RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> State of Texas >> Grayson County >> Bells >> Genealogy HelperIndex...










Learn About
The Commemorative
Quarter for
Texas

The Commemorative Quarter for Texas





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 Bells (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 Bells. 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 Bells ...

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.

The town of Bells was originally named Gospel Ridge

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 northwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors were in the next county to the west. 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 west 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.

Bells is located in Grayson 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 Grayson County: Bryan (OK), Love (OK), Marshall (OK), Collin, Cooke, Denton & Fannin.

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

  • Grayson County     (The home county of Bells)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bells, with the one closest to Bells listed first.
    • Whiterock
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whiterock
      • Whiterock is located in Grayson County
    • Ida
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ida
      • Ida is located in Grayson County
    • Kentucky Town
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kentucky Town
      • Kentucky Town is located in Grayson County
    • Tom Bean
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Luella
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Luella
      • Luella is located in Grayson County
    • Tribune
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tribune have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tribune
      • Tribune is located in Grayson County
    • Twin City
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Twin City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Twin City
      • Twin City is located in Grayson County
    • Pilot Grove
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pilot Grove
      • Pilot Grove is located in Grayson County
    • Sherman
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
    • Denison
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Frontier Village
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Frontier Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frontier Village
      • Frontier Village is located in Grayson County
    • Knollwood
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Knollwood have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Knollwood
      • Knollwood is located in Grayson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 503 people
    • Howe
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Howe
      • Howe is located in Grayson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,390 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Howe <1>
  • Collin County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bells, with the one closest to Bells listed first.
    • Van Alstyne
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Westminster
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Westminster have been provided by the GNIS.<2> 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 <1>
    • Mantua ‑ Historic
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mantua came from an uncertain source and they still need to be verified:<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mantua
      • Mantua is located in Collin County
    • Anna
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Anna have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Anna
      • Anna is located in Collin County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 16,945 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Anna <1>
    • Blue Ridge
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
    • Frognot
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frognot
      • Frognot is located in Collin County
    • Valdasta
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Valdasta
      • Valdasta is located in Collin County
    • Melissa
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
    • Weston
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Weston have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weston
      • Weston is located in Collin County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 543 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Weston <1>
    • Roland
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Roland have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roland
      • Roland is located in Collin County
    • Parris
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parris
      • Parris is located in Collin County
    • New Hope
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for New Hope have been provided by the GNIS.<2> 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
    • Celina
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Fannin County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bells, with the one closest to Bells listed first.
    • Savoy
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
    • Whitewright
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Ector
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Mulberry
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mulberry
      • Mulberry is located in Fannin County
    • Ravenna
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Orangeville
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Orangeville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orangeville
      • Orangeville is located in Fannin County
    • Edhube
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edhube
      • Edhube is located in Fannin County
    • Randolph
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Bonham
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • Boyd
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boyd
      • Boyd is located in Fannin County
    • Trenton
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • Ridings
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ridings
      • Ridings is located in Fannin County
    • Sowells Bluff
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sowells Bluff
      • Sowells Bluff is located in Fannin County
  • Hunt County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bells, with the one closest to Bells listed first.
    • Celeste
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Celeste have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Celeste
      • Celeste is located in Hunt County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 931 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Celeste <1>
    • Wolfe City
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Merit
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
    • Kingston
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kingston
      • Kingston is located in Hunt County
    • White Rock
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Rock
      • White Rock is located in Hunt County
    • Aberfoyle
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aberfoyle
      • Aberfoyle is located in Hunt County
  • Bryan County (OK)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bells, with the one closest to Bells listed first.
    • Hendrix
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hendrix have been provided by the GNIS.<2> 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 <1>
    • Kemp
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kemp have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kemp
      • Kemp is located in Bryan County (OK)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 156 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Kemp <1>
    • Achille
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Achille have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Achille
      • Achille is located in Bryan County (OK)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 550 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Achille <1>
    • Yarnaby
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yarnaby
      • Yarnaby is located in Bryan County (OK)
    • Colbert
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colbert
      • Colbert is located in Bryan County (OK)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,268 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Colbert <1>
    • Yuba
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Yuba have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yuba
      • Yuba is located in Bryan County (OK)
    • Cartwright
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
    • Platter
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
    • Calera
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Calera have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Calera
      • Calera is located in Bryan County (OK)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,414 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Calera <1>
    • Albany
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
    • Durant
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Durant
      • Durant is located in Bryan County (OK)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 19,157 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Durant <1>
    • Wade
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wade
      • Wade is located in Bryan County (OK)
    • Mead
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mead have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mead
      • Mead is located in Bryan County (OK)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 260 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mead <1>
  • Marshall County (OK)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bells, with the one closest to Bells listed first.
    • McBride
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for McBride have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McBride
      • McBride is located in Marshall County (OK)
    • New Woodville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Woodville
      • New Woodville is located in Marshall County (OK)
      • Population from the 2010 Census: 132 people
    • Shay
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shay
      • Shay is located in Marshall County (OK)

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

Newspapers Published in Bells ...

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 57 newspapers that have been published in the area around Bells.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Bells, there are papers which were published within 23 miles [37 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Bells.

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 helpful 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 Bells:

Cemeteries Near Bells ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Bells.

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

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

  • Bells North Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
  • Rosehill Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
  • Bethel Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
  • Greenwood Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
  • Washburn Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
  • Sunnyside Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Sunnyside Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Sunnyside Cemetery
  • Culpepper Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Culpepper Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Culpepper Cemetery
  • Francis Family Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for the Francis Family Cemetery. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<6>
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Francis Family Cemetery is located 2 miles [3.2 km]<4> to the southeast of Bells.
    • The Francis Family Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Francis Cemetery
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Francis Family Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2293580 <5>
  • McNeely Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the McNeely Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the McNeely Cemetery
  • Goff Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for the Goff Cemetery. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<6>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Goff Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2291051 <5>
  • Blair Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for the Blair Cemetery. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<6>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Blair Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2269468 <5>
  • Antioch Baptist Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for the Antioch Baptist Cemetery. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<6>
    • The Antioch Baptist Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Antioch Cemetery
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Antioch Baptist Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #1987971 <5>
  • Continue List   (315 more) ...
    • Everheart Cemetery
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Montgomery Cemetery
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for the Montgomery Cemetery. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<6>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Montgomery Cemetery
      • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #5303 <5>
    • Wrenn Cemetery
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Wrenn Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Wrenn Cemetery

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.<7>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Bells had a population of 429 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Bells had a population of 1,516 people.

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

  • Savoy
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
  • Ida
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ida
    • Ida is located in Grayson County
  • Kentucky Town
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kentucky Town
    • Kentucky Town is located in Grayson County
  • Whitewright
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • Tom Bean
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Luella
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Luella
    • Luella is located in Grayson County
  • White Mound
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for White Mound have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Mound
    • White Mound is located in Grayson County
  • Ector
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
  • Orangeville
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Orangeville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orangeville
    • Orangeville is located in Fannin County
  • Ravenna
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
  • Mulberry
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mulberry
    • Mulberry is located in Fannin County
  • Pilot Grove
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pilot Grove
    • Pilot Grove is located in Grayson County
  • Continue List   (16 more) ...
    • Sherman
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
    • Cannon
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cannon have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cannon
      • Cannon is located in Grayson County
    • Randolph
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)

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

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

The official website for Grayson County: www.co.grayson.tx.us/

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

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 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.
<3>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.
<4>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- Bells) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Bells. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 33.6112, Longitude: -96.4104    
<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>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.
<7>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 Bells, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

Copyright 2024
All Rights Reserved

Thank you for visiting our website.

In closing, please keep in mind that we can not guarantee the accuracy or timeliness of the information on this website, so use with care. We encourage you to double-check the information that is critical to you.

If you've found an error or have additional information that you would like to share, please don't hesitate to write: Click here to contact us.

This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024