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 Avant Prairie (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 Avant Prairie. 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.
Name Variations for Avant Prairie ...
When searching records, keep in mind that names and their spelling can change over time. Our sources include documents like maps, railroad schedules, Travel, Express and Shipping Guides. Many of these documents date from the 1800's and it's common to find spelling differences.
For example, a typical abbreviation for Avant Prairie: Avant Pr.
If you have information about these names (such as the reason for the change, date of change, the origin of the name), please Contact Us.
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 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.
Avant Prairie is located in Freestone County.
To see how the shape of Texas' counties may have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.
The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Freestone County: Anderson, Leon, Limestone & Navarro.
Below are the counties that are near Avant Prairie. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Avant Prairie:
- Freestone County (The home county of Avant Prairie)
- The following are listed by their distance from Avant Prairie, with the one closest to Avant Prairie listed first.
- Dew
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Dew is located in Freestone County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dew
- Freestone
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Freestone is located in Freestone County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Freestone
- Teague
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Lanely
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Lanely is located in Freestone County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lanely
- Fairfield
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Turlington
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Turlington is located in Freestone County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Turlington
- Donie
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Cotton Gin
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Red Lake
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Red Lake is located in Freestone County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Lake
- Kirvin
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Stewards Mill ‑ Historic
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Stewards Mill is located in Freestone County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stewards Mill
- Butler
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Butler is located in Freestone County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Butler
- Anderson County
- The following are listed by their distance from Avant Prairie, with the one closest to Avant Prairie listed first.
- Greens Bluff
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Greens Bluff is located in Anderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greens Bluff
- Yard ‑ Historic
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Yard is located in Anderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yard
- Massey Lake
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Massey Lake is located in Anderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Massey Lake
- Long Lake
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Long Lake is located in Anderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Long Lake
- Harmony
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Harmony is located in Anderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harmony
- Tucker
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Tucker is located in Anderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tucker
- Tennessee Colony
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Bethel
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Bethel is located in Anderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bethel
- Cayuga
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Lakeview Assembly
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Lakeview Assembly is located in Anderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lakeview Assembly
- Blackfoot
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Blackfoot is located in Anderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blackfoot
- Ward
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Ward is located in Anderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ward
- Leon County
- The following are listed by their distance from Avant Prairie, with the one closest to Avant Prairie listed first.
- Buffalo
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Jewett
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Newby
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Newby is located in Leon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newby
- Concord
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Marquez
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Russell
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Russell is located in Leon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Russell
- Centerville
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Limestone County
- The following are listed by their distance from Avant Prairie, with the one closest to Avant Prairie listed first.
- Personville
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Personville is located in Limestone County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Personville
- Farrar
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Farrar is located in Limestone County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Farrar
- Lost Prairie
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Lost Prairie is located in Limestone County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lost Prairie
- Fallon
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Fallon is located in Limestone County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fallon
- Mexia
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Groesbeck
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Tehuacana
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Thornton
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Coolidge
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Frosa
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Frosa is located in Limestone County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frosa
- Navarro County
- The following are listed by their distance from Avant Prairie, with the one closest to Avant Prairie listed first.
- Richland
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Richland is located in Navarro County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Richland
- Population from the 2020 Census: 273 people
- Eureka
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Eureka is located in Navarro County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eureka
- Population from the 2020 Census: 315 people
- Navarro
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Navarro is located in Navarro County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Navarro
- Population from the 2020 Census: 217 people
- Pursley
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Pursley is located in Navarro County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pursley
- Robertson County
- The following are listed by their distance from Avant Prairie, with the one closest to Avant Prairie listed first.
- Seale
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Seale is located in Robertson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seale
- Bald Prairie
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Bald Prairie is located in Robertson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bald Prairie
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Avant Prairie, see our County-by-County Page for Avant Prairie.
Cemeteries Near Avant Prairie ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Avant Prairie.
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 Avant Prairie - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Avant Prairie covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Avant Prairie, with the one closest to Avant Prairie listed first.
- Philpott Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Salem Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Kendrick Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Post Oak Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Driver Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Harrison Chapel Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Varnell Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- George Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Antioch Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Greenwood Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Holly Grove Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Fairfield Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Continue List (160 more) ...
- Hopewell Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Old Zion Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Mt. Zion Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
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.<3>
While we didn't find Avant Prairie in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Avant Prairie.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Avant Prairie, with the one closest to Avant Prairie listed first.
- Dew
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Dew is located in Freestone County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dew
- Luna
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Luna is located in Freestone County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Luna
- Fairfield
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Personville
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Personville is located in Limestone County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Personville
- Cotton Gin
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Farrar
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Farrar is located in Limestone County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Farrar
- Buffalo
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Prairie Grove
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Prairie Grove is located in Limestone County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prairie Grove
- Keechi
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- Keechi is located in Leon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keechi
- Stewards Mill ‑ Historic
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Stewards Mill is located in Freestone County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stewards Mill
- Butler
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Butler is located in Freestone County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Butler
- Jewett
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Continue List (15 more) ...
- Young
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Young is located in Freestone County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Young
- Mexia
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Oakwood
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Avant Prairie. See our List of 1890's Communities around Avant Prairie.
Newspapers Published in Avant Prairie ...
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 31 newspapers that have been published in the area around Avant Prairie.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Avant Prairie, there are papers which were published within 29 miles [46.7 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Avant Prairie.
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 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 Avant Prairie:
- Websites specific to Texas
- Pages specific to Freestone County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Anderson County
- Leon County
- Limestone County
- Navarro County
- Robertson County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Texas
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> | 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. |
| <3> | 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 Avant Prairie, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <4> | 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 from Point A (ie- Avant Prairie) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |