Next Meeting on Saturday, September 20, 2025

Lorrie Canfijn will speak about the library genealogy’s section

Trace Your Lineage

We inherit from our ancestors gifts so often taken for granted. Each of us contains within this inheritance of soul. We are links between the ages, containing past and present expectations, sacred memories and future promise. – Edward Sellner First Family

Bay County History

On July 1, 1913, Bay County was created by the Legislature from portions of Washington, Calhoun and Walton counties. Prior to the Europeans arriving in this area, Ancient Native American tribes lived in our area. The area now know as Bay County, is known to have had 32 Indian Mounds.
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Cemetery Index

A merged countywide index to every interred person in all 38 Bay county cemeteries reported by the Bay Genealogy society surveys was completed in 1995. These records are copyrighted please do not use them on a web page, CD-ROM, printed or otherwise published work without first receiving permission from the Bay County Genealogical Society.
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Where did these tombstone readings originate?

Between 1990 and 1995, a comprehensive survey and reading of all then-known cemeteries in Bay County, Florida was conducted by the Bay County Genealogical Society under the direction of Nancy Roberts. She was assisted by many BCGS volunteers, including Natalie Thompson, Wallie Waltonen, Barbara Winge, and many others whose contributions and efforts have largely gone unheralded.

Even earlier, tombstone surveys were conducted by Bay High School students under the direction of Tommy Smith in the 1960s, and by Marlene Womack in the 1970s. Some of the markers noted in the earlier surveys were not found during the BCGS surveys, most likely a result of neglect, vandalism, or simply the passage of time. The Gunlock cemetery survey has been replaced by a newer one conducted in Oct 2008 by Suzanne Shay. Section I of the Lynn Haven Cemetery, which was inexplicably omitted from the electronic files, has been replaced in 2010. Numerous corrections have been submitted by interested persons, whom we thank very kindly, and they have been incorporated on an ongoing basis.

All of these results are included in the present index, which now contains approximately 22,654 names in 41 cemeteries

Those who now use these results in the comfort of their air conditioned homes owe a debt of gratitude to all those who braved the bugs, brambles, broiling sun, and bushwhackers for their dedicated work.

Cemetery Maps

Several cemeteries will be listed here

Callaway;Evergreen;Forest Lawn;Garden of Memories;Greenwood;Gunlock;Lynn Haven;Millville;Oakland;Redwood;Southport….
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Where are the cemeteries:

A map will be attched here
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How to use these records

This index is derived from a database created by the Bay County Genealogical Society during its surveys of 1990-1995 and from earlier readings by others. The database itself contains some additional details from the tombstones that are not included in this index. The database was microfilmed on 18 August 1995 by the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah, as film number 1307694. The film may be borrowed from any of 4000 LDS Family History Centers worldwide, and the Bay County Public Library has two copies in its permanent collection.

If you find your ancestor in this index, we recommend that you also view the FHL microfilm, and if at all possible, visit the cemetery itself to examine the inscription personally. While those who read the inscriptions were experienced and dedicated volunteers, tombstones can be very difficult to read, and some transcription errors are simply unavoidable. Moreover, this alphabetical index does not reveal the order in which the stones were read. People interred near each other are often related, so proximity information may lead to new family discoveries.

Information you find on a tombstone can often lead to additional genealogical records including birth, baptism, marriage, death, and funeral records; obituaries, social security death index, and more.

Researchers need to be aware that Bay County was created in 1913. Prior to that time, deaths, funerals, and burials in the area that is now Bay County may have been recorded in Washington or Calhoun Counties.

Refer to the cemetery key to determine the cemetery name and location.

Abbreviations used in this index

• ( ) parenthesis = maiden name
• [ ] brackets = compiler’s note, input, or clarification
• aka = also known as
• b/o = brother of
• c/o = child of
• d/o = daughter of
• f/o = father of
• h/o = husband of
• m. = married
• md = married
• m/o = mother of
• s/o = son of
• ssw = same stone with
• w/o = wife of