RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> State of Texas >> Ellis County >> Bell Branch >> Genealogy HelperIndex...

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 Bell Branch (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 Bell Branch. 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 Bell Branch ...

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 Bell Branch: Bell Br. (or less commonly used: Bell Brnch.)

You might be interested in other communities that are also named Bell Branch. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Bell Branch.

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 northeast 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 north.

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 north 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.

Bell Branch is located in Ellis 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 Ellis County: Dallas, Henderson, Hill, Johnson, Kaufman, Navarro & Tarrant.

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

  • Ellis County     (The home county of Bell Branch)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bell Branch, with the one closest to Bell Branch listed first.
    • Forreston
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Boz
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
      • Boz is located in Ellis County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boz
    • Italy
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Nash
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
      • Nash is located in Ellis County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nash
    • Maypearl
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Avalon
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Milford
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Howard
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
      • Howard is located in Ellis County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Howard
    • Auburn
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Auburn is located in Ellis County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Auburn
    • Waxahachie
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Sardis
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Sardis is located in Ellis County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sardis
    • Bardwell
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • Boyce
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Boyce is located in Ellis County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boyce
  • Dallas County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bell Branch, with the one closest to Bell Branch listed first.
    • Ovilla
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
    • Glenn Heights
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
    • Cedar Hill
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
    • DeSoto
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
    • Shamrock
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Shamrock is located in Dallas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shamrock
    • Lancaster
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Ferris
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Duncanville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
    • Wilmer
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Hutchins
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Hill County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bell Branch, with the one closest to Bell Branch listed first.
    • Mertens
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • Brandon
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • Carl's Corner
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Carl's Corner is located in Hill County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carl's Corner
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 199 people
    • Itasca
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Lovelace
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Lovelace is located in Hill County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lovelace
    • Irene
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
    • Bynum
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
    • Hillsboro
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Covington
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
    • Malone
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
    • Chatt
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Chatt is located in Hill County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chatt
    • Peoria
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Peoria is located in Hill County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peoria
    • Abbott
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
  • Johnson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bell Branch, with the one closest to Bell Branch listed first.
    • Grandview
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
    • Alvarado
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Cuba
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
      • Cuba is located in Johnson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cuba
    • Parker
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
      • Parker is located in Johnson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parker
    • Coyote Flats
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Coyote Flats is located in Johnson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coyote Flats
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 368 people
    • Lillian
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
    • Keene
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Keene is located in Johnson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keene
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 6,588 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Keene <1>
    • Egan
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Egan is located in Johnson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Egan
    • Rio Vista
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
    • Cleburne
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
    • Briaroaks
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Briaroaks is located in Johnson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Briaroaks
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 506 people
    • Cross Timber
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Cross Timber is located in Johnson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cross Timber
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 315 people
    • Joshua
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Navarro County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bell Branch, with the one closest to Bell Branch listed first.
    • Frost
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Blooming Grove
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Cryer Creek ‑ Historic
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Cryer Creek is located in Navarro County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cryer Creek
    • Barry
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Dresden
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Dresden is located in Navarro County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dresden
    • Emhouse
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • Emhouse is located in Navarro County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Emhouse
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 154 people
    • Rice
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Rice is located in Navarro County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rice
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 983 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Rice <1>
    • Navarro Mills
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Navarro Mills is located in Navarro County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Navarro Mills
    • Silver City
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Silver City is located in Navarro County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Silver City
    • Spring Hill
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Spring Hill is located in Navarro County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Hill
    • Dawson
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Purdon
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Corsicana
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
  • Tarrant County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bell Branch, with the one closest to Bell Branch listed first.
    • Retta
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Retta is located in Tarrant County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Retta
    • Rendon
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Rendon is located in Tarrant County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rendon

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

Cemeteries Near Bell Branch ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Bell Branch.

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 Bell Branch - one of the links might be able to help.

If not found below, our Cemetery List for Bell Branch covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

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

  • Greathouse Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
  • Forreston Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
  • Bee Creek Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
  • Glenwood Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
  • Berrys Chapel Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Hughes Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
  • Dean Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
  • Maloney Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
  • Files Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
  • Ozro Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
  • Jackson Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
  • Auburn Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
  • Continue List   (167 more) ...
    • Blanton Cemetery
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Blanton - Hooser Cemetery
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Turner Cemetery
      (11 miles [17.7 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.<2>

While we didn't find Bell Branch in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Bell Branch.

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

  • Italy
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Boz
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Boz is located in Ellis County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boz
  • Nash
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Nash is located in Ellis County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nash
  • Milford
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
  • Avalon
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
  • Auburn
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Auburn is located in Ellis County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Auburn
  • Waxahachie
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Mertens
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
  • Mountain Peak
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Mountain Peak is located in Ellis County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mountain Peak
  • Sardis
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • Sardis is located in Ellis County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sardis
  • Brandon
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
  • Frost
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Itasca
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Boyce
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Boyce is located in Ellis County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boyce
    • Grandview
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)

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

Newspapers Published in Bell Branch ...

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 69 newspapers that have been published in the area around Bell Branch.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Bell Branch, there are papers which were published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Bell Branch.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we begin 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 Bell Branch:

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>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 Bell Branch, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<3>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a '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- Bell Branch) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.