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 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.
Bethel is located in Henderson County.
To see how the shape of Texas' counties may have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.
The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Henderson County: Anderson, Ellis, Kaufman, Navarro, Smith & Van Zandt.
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:
- Henderson County (The home county of Bethel)
- The following are listed by their distance from Bethel, with the one closest to Bethel listed first.
- Murchison
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Athens
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Eustace
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Pine Grove
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Pine Grove is located in Henderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Grove
- Leagueville
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Leagueville is located in Henderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leagueville
- Log Cabin
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Log Cabin is located in Henderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Log Cabin
- Population from the 2020 Census: 785 people
- Caney City
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Caney City is located in Henderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Caney City
- Population from the 2020 Census: 223 people
- Malakoff
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Brownsboro
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Star Harbor
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Star Harbor is located in Henderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Star Harbor
- Population from the 2020 Census: 487 people
- LaRue
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Enchanted Oaks
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Enchanted Oaks is located in Henderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Enchanted Oaks
- Population from the 2020 Census: 343 people
- Anderson County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bethel, with the one closest to Bethel listed first.
- Springfield
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Springfield is located in Anderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Springfield
- Bradford
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Bradford is located in Anderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bradford
- Blackfoot
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Blackfoot is located in Anderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blackfoot
- Bois d'Arc
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Bois d'Arc is located in Anderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bois d'Arc
- Cayuga
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Fosterville
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Fosterville is located in Anderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fosterville
- Bethel
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Bethel is located in Anderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bethel
- Frankston
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Ward
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Ward is located in Anderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ward
- Brushy Creek
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Brushy Creek is located in Anderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brushy Creek
- Elmwood
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Elmwood is located in Anderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elmwood
- Elmtown
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Elmtown is located in Anderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elmtown
- Cherokee County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bethel, with the one closest to Bethel listed first.
- Cherokee Landing
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Cherokee Landing is located in Cherokee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cherokee Landing
- Cuney
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Kaufman County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bethel, with the one closest to Bethel listed first.
- Mabank
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Prairieville
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Prairieville is located in Kaufman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prairieville
- Tolosa
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Tolosa is located in Kaufman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tolosa
- Kemp
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Becker
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Becker is located in Kaufman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Becker
- Ola
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Ola is located in Kaufman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ola
- Stubbs
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Stubbs is located in Kaufman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stubbs
- Styx
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Styx is located in Kaufman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Styx
- Navarro County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bethel, with the one closest to Bethel listed first.
- Goodlow
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Goodlow is located in Navarro County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goodlow
- Population from the 2020 Census: 197 people
- Goodlow has also been known as:
- Goodlow Park
- Kerens
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Bazette
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Bazette is located in Navarro County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bazette
- Elm Flat
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Elm Flat is located in Navarro County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elm Flat
- Powell
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Powell is located in Navarro County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Powell
- Population from the 2020 Census: 149 people
- Smith County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bethel, with the one closest to Bethel listed first.
- Carroll
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Carroll is located in Smith County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carroll
- Dogwood City
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Dogwood City is located in Smith County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dogwood City
- Garden Valley
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Garden Valley is located in Smith County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garden Valley
- Jamestown
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Jamestown is located in Smith County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jamestown
- Noonday
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Noonday is located in Smith County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Noonday
- Population from the 2020 Census: 722 people
- Hideaway
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Hideaway is located in Smith County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hideaway
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,208 people
- Teaselville
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Teaselville is located in Smith County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Teaselville
- Lee Spring
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Lee Spring is located in Smith County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lee Spring
- Flint
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Gresham
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Gresham is located in Smith County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gresham
- Swan
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Swan is located in Smith County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Swan
- Lindale
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Van Zandt County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bethel, with the one closest to Bethel listed first.
- Tundra
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Tundra is located in Van Zandt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tundra
- Ben Wheeler
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Edom
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Canton
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Van
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Van is located in Van Zandt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Van
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,778 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Van <1>
- Myrtle Springs
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Myrtle Springs is located in Van Zandt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Myrtle Springs
- Fruitvale
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Grand Saline
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Edgewood
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Wills Point
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
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.
Although we don't have the information ourselves, if you need information about a burial or interment, photos, transcripts, how to contact the cemetery or local authorities, please visit our list of websites on our Genealogy Helper Page for Bethel - one of the links might be able to help.
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.
- Sand Flat Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- Shelby Chapel Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shelby Chapel Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Shelby Chapel Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located 3 miles [4.8 km]<2> to the northeast of Athens.
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #169375 <3>
- Cottonwood Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Ray Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Wreary Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Chinquapin Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Athens Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Athens Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Athens Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located in Athens.
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #317712 <3>
- Liberty Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Rounsavall Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Payne Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Walnut Creek Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Richardson Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Continue List (171 more) ...
- Morris Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Barker Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Blackjack Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
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.<4>
While we didn't find Bethel in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Bethel.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Bethel, with the one closest to Bethel listed first.
- Athens
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Murchison
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Walton
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Walton is located in Van Zandt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walton
- Martins Mill
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Martins Mill is located in Van Zandt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Martins Mill
- Pine Grove
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Pine Grove is located in Henderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Grove
- Malakoff
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- New York
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- New York is located in Henderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New York
- Brownsboro
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Ben Wheeler
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Jackson
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Jackson is located in Van Zandt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jackson
- Roddy
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Roddy is located in Van Zandt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roddy
- Edom
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Continue List (16 more) ...
- Colfax
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Colfax is located in Van Zandt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colfax
- Payne Springs
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Payne Springs is located in Henderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Payne Springs
- Population from the 2020 Census: 756 people
- Trinidad
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
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 37 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]<2>. 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 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 Bethel:
- Websites specific to Texas
- Pages specific to Henderson County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Anderson County
- Cherokee County
- Kaufman County
- Navarro County
- Smith County
- Van Zandt County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Texas
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> | 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- Bethel) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |
| <3> | 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. |
| <4> | 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. |