RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> State of Texas >> Anderson County >> Bethel >> 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 Bethel (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 Bethel. 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.

Bethel is located in Anderson 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 Anderson County: Cherokee, Freestone, Henderson, Houston & Leon.

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

  • Anderson County     (The home county of Bethel)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bethel, with the one closest to Bethel listed first.
    • Cayuga
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Greens Bluff
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Yard ‑ Historic
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Yard have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yard
      • Yard is located in Anderson County
    • Blackfoot
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Blackfoot. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blackfoot
      • Blackfoot is located in Anderson County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Blackfoot
      • From Bethel to Blackfoot
    • Ward
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Ward. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ward
      • Ward is located in Anderson County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Ward
      • From Bethel to Ward
    • Tennessee Colony
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Springfield
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Springfield. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Springfield
      • Springfield is located in Anderson County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Springfield
      • From Bethel to Springfield
    • Massey Lake
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Bois d'Arc
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Bois d'Arc. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bois d'Arc
      • Bois d'Arc is located in Anderson County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Bois d'Arc
      • From Bethel to Bois d'Arc
    • Bradford
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Montalba
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Montalba have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montalba
      • Montalba is located in Anderson County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Montalba <2>
    • Harmony
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Harmony. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harmony
      • Harmony is located in Anderson County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Harmony
      • From Bethel to Harmony
  • Cherokee County
    • Cuney
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cuney have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cuney
      • Cuney is located in Cherokee County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 140 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cuney <2>
  • Freestone County
  • Henderson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bethel, with the one closest to Bethel listed first.
    • Cross Roads
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Pine Grove
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Malakoff
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Malakoff have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Malakoff
      • Malakoff is located in Henderson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,314 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Malakoff <2>
    • Trinidad
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
    • LaRue
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Athens
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
    • Star Harbor
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Star Harbor have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Star Harbor
      • Star Harbor is located in Henderson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 487 people
    • Caney City
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Caney City have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Caney City
      • Caney City is located in Henderson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 223 people
    • Log Cabin
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Log Cabin have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Log Cabin
      • Log Cabin is located in Henderson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 785 people
    • Poynor
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Poynor have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Poynor
      • Poynor is located in Henderson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 311 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Poynor <2>
    • Leagueville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Enchanted Oaks
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Enchanted Oaks have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Enchanted Oaks
      • Enchanted Oaks is located in Henderson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 343 people
  • Navarro County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bethel, with the one closest to Bethel listed first.
    • Goodlow
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goodlow
      • Goodlow is located in Navarro County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 197 people
      • Goodlow has also been known as:
      • Goodlow Park
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Goodlow
      • From Bethel to Goodlow
    • Eureka
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • 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 Navarro County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 315 people
    • Kerens
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
    • Elm Flat
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Mildred
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mildred have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mildred
      • Mildred is located in Navarro County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 400 people
    • Powell
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Powell have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Powell
      • Powell is located in Navarro County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 149 people
    • Navarro
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Navarro have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Navarro
      • Navarro is located in Navarro County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 217 people
    • Richland
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Richland have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Richland
      • Richland is located in Navarro County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 273 people
    • Angus
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Angus have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Angus
      • Angus is located in Navarro County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 427 people
    • Mustang
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mustang have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mustang
      • Mustang is located in Navarro County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 23 people

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

Cemeteries Near Bethel ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Bethel.

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

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

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.<6>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Bethel had a population of 25 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service.

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

  • Blackfoot
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Blackfoot. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blackfoot
    • Blackfoot is located in Anderson County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Blackfoot
    • From Bethel to Blackfoot
  • Tennessee Colony
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Young
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Young have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Young
    • Young is located in Freestone County
  • Bradford
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
  • Montalba
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Montalba have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montalba
    • Montalba is located in Anderson County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Montalba <2>
  • Rural Shade
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rural Shade have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rural Shade
    • Rural Shade is located in Navarro County
  • Pine Grove
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Winkler
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
  • Stewards Mill ‑ Historic
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
  • Butler
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Butler have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Butler
    • Butler is located in Freestone County
  • Malakoff
    (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Malakoff have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Malakoff
    • Malakoff is located in Henderson County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,314 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Malakoff <2>
  • Brushy Creek
    (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...

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

Newspapers Published in Bethel ...

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 32 newspapers that have been published in the area around Bethel.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Bethel, there are papers which were published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<5>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Bethel.

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 websites either 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 Bethel:

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

The official website for Anderson County: www.co.anderson.tx.us/

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

Footnotes ...

<1>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.
<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>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>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 from Point A (ie- Bethel) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Bethel. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 31.9202, Longitude: -95.9223    
<6>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 Bethel, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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