphreys County
    • Lake City
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Lake City is located in Humphreys County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake City
  • Leake County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Way, with the one closest to Way listed first.
    • Saint Ann
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • Saint Ann is located in Leake County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Ann
    • Lena
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
    • Carthage
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
    • Redwater
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Redwater is located in Leake County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Redwater
    • Tuscola
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Tuscola is located in Leake County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tuscola
  • Rankin County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Way, with the one closest to Way listed first.
    • Sand Hill
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Sand Hill is located in Rankin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sand Hill
    • Goshen Springs
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
      • Goshen Springs is located in Rankin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goshen Springs
    • Fannin
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Fannin is located in Rankin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fannin
    • Flowood
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
  • Scott County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Way, with the one closest to Way listed first.
    • Ludlow
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Ludlow is located in Scott County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ludlow
    • Beach
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Beach is located in Scott County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beach
    • Branch
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Branch is located in Scott County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Branch
    • Cash
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Cash is located in Scott County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cash
  • Yazoo County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Way, with the one closest to Way listed first.
    • Vaughan
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
      • Vaughan is located in Yazoo County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vaughan
    • Evans
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Evans is located in Yazoo County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Evans
    • Nod
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
      • Nod is located in Yazoo County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nod
    • Fordyke
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Fordyke is located in Yazoo County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fordyke
    • Pearce ‑ Historic
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Pearce is located in Yazoo County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pearce
    • Bentonia
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
    • Anding
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Anding is located in Yazoo County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Anding
    • Yazoo City
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Yazoo City is located in Yazoo County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yazoo City
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 10,673 people
      • Former names for Yazoo City:
      • Hannan's Bluff
      • Manchester
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Yazoo City <1>
    • Eden
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Eden is located in Yazoo County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eden
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 128 people
    • Jonestown
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Jonestown is located in Yazoo County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jonestown
    • Oil City
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Oil City is located in Yazoo County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oil City
    • Dover ‑ Historic
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Dover is located in Yazoo County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dover

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

Cemeteries Near Way ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Way.

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

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

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

  • Thornton Chapel Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
  • Humble Jerusalem MB Church Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Leggitt Family Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Sneed Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
  • Exum Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Concord Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Mt. Pleasant UMC Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
  • Knott Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
  • Peaster Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • Mt. Pisgah Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • St. Paul MB Church Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
  • Brown Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
  • Continue List   (367 more) ...
    • New Zion Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Sutherland Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Sims Chapel Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)

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 Way in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Way.

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

  • Sharpsburg
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
    • Sharpsburg is located in Madison County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sharpsburg
  • Davis
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Davis is located in Madison County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Davis
  • Deasonville
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Deasonville is located in Yazoo County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Deasonville
  • Vaughan
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Vaughan is located in Yazoo County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vaughan
  • Cobbville
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Cobbville is located in Madison County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cobbville
  • Oaks
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Oaks is located in Madison County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oaks
  • Sharon
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Sharon is located in Madison County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sharon
  • Canton
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
  • Cameron
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Cameron is located in Madison County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cameron
  • Pickens
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
  • Camden
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
  • Evans
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Evans is located in Yazoo County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Evans
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Shoccoe
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Shoccoe is located in Madison County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shoccoe
    • Fordyke
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Fordyke is located in Yazoo County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fordyke
    • Shrock ‑ Historic
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Shrock is located in Attala County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shrock

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

Newspapers Published in Way ...

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 50 newspapers that have been published in the area around Way.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Way, there are papers which were published within 22 miles [35.4 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Way.

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 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 Way:

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