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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 China Spring (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 China Spring. 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.

Name Variations for China Spring ...

When searching records, keep in mind that names and their spelling can change over time. Our sources include documents like maps, railroad schedules, Travel, Express and Shipping Guides. Many of these documents date from the 1800's and it's common to find spelling differences.

Although we can't give a definitive list, hopefully the following will give you a feel for the variations that might have occurred.

Another variation: China Springs.

If you have information about these names (such as the reason for the change, date of change, the origin of the name), please Contact Us.

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 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.

China Spring is located in McLennan 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 McLennan County: Bell, Bosque, Coryell, Falls, Hill & Limestone.

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

  • McLennan County     (The home county of China Spring)
    • The following are listed by their distance from China Spring, with the one closest to China Spring listed first.
    • Rock Creek
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Patrick
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Patrick. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Patrick
      • Patrick is located in McLennan County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Patrick
      • From China Spring to Patrick
    • Gholson
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Gholson. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gholson
      • Gholson is located in McLennan County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,127 people
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Gholson
      • From China Spring to Gholson
    • Speegleville
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Bosqueville
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Waco
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Woodway
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Woodway have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodway
      • Woodway is located in McLennan County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 9,077 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Woodway <2>
    • Crawford
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Crawford have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crawford
      • Crawford is located in McLennan County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 870 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Crawford <2>
    • Elm Mott
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
    • Lacy - Lakeview
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lacy - Lakeview have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lacy - Lakeview
      • Lacy - Lakeview is located in McLennan County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 6,803 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lacy - Lakeview <2>
    • Northcrest
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Northcrest have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Northcrest
      • Northcrest is located in McLennan County
    • Beverly Hills
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Beverly Hills have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beverly Hills
      • Beverly Hills is located in McLennan County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,980 people
  • Bosque County
    • The following are listed by their distance from China Spring, with the one closest to China Spring listed first.
    • Greenock
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Greenock. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenock
      • Greenock is located in Bosque County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Greenock
      • From China Spring to Greenock
    • Valley Mills
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Laguna Park
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
    • Womack
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Clifton
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Clifton have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clifton
      • Clifton is located in Bosque County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,410 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Clifton <2>
    • Norse
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Norse. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Norse
      • Norse is located in Bosque County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Norse
      • From China Spring to Norse
    • Lakeside Village
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lakeside Village have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lakeside Village
      • Lakeside Village is located in Bosque County
    • Meridian
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Meridian have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meridian
      • Meridian is located in Bosque County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,502 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Meridian <2>
    • Morgan
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Coryell County
    • The following are listed by their distance from China Spring, with the one closest to China Spring listed first.
    • McGregor
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
    • Oglesby
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Oglesby have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oglesby
      • Oglesby is located in Coryell County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 464 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Oglesby <2>
    • Lime City
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lime City have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lime City
      • Lime City is located in Coryell County
    • Turnersville
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
    • South Mountain
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for South Mountain have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Mountain
      • South Mountain is located in Coryell County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 367 people
    • Leon Junction
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Mound
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mound have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mound
      • Mound is located in Coryell County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mound <2>
    • Fort Gates
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fort Gates have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fort Gates
      • Fort Gates is located in Coryell County
    • Gatesville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
    • The Grove
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Flat
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Flat have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flat
      • Flat is located in Coryell County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Flat <2>
  • Falls County
    • The following are listed by their distance from China Spring, with the one closest to China Spring listed first.
    • Golinda
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Golinda have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Golinda
      • Golinda is located in Falls County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 610 people
    • Bruceville - Eddy
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bruceville - Eddy have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bruceville - Eddy
      • Bruceville - Eddy is located in Falls County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,704 people
    • Mooreville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Satin
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Satin have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Satin
      • Satin is located in Falls County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Satin <2>
    • Perry
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Chilton
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Hill County
    • The following are listed by their distance from China Spring, with the one closest to China Spring listed first.
    • Tyson
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Tyson. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tyson
      • Tyson is located in Hill County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Tyson
      • From China Spring to Tyson
    • Aquilla
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Whitney
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
    • Abbott
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Peoria
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
    • Chatt
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
    • Mount Calm
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mount Calm have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Calm
      • Mount Calm is located in Hill County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 340 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mount Calm <2>
    • Hillsboro
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
    • Huron ‑ Historic
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Huron have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Huron
      • Huron is located in Hill County
    • Penelope
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Bynum
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bynum have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bynum
      • Bynum is located in Hill County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 208 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bynum <2>
    • Malone
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Malone have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Malone
      • Malone is located in Hill County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 285 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Malone <2>
  • Limestone County
    • The following are listed by their distance from China Spring, with the one closest to China Spring listed first.
    • Watt
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
    • Prairie Hill
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Prairie Hill have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prairie Hill
      • Prairie Hill is located in Limestone County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Prairie Hill <2>

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

Cemeteries Near China Spring ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of China Spring.

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

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from China Spring, with the one closest to China Spring 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 China Spring had a population of 163 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service.

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

  • Patrick
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Patrick. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Patrick
    • Patrick is located in McLennan County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Patrick
    • From China Spring to Patrick
  • Speegleville
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Gholson
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Gholson. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gholson
    • Gholson is located in McLennan County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,127 people
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Gholson
    • From China Spring to Gholson
  • Bosqueville
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Greenock
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Greenock. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenock
    • Greenock is located in Bosque County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Greenock
    • From China Spring to Greenock
  • Valley Mills
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
  • Tyson
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Tyson. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tyson
    • Tyson is located in Hill County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Tyson
    • From China Spring to Tyson
  • Crawford
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Crawford have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crawford
    • Crawford is located in McLennan County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 870 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Crawford <2>
  • South Bosque
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for South Bosque have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Bosque
    • South Bosque is located in McLennan County
  • Waco
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Cayote
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cayote have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cayote
    • Cayote is located in Bosque County
  • Ritchie
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ritchie have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ritchie
    • Ritchie is located in McLennan County
  • Continue List   (18 more) ...

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

Newspapers Published in China Spring ...

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 175 newspapers that have been published in the area around China Spring.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of China Spring, 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 China Spring.

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 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 China Spring:

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

The official website for McLennan County: www.co.mclennan.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 things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- China Spring) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in China Spring. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 31.6522, Longitude: -97.3080    
<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 China Spring, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 29 Apr 2025