Our Genealogy Helper
Introduction ...
So far, we found very little information about Bray. The little that we've found leads us believe that the community is historic.<1>
We've added Bray to our Gazetteer with the hope that we can develop more information. If you can help us with Bray, please Contact Us.
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 Bray (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 Bray. 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.
Although our information shows that the community of Bray is historic, it would have been located within present day Shelby County.
To see how the shape of Tennessee's counties may have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.
The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Shelby County: Crittenden (AR), DeSoto (MS), Marshall (MS), Fayette & Tipton.
Below are the counties that are near Bray. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Bray:
- Shelby County (The home county of Bray)
- The following are listed by their distance from Bray, with the one closest to Bray listed first.
- Bailey
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Bailey is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bailey
- Collierville
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Forest Hill
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Forest Hill is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forest Hill
- Germantown
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Cordova
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Capleville
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Capleville is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Capleville
- Parkway Village
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Parkway Village is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parkway Village
- Oakville
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Oakville is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakville
- The Village
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- The Village is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for The Village
- Arlington
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Lakeland
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Bartlett
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Binghampton
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Binghampton is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Binghampton
- Fayette County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bray, with the one closest to Bray listed first.
- Piperton
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Piperton is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Piperton
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,128 people
- Rossville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Elba
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Elba is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elba
- Canadaville
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Canadaville is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Canadaville
- New Bethel
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- New Bethel is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Bethel
- Estimated population in 2014: 3,324 people
- Macon
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Macon is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Macon
- Hickory Withe
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Hickory Withe is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hickory Withe
- Oakland
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Oakland is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakland
- Population from the 2020 Census: 8,669 people
- Moscow
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Gallaway
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Williston
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Williston is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Williston
- Population from the 2020 Census: 373 people
- Feathers Chapel
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Feathers Chapel is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Feathers Chapel
- Estimated population in 2014: 7,102 people
- Forty Five
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Forty Five is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forty Five
- Hancock County
- Keeling
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Keeling is located in Hancock County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keeling
- Haywood County
- Fredonia
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Fredonia is located in Haywood County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fredonia
- Tipton County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bray, with the one closest to Bray listed first.
- Gainesville
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Gainesville is located in Tipton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gainesville
- Estimated population in 2014: 958 people
- Atoka
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Idaville
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Idaville is located in Tipton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Idaville
- Wilkinsville
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Wilkinsville is located in Tipton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilkinsville
- Mason
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Clopton
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Clopton is located in Tipton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clopton
- Estimated population in 2014: 9,889 people
- Munford
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Gailor
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Gailor is located in Tipton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gailor
- Estimated population in 2014: 468 people
- Brighton
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Crittenden County (AR)
- The following are listed by their distance from Bray, with the one closest to Bray listed first.
- Mound City
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Mound City is located in Crittenden County (AR)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mound City
- Hulbert
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Hulbert is located in Crittenden County (AR)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hulbert
- West Memphis
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Amanca
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Amanca is located in Crittenden County (AR)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amanca
- Sunset
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Sunset is located in Crittenden County (AR)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunset
- Population from the 2020 Census: 199 people
- Marion
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Marion is located in Crittenden County (AR)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marion
- Population from the 2020 Census: 12,290 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Marion <2>
- Benton County (MS)
- The following are listed by their distance from Bray, with the one closest to Bray listed first.
- Michigan City
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Snow Lake Shores
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Snow Lake Shores is located in Benton County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Snow Lake Shores
- Population from the 2020 Census: 291 people
- DeSoto County (MS)
- The following are listed by their distance from Bray, with the one closest to Bray listed first.
- Olive Branch
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Ingrams Mill
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Ingrams Mill is located in DeSoto County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ingrams Mill
- Southaven
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Bright
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Bright is located in DeSoto County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bright
- De Soto Village
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- De Soto Village is located in DeSoto County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for De Soto Village
- Aldens
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Aldens is located in DeSoto County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aldens
- Horn Lake
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Nesbit
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Alphaba
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Alphaba is located in DeSoto County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alphaba
- Hernando
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Lynchburg
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Lynchburg is located in DeSoto County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lynchburg
- Southhaven
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Southhaven is located in DeSoto County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Southhaven
- Walls
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Walls is located in DeSoto County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walls
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,441 people
- Former name for Walls:
- Alpika
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Walls <2>
- Marshall County (MS)
- The following are listed by their distance from Bray, with the one closest to Bray listed first.
- Barton
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Barton is located in Marshall County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barton
- Cayce
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Cayce is located in Marshall County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cayce
- Taska
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Taska is located in Marshall County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Taska
- Byhalia
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Mount Pleasant
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Victoria
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Victoria is located in Marshall County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Victoria
- Red Banks
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Slayden
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Slayden is located in Marshall County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Slayden
- Atway
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Atway is located in Marshall County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Atway
- Hudsonville
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Hudsonville is located in Marshall County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hudsonville
- Marianna
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Marianna is located in Marshall County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marianna
- Holly Springs
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Chulahoma
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Chulahoma is located in Marshall County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chulahoma
- Tate County (MS)
- The following are listed by their distance from Bray, with the one closest to Bray listed first.
- Antioch
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Antioch is located in Tate County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Antioch
- Poagville
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Poagville is located in Tate County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Poagville
- Wyatte
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Wyatte is located in Tate County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wyatte
- Aiken
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Aiken is located in Tate County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aiken
- Coldwater
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Bray, see our County-by-County Page for Bray.
Cemeteries Near Bray ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Bray.
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 Bray - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Bray covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Bray, with the one closest to Bray listed first.
- St. James Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Abington Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Magnolia Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- St. Marks Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Tabernacle Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Center Hill Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Bethany Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Castleberry Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Halliburton Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- McGehee Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Barton Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Shiloh Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Continue List (511 more) ...
- Coldwater Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Mt. Zion Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- All Saints Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
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.
While we didn't find Bray in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Bray.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Bray, with the one closest to Bray listed first.
- Bailey
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Bailey is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bailey
- Collierville
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Forest Hill
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Forest Hill is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forest Hill
- Piperton
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Piperton is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Piperton
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,128 people
- Barton
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Barton is located in Marshall County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barton
- Germantown
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Cayce
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Cayce is located in Marshall County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cayce
- Rossville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Elba
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Elba is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elba
- Miller
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Miller is located in DeSoto County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Miller
- Canadaville
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Canadaville is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Canadaville
- Lenow
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Lenow is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lenow
- Continue List (15 more) ...
- Olive Branch
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Cedarview
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Cedarview is located in DeSoto County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedarview
- Eads
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Bray. See our List of 1890's Communities around Bray.
Newspapers Published in Bray ...
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 220 newspapers that have been published in the area around Bray.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Bray, there are papers which were published within 22 miles [35.4 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Bray.
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 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 Bray:
- Websites specific to Tennessee
- Pages specific to Shelby County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Fayette County
- Hancock County
- Haywood County
- Tipton County
- Crittenden County
- Benton County
- DeSoto County
- Marshall County
- Tate County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Tennessee
Footnotes ...
| <1> | 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 Bray, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <2> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <3> | The Find-a-Grave website is an excellent research tool with information about a cemetery's location and interments. They also offer a forum for their members which can provide additional help. More information about Find-a-Grave can be found on their website: findagrave.com. |
| <4> | 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- Bray) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |