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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 Anna (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 Anna. 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 southeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors and hospitals were in the next county to the east. 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 east 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.

Anna is located in Collin County.

To see how the shape of Texas' counties have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Collin County: Dallas, Denton, Fannin, Grayson, Hunt & Rockwall.

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

  • Collin County     (The home county of Anna)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Anna, with the one closest to Anna listed first.
    • Mantua ‑ Historic
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mantua came from an uncertain source and they still need to be verified:<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mantua
      • Mantua is located in Collin County
    • Melissa
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Westminster
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Westminster have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westminster
      • Westminster is located in Collin County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Westminster <2>
    • Van Alstyne
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Sedalia
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Sedalia. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sedalia
      • Sedalia is located in Collin County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Sedalia
      • From Anna to Sedalia
    • Valdasta
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Weston
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Parris
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Roland
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Roland. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roland
      • Roland is located in Collin County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Roland
      • From Anna to Roland
    • Blue Ridge
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • New Hope
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for New Hope have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Hope
      • New Hope is located in Collin County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 641 people
    • Princeton
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Princeton have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Princeton
      • Princeton is located in Collin County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 15,699 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Princeton <2>
    • McKinney
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Comanche County
  • Cooke County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Anna, with the one closest to Anna listed first.
    • Bloomfield
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
    • Lake Kiowa
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lake Kiowa have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Kiowa
      • Lake Kiowa is located in Cooke County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lake Kiowa <2>
    • Burns City
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
    • Hemming
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
  • Dallas County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Anna, with the one closest to Anna listed first.
    • Richardson
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
    • Buckingham
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Buckingham have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buckingham
      • Buckingham is located in Dallas County
    • Garland
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
    • Rowlett
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rowlett have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rowlett
      • Rowlett is located in Dallas County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 68,388 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Rowlett <2>
  • Denton County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Anna, with the one closest to Anna listed first.
    • Pilot Point
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
    • Hackberry
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hackberry have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hackberry
      • Hackberry is located in Denton County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,094 people
    • Little Elm
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Little Elm have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little Elm
      • Little Elm is located in Denton County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 56,625 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Little Elm <2>
    • Aubrey
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
    • Providence Village
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
    • Cross Roads
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
    • Krugerville
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
    • Lincoln Park
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
    • The Colony
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for The Colony have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for The Colony
      • The Colony is located in Denton County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 45,498 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for The Colony <2>
    • Oak Point
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Oak Point have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Point
      • Oak Point is located in Denton County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 6,820 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Oak Point <2>
    • Lakewood Village
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lakewood Village have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lakewood Village
      • Lakewood Village is located in Denton County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,002 people
    • Lake Dallas
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lake Dallas have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Dallas
      • Lake Dallas is located in Denton County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 8,124 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lake Dallas <2>
    • Shady Shores
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Shady Shores have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shady Shores
      • Shady Shores is located in Denton County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,958 people
  • Fannin County
  • Grayson County
  • Hunt County
  • Rockwall County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Anna, with the one closest to Anna listed first.
    • Fate
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
    • Mobile City
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
    • Rockwall
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rockwall have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rockwall
      • Rockwall is located in Rockwall County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 47,415 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Rockwall <2>
  • Bryan County (OK)
    • Hendrix
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hendrix have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hendrix
      • Hendrix is located in Bryan County (OK)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 86 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hendrix <2>

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

Cemeteries Near Anna ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Anna.

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

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

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.<6>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Anna had a population of 163 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Anna had a population of 16,945 people.

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

  • Melissa
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
  • Van Alstyne
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • Sedalia
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Sedalia. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sedalia
    • Sedalia is located in Collin County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Sedalia
    • From Anna to Sedalia
  • Elmont
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Elmont have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elmont
    • Elmont is located in Grayson County
  • Weston
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
  • Roland
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Roland. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roland
    • Roland is located in Collin County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Roland
    • From Anna to Roland
  • Altoga
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Altoga have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Altoga
    • Altoga is located in Collin County
  • Cannon
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cannon have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cannon
    • Cannon is located in Grayson County
  • Verona
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Verona have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Verona
    • Verona is located in Collin County
  • Blue Ridge
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
  • Pilot Grove
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
  • Farmington
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Farmington have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Farmington
    • Farmington is located in Grayson County
  • Continue List   (16 more) ...

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

Newspapers Published in Anna ...

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 68 newspapers that have been published in the area around Anna.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Anna, there are papers which were published within 24 miles [38.6 km]<7>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Anna.

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 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 Anna:

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

The official website for Collin County: www.co.collin.tx.us/

The official website for State of Texas: https://texas.gov/

Footnotes ...

<1>If we found a location and have questions about the accuracy of our information, we will simply say that the marker is 'in the vicinity'. We are not confident about the location and the position of our marker is only a rough guide. If we have too many doubts about the location, we will not include it in our database.
<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 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.
<4>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.
<5>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.
<6>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 Anna, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<7>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Anna) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Anna. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 33.3490, Longitude: -96.5608    









 

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This page was last modified/updated: 29 Apr 2025