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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 Ben (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 Ben. 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 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.

Ben is located in Wood 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 Wood County: Franklin, Hopkins, Rains, Smith, Upshur & Van Zandt.

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

  • Wood County     (The home county of Ben)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ben, with the one closest to Ben listed first.
    • Mineola
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Golden
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Golden have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Golden
      • Golden is located in Wood County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Golden <1>
    • Quitman
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Alba
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Hainesville
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hainesville
      • Hainesville is located in Wood County
    • Forest Hill
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forest Hill
      • Forest Hill is located in Wood County
    • Gunter
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gunter have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gunter
      • Gunter is located in Wood County
    • Pine Mills
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Mills
      • Pine Mills is located in Wood County
    • Coke
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coke
      • Coke is located in Wood County
    • Yantis
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Yantis have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yantis
      • Yantis is located in Wood County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 425 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Yantis <1>
    • Stout
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Stout have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stout
      • Stout is located in Wood County
    • Hawkins
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
  • Franklin County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ben, with the one closest to Ben listed first.
    • Winnsboro
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Winnsboro have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winnsboro
      • Winnsboro is located in Franklin County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,330 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Winnsboro <1>
    • Scroggins
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
  • Henderson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ben, with the one closest to Ben listed first.
    • Chandler
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
    • Brownsboro
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Brownsboro have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brownsboro
      • Brownsboro is located in Henderson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,293 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Brownsboro <1>
    • Murchison
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Murchison have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Murchison
      • Murchison is located in Henderson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 610 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Murchison <1>
  • Hopkins County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ben, with the one closest to Ben listed first.
    • Black Oak
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Black Oak
      • Black Oak is located in Hopkins County
    • Bonanza
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
    • Pickton
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pickton have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pickton
      • Pickton is located in Hopkins County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Pickton <1>
    • Como
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Como have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Como
      • Como is located in Hopkins County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 723 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Como <1>
    • Tazewell
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tazewell
      • Tazewell is located in Hopkins County
    • Divide
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Divide
      • Divide is located in Hopkins County
    • Miller Grove
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Rockdale
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rockdale
      • Rockdale is located in Hopkins County
  • Rains County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ben, with the one closest to Ben listed first.
    • Emory
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
    • Flats
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flats
      • Flats is located in Rains County
    • Point
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • East Tawakoni
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for East Tawakoni have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Tawakoni
      • East Tawakoni is located in Rains County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 991 people
    • Hooker Ridge
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hooker Ridge
      • Hooker Ridge is located in Rains County
  • Smith County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ben, with the one closest to Ben listed first.
    • Jamestown
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Jamestown have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jamestown
      • Jamestown is located in Smith County
    • Hideaway
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hideaway
      • Hideaway is located in Smith County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,208 people
    • Lindale
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lindale have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lindale
      • Lindale is located in Smith County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 6,730 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lindale <1>
    • Red Springs
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Springs
      • Red Springs is located in Smith County
    • Swan
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Swan
      • Swan is located in Smith County
    • Winona
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Winona have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winona
      • Winona is located in Smith County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 617 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Winona <1>
    • Tyler
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tyler
      • Tyler is located in Smith County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 108,222 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Tyler <1>
    • Starrville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Starrville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Starrville
      • Starrville is located in Smith County
  • Upshur County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ben, with the one closest to Ben listed first.
    • Rhonesboro
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rhonesboro
      • Rhonesboro is located in Upshur County
    • Big Sandy
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Big Sandy have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Sandy
      • Big Sandy is located in Upshur County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,412 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Big Sandy <1>
    • Grice
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grice
      • Grice is located in Upshur County
    • Rosewood
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rosewood
      • Rosewood is located in Upshur County
    • Kelsey
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kelsey
      • Kelsey is located in Upshur County
    • Piney Grove
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Piney Grove
      • Piney Grove is located in Upshur County
    • Center Point
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Center Point
      • Center Point is located in Upshur County
    • Thomas
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thomas
      • Thomas is located in Upshur County
  • Van Zandt County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ben, with the one closest to Ben listed first.
    • Grand Saline
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Van
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Van have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Van
      • Van is located in Van Zandt County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,778 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Van <1>
    • Fruitvale
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
    • Ben Wheeler
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ben Wheeler have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ben Wheeler
      • Ben Wheeler is located in Van Zandt County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ben Wheeler <1>
    • Canton
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Canton have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Canton
      • Canton is located in Van Zandt County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,941 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Canton <1>
    • Edgewood
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
    • Edom
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Edom have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edom
      • Edom is located in Van Zandt County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 387 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Edom <1>
    • Tundra
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tundra
      • Tundra is located in Van Zandt County
    • Wills Point
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)

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

Newspapers Published in Ben ...

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 39 newspapers that have been published in the area around Ben.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Ben, there are papers which were published within 27 miles [43.5 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Ben.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first visit 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 Ben:

Cemeteries Near Ben ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Ben.

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

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

  • Green & Ford Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Green & Ford Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Green & Ford Cemetery
  • Cedars Memorial Gardens
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Cedars Memorial Gardens have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • The Cedars Memorial Gardens has also been known as:
    • City Cemetery
    • Mineola City Cemetery
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Cedars Memorial Gardens
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #366703 <4>
  • Roselawn Memorial Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Roselawn Memorial Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Roselawn Memorial Cemetery
  • Dickerson Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Dickerson Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Dickerson Cemetery
  • Providence Baptist Church Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • Padgett Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Padgett Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Padgett Cemetery
  • Jamestown Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • Bowman Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • The Bowman Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Village Creek Cemetery
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bowman Cemetery
  • Rockfield Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Rockfield Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Rockfield Cemetery
  • Flewellen Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Flewellen Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Flewellen Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Flewellen Cemetery
  • New Hope Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the New Hope Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the New Hope Cemetery
  • Continue List   (190 more) ...
    • Woodside Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Woodside Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Woodside Cemetery
    • Pace Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pace Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pace Cemetery
    • Bunkley Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)

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.<5>

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

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

  • Silver Lake
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Silver Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Silver Lake
    • Silver Lake is located in Van Zandt County
  • Golden
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Golden have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Golden
    • Golden is located in Wood County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Golden <1>
  • Mineola
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
  • Jamestown
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Jamestown have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jamestown
    • Jamestown is located in Smith County
  • Pruitt
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pruitt have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pruitt
    • Pruitt is located in Van Zandt County
  • Quitman
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
  • Alba
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
  • Grand Saline
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
  • Garden Valley
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Garden Valley have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garden Valley
    • Garden Valley is located in Smith County
  • Carroll
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Carroll have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carroll
    • Carroll is located in Smith County
  • Mount Sylvan
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mount Sylvan have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Sylvan
    • Mount Sylvan is located in Smith County
  • Pine Mills
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Mills
    • Pine Mills is located in Wood County
  • Continue List   (13 more) ...
    • Colfax
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Colfax have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colfax
      • Colfax is located in Van Zandt County
    • Lindale
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lindale have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lindale
      • Lindale is located in Smith County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 6,730 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lindale <1>
    • Coke
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coke
      • Coke is located in Wood County

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

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

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>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Ben) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Ben. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 32.6801, Longitude: -95.5413       In this case, the coordinates for Ben have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<4>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.
<5>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 Ben, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024