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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 Brandon (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 Brandon. 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 northeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors and hospitals were in the next county to the east. 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 east 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.

Brandon is located in Hill 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 Hill County: Bosque, Ellis, Johnson, Limestone, McLennan & Navarro.

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

  • Hill County     (The home county of Brandon)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Brandon, with the one closest to Brandon listed first.
    • Mertens
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Bynum
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Carl's Corner
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Carl's Corner is located in Hill County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carl's Corner
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 199 people
    • Irene
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Malone
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Chatt
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Chatt is located in Hill County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chatt
    • Hillsboro
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Lovelace
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
      • Lovelace is located in Hill County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lovelace
    • Penelope
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • Abbott
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Itasca
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Hubbard
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Peoria
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
      • Peoria is located in Hill County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peoria
  • Bosque County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Brandon, with the one closest to Brandon listed first.
    • Laguna Park
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Greenock
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Greenock is located in Bosque County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenock
  • Ellis County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Brandon, with the one closest to Brandon listed first.
    • Milford
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Italy
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Avalon
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Forreston
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
    • Nash
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Nash is located in Ellis County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nash
    • Auburn
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Auburn is located in Ellis County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Auburn
    • Boz
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Boz is located in Ellis County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boz
    • Maypearl
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
    • Howard
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Howard is located in Ellis County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Howard
    • Bardwell
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Waxahachie
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Sardis
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Sardis is located in Ellis County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sardis
    • Boyce
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Boyce is located in Ellis County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boyce
  • Johnson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Brandon, with the one closest to Brandon listed first.
    • Grandview
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Parker
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Parker is located in Johnson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parker
    • Cuba
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Cuba is located in Johnson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cuba
    • Rio Vista
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Alvarado
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Coyote Flats
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Coyote Flats is located in Johnson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coyote Flats
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 368 people
  • Limestone County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Brandon, with the one closest to Brandon listed first.
    • Delia ‑ Historic
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Delia is located in Limestone County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Delia
    • Coolidge
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Prairie Hill
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
    • Watt
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Watt is located in Limestone County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Watt
  • McLennan County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Brandon, with the one closest to Brandon listed first.
    • West
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
      • West is located in McLennan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,969 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for West <1>
    • Tours
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
      • Tours is located in McLennan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tours
    • Leroy
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
    • Ross
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Ross is located in McLennan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ross
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 272 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ross <1>
    • Axtell
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
    • Elm Mott
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
    • Gholson
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Gholson is located in McLennan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gholson
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,127 people
    • Elk
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Elk is located in McLennan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elk
    • Northcrest
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Northcrest is located in McLennan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Northcrest
    • Lacy - Lakeview
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
    • Patrick
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Patrick is located in McLennan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Patrick
    • Rock Creek
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Rock Creek is located in McLennan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock Creek
  • Navarro County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Brandon, with the one closest to Brandon listed first.
    • Frost
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Blooming Grove
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
    • Dresden
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
      • Dresden is located in Navarro County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dresden
    • Spring Hill
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Spring Hill is located in Navarro County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Hill
    • Navarro Mills
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Navarro Mills is located in Navarro County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Navarro Mills
    • Dawson
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Cryer Creek ‑ Historic
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
      • Cryer Creek is located in Navarro County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cryer Creek
    • Barry
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
    • Silver City
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
      • Silver City is located in Navarro County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Silver City
    • Purdon
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
    • Emhouse
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Emhouse is located in Navarro County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Emhouse
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 154 people
    • Pursley
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Pursley is located in Navarro County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pursley
    • Oak Valley
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Oak Valley is located in Navarro County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Valley
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 427 people

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

Cemeteries Near Brandon ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Brandon.

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 Brandon - one of the links might be able to help.

If not found below, our Cemetery List for Brandon covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

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

  • Old Brandon Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
  • Brandon Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
  • Richland Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
  • Blanton Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Salem Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Union Hill Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Blanton - Hooser Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Walling Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Graham Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Salem Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Park Ridge Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
  • Ridge Park Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
  • Continue List   (154 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.<3>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Brandon had a population of 58 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service.

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

  • Mertens
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
  • Bynum
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • Milford
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • Irene
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Frost
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
  • Hillsboro
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
  • Emmett
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Emmett is located in Navarro County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Emmett
  • Italy
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
  • Abbott
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Itasca
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
  • Blooming Grove
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
  • Avalon
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Vaughan
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Vaughan is located in Hill County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vaughan
    • Woodbury
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
      • Woodbury is located in Hill County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodbury
    • Peoria
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
      • Peoria is located in Hill County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peoria

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

Newspapers Published in Brandon ...

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 89 newspapers that have been published in the area around Brandon.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Brandon, there are papers which were published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Brandon.

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 Brandon:

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 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.
<3>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 Brandon, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<4>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or point-to-point) distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Brandon) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.