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Our Genealogy Helper

Introduction ...

So far, we found very little information about Belle Plain. The little that we've found leads us believe that the community is historic.<1>

We've added Belle Plain to our Gazetteer with the hope that we can develop more information. If you can help us with Belle Plain, please Contact Us.

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 Belle Plain (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 Belle Plain. 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 Belle Plain ...

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.

Although we can't give a definitive list, hopefully the following will give you a feel for the variations that might have occurred.

For example, a typical abbreviation for Belle Plain: Belle Pln.

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 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.

Although our information shows that the community of Belle Plain is historic, it would have been located within present day Callahan 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 Callahan County: Brown, Coleman, Eastland, Jones, Shackelford, Stephens & Taylor.

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

  • Callahan County     (The home county of Belle Plain)
  • Brown County
  • Coleman County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Belle Plain, with the one closest to Belle Plain listed first.
    • Burkett
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
    • Goldsboro
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Goldsboro have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goldsboro
      • Goldsboro is located in Coleman County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Goldsboro <2>
    • Novice
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Novice have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Novice
      • Novice is located in Coleman County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 126 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Novice <2>
  • Eastland County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Belle Plain, with the one closest to Belle Plain listed first.
    • Nimrod ‑ Historic
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
    • Cisco
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cisco have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cisco
      • Cisco is located in Eastland County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,850 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cisco <2>
    • Rising Star
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Mangum ‑ Historic
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mangum have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mangum
      • Mangum is located in Eastland County
    • Okra
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Okra. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Okra
      • Okra is located in Eastland County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Okra
      • From Belle Plain to Okra
  • Jones County
    • Fort Phantom Hill ‑ Historic
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fort Phantom Hill have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fort Phantom Hill
      • Fort Phantom Hill is located in Jones County
  • Shackelford County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Belle Plain, with the one closest to Belle Plain listed first.
    • Moran
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Moran have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moran
      • Moran is located in Shackelford County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 260 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Moran <2>
    • Albany
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Albany have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Albany
      • Albany is located in Shackelford County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,958 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Albany <2>
  • Stephens County
    • Eureka
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Eureka have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eureka
      • Eureka is located in Stephens County
  • Taylor County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Belle Plain, with the one closest to Belle Plain listed first.
    • Potosi
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Potosi have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Potosi
      • Potosi is located in Taylor County
    • Hamby
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Abilene
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
    • Lawn
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Impact
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Impact have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Impact
      • Impact is located in Taylor County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 31 people
    • Tuscola
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tuscola have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tuscola
      • Tuscola is located in Taylor County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 735 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Tuscola <2>
    • Buffalo Gap
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
    • Ovalo
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ovalo have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ovalo
      • Ovalo is located in Taylor County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ovalo <2>

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

Cemeteries Near Belle Plain ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Belle Plain.

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

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

  • Belle Plain Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Belle Plain Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Belle Plain Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Ross Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Ross Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Ross Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • St. Joachim Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Joachim Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Joachim Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Burnt Branch Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Burnt Branch Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Burnt Branch Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Eula Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Eula Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Eula Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Caddo Peak Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Caddo Peak Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Caddo Peak Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Oglesby Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Oglesby Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Oglesby Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Hart Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hart Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hart Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Seaton Cemetery
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Seaton Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Seaton Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Haskell Cemetery
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Haskell Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Haskell Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Dothan Cemetery
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Dothan Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Dothan Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Tecumseh Cemetery
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Tecumseh Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Tecumseh Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (53 more) ...
    • Dressy Cemetery
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Dressy Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Dressy Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Sabanno Cemetery
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Sabanno Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Sabanno Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Potosi Cemetery
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)

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.

Belle Plain itself is historic and was described in the Rand McNally Atlas as having a population of 58 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service.

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

  • Baird
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
  • Putnam
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
  • Clyde
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Clyde have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clyde
    • Clyde is located in Callahan County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,881 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Clyde <2>
  • Cottonwood
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Scranton
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Scranton have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scranton
    • Scranton is located in Eastland County
  • Cross Plains
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Nimrod ‑ Historic
    (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
  • Elmdale
    (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Elmdale have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elmdale
    • Elmdale is located in Taylor County
  • Pioneer
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pioneer have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pioneer
    • Pioneer is located in Eastland County
  • Cisco
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cisco have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cisco
    • Cisco is located in Eastland County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,850 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cisco <2>
  • Burkett
    (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
  • Cross Cut
    (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
  • Continue List   (9 more) ...
    • Abilene
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
    • Romney
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Romney have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Romney
      • Romney is located in Eastland County
    • Silver Valley
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Silver Valley have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Silver Valley
      • Silver Valley is located in Coleman County

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

Newspapers Published in Belle Plain ...

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 48 newspapers that have been published in the area around Belle Plain.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Belle Plain, there are papers which were published within 28 miles [45.1 km]<5>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Belle Plain.

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 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 Belle Plain:

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

Footnotes ...

<1>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 Belle Plain, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<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>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 drawn from Point A (ie- Belle Plain) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Belle Plain. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 32.3109, Longitude: -99.3608       In this case, the coordinates for Belle Plain have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<6>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.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 29 Apr 2025