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 Balsora (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 Balsora. 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 hospitals and 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.
Balsora is located in Wise 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 Wise County: Cooke, Denton, Jack, Montague, Parker & Tarrant.
Below are the counties that are near Balsora. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Balsora:
- Wise County (The home county of Balsora)
- The following are listed by their distance from Balsora, with the one closest to Balsora listed first.
- Boonsville
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Boonsville is located in Wise County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boonsville
- Runaway Bay
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Lake Bridgeport
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Lake Bridgeport is located in Wise County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Bridgeport
- Population from the 2020 Census: 405 people
- Bridgeport
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Paradise
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Chico
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Boyd
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
- Decatur
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
- Herman
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Herman is located in Wise County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Herman
- Alvord
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Briar
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Briar is located in Wise County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Briar
- Aurora
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Park Springs
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Park Springs is located in Wise County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Park Springs
- Clay County
- Newport
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Newport is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newport
- Denton County
- Stony
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Stony is located in Denton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stony
- Jack County
- The following are listed by their distance from Balsora, with the one closest to Balsora listed first.
- Westbrook
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Westbrook is located in Jack County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westbrook
- Gibtown
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Gibtown is located in Jack County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gibtown
- Wizard Wells
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Wizard Wells is located in Jack County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wizard Wells
- Perrin
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Jacksboro
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Postoak
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Postoak is located in Jack County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Postoak
- Bob Town
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Bob Town is located in Jack County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bob Town
- Montague County
- The following are listed by their distance from Balsora, with the one closest to Balsora listed first.
- Sunset
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Fruitland
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Fruitland is located in Montague County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fruitland
- New Harp
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- New Harp is located in Montague County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Harp
- Bowie
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Salona
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Salona is located in Montague County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salona
- Palo Pinto County
- The following are listed by their distance from Balsora, with the one closest to Balsora listed first.
- Salesville
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Salesville is located in Palo Pinto County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salesville
- Wolters Village
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Wolters Village is located in Palo Pinto County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wolters Village
- Mineral Wells
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Graford
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Parker County
- The following are listed by their distance from Balsora, with the one closest to Balsora listed first.
- Poolville
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Agnes
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Agnes is located in Parker County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Agnes
- Goshen
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Goshen is located in Parker County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goshen
- Springtown
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- Whitt
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Carter
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Carter is located in Parker County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carter
- Adell
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Adell is located in Parker County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adell
- Peaster
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Authon
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Authon is located in Parker County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Authon
- Reno
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Reno is located in Parker County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reno
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,473 people
- Lemley
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Lemley is located in Parker County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lemley
- Sanctuary
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Sanctuary is located in Parker County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sanctuary
- Population from the 2020 Census: 327 people
- Azle
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Tarrant County
- The following are listed by their distance from Balsora, with the one closest to Balsora listed first.
- Pelican Bay
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Pelican Bay is located in Tarrant County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pelican Bay
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,100 people
- Pecan Acres
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Pecan Acres is located in Tarrant County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pecan Acres
- Eagle Mountain
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Eagle Mountain is located in Tarrant County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eagle Mountain
- Lakeside
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Lakeside is located in Tarrant County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lakeside
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,586 people
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Balsora, see our County-by-County Page for Balsora.
Cemeteries Near Balsora ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Balsora.
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 Balsora - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Balsora covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Balsora, with the one closest to Balsora listed first.
- Willow Point Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Gilley Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Hyde Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Bethel Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Westbrook Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- East Mound Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- McDaniel Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Grandview Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Oldtown Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Kilby Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Fairview Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Friendship Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Continue List (126 more) ...
- Mexican Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Morrow Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Paradise Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
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.<4>
While we didn't find Balsora in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Balsora.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Balsora, with the one closest to Balsora listed first.
- Boonsville
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Boonsville is located in Wise County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boonsville
- Willow Point
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Willow Point is located in Wise County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willow Point
- Vineyard
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Vineyard is located in Jack County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vineyard
- Joplin
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Joplin is located in Jack County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Joplin
- Bridgeport
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Poolville
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Cottondale
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Cottondale is located in Wise County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cottondale
- Paradise
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Agnes
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Agnes is located in Parker County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Agnes
- Chico
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Whitt
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Springtown
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- Continue List (15 more) ...
- Keeter
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Keeter is located in Wise County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keeter
- Carter
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Carter is located in Parker County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carter
- Adell
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Adell is located in Parker County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adell
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Balsora. See our List of 1890's Communities around Balsora.
Newspapers Published in Balsora ...
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 62 newspapers that have been published in the area around Balsora.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Balsora, there are papers which were published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<2>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Balsora.
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 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 Balsora:
- Websites specific to Texas
- Pages specific to Wise County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Clay County
- Denton County
- Jack County
- Montague County
- Palo Pinto County
- Parker County
- Tarrant 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> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Balsora) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |
| <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> | 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 Balsora, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |