RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> State of Texas >> Knox County >> Benjamin >> 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 Benjamin (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 Benjamin. 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 and hospitals 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.

Benjamin is located in Knox County and is the County Seat.

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 Knox County: Baylor, Foard, Haskell, King, Stonewall & Throckmorton.

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

  • Knox County     (The home county of Benjamin)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Benjamin, with the one closest to Benjamin listed first.
    • Gilliland
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Knox City
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Knox City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Knox City
      • Knox City is located in Knox County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,120 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Knox City <2>
    • Vera
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • Munday
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Munday have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Munday
      • Munday is located in Knox County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,284 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Munday <2>
    • Goree
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Goree have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goree
      • Goree is located in Knox County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 207 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Goree <2>
  • Baylor County
  • Foard County
  • Haskell County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Benjamin, with the one closest to Benjamin listed first.
    • O'Brien
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for O'Brien have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for O'Brien
      • O'Brien is located in Haskell County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 103 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for O'Brien <2>
    • Rochester
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rochester have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rochester
      • Rochester is located in Haskell County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 311 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Rochester <2>
    • Weinert
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Weinert have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weinert
      • Weinert is located in Haskell County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 165 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Weinert <2>
    • Jud ‑ Historic
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Jud have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jud
      • Jud is located in Haskell County
    • Rule
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rule have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rule
      • Rule is located in Haskell County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 611 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Rule <2>
    • Haskell
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Haskell have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Haskell
      • Haskell is located in Haskell County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,204 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Haskell <2>
  • King County
    • Guthrie
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Guthrie have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Guthrie
      • Guthrie is located in King County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Guthrie <2>

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

Cemeteries Near Benjamin ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Benjamin.

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

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

  • Benjamin Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
  • Knox City Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Knox City Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Knox City Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Johnson Memorial Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Johnson Memorial Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Johnson Memorial Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Truscott Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Truscott Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Truscott Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Old Goree Cemetery
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Old Goree Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Old Goree Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Friendship Cemetery
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Friendship Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Friendship Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Rochester Cemetery
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
  • Goree Cemetery
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Goree Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Goree Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Weinert Cemetery
    (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Weinert Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Weinert Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Idella Cemetery
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Idella Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Idella Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Bomarton Catholic Cemetery
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
  • Brushy Cemetery
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Brushy Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Brushy Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (12 more) ...

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>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that in 1895, Benjamin had a post office and no railroad service. In 2020, Benjamin had a population of 257 people.

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

  • Truscott
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Truscott have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Truscott
    • Truscott is located in Knox County
  • Vera
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
  • Goree
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Goree have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goree
    • Goree is located in Knox County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 207 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Goree <2>
  • Crowell
    (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
  • Haskell
    (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Haskell have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Haskell
    • Haskell is located in Haskell County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,204 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Haskell <2>

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Benjamin ...

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 33 newspapers that have been published in the area around Benjamin.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Benjamin. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Benjamin and those printed in the larger area surrounding Benjamin.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<6> of Benjamin.

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 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 Benjamin:

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

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

Footnotes ...

<1>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.
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<3>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.
<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 Benjamin, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<6>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 drawn from Point A (ie- Benjamin) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Benjamin. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 33.5840, Longitude: -99.7927    









 

Copyright 2025
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: 29 Apr 2025