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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 Clayton (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 Clayton. 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/Parishes ...

When searching for family records, we have frequently made the mistake of not checking the neighboring counties/parishes.

For example, we have great-grandparents who lived in the southeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors were in the next county to the east. Almost all of the nearby churches and cemeteries were in the county to the south.

So when searching for records, we had our best success by looking in neighboring counties/parishes 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 south contained their burial records. If we hadn't included the neighboring counties/parishes, we would have missed many valuable sources of information.

If you're in a similar situation, we hope that the following information helps.

Clayton is located in Panola 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 Panola County: Caddo (LA), De Soto (LA), Harrison, Rusk & Shelby.

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

  • Panola County     (The home county of Clayton)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Clayton, with the one closest to Clayton listed first.
    • Buncome
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buncome
      • Buncome is located in Panola County
    • Long Branch
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Murvaul
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Murvaul. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Murvaul
      • Murvaul is located in Panola County
    • Gary City
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Dotson
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dotson
      • Dotson is located in Panola County
    • Carthage
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Beckville
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Woods
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Woods have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woods
      • Woods is located in Panola County
    • Center Point ‑ Historic
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Center Point have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Center Point
      • Center Point is located in Panola County
    • De Berry
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Panola
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Panola have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Panola
      • Panola is located in Panola County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Panola <1>
  • Gregg County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Clayton, with the one closest to Clayton listed first.
    • Easton
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Easton have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Easton
      • Easton is located in Gregg County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 525 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Easton <1>
    • Elderville
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Elderville have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elderville
      • Elderville is located in Gregg County
    • Lakeport
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lakeport have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lakeport
      • Lakeport is located in Gregg County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 997 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lakeport <1>
    • Fredonia
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fredonia
      • Fredonia is located in Gregg County
    • Danville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Danville
      • Danville is located in Gregg County
    • Rolling Meadows
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rolling Meadows have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rolling Meadows
      • Rolling Meadows is located in Gregg County
    • Kilgore
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Harrison County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Clayton, with the one closest to Clayton listed first.
    • Elysian Fields
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Hallsville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hallsville have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hallsville
      • Hallsville is located in Harrison County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,406 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hallsville <1>
  • Nacogdoches County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Clayton, with the one closest to Clayton listed first.
    • Garrison
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
    • Fitze
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fitze have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fitze
      • Fitze is located in Nacogdoches County
    • Whispering Pines
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whispering Pines
      • Whispering Pines is located in Nacogdoches County
    • Appleby
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Appleby
      • Appleby is located in Nacogdoches County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 444 people
    • Trawick
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Trawick have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trawick
      • Trawick is located in Nacogdoches County
    • Cushing
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cushing have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cushing
      • Cushing is located in Nacogdoches County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 614 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cushing <1>
  • Rusk County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Clayton, with the one closest to Clayton listed first.
    • Pinehill
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pinehill
      • Pinehill is located in Rusk County
    • Brachfield
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brachfield
      • Brachfield is located in Rusk County
    • Caledonia
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Caledonia
      • Caledonia is located in Rusk County
    • Concord
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Concord
      • Concord is located in Rusk County
    • Minden
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Minden have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Minden
      • Minden is located in Rusk County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Minden <1>
    • Tatum
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
    • Mount Enterprise
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Henderson
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
    • Oak Flats
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Flats
      • Oak Flats is located in Rusk County
    • Laneville
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Monroe
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Monroe have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monroe
      • Monroe is located in Rusk County
    • Sulphur Springs
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sulphur Springs have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sulphur Springs
      • Sulphur Springs is located in Rusk County
    • Jacobs
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jacobs
      • Jacobs is located in Rusk County
  • Shelby County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Clayton, with the one closest to Clayton listed first.
    • Timpson
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Timpson have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Timpson
      • Timpson is located in Shelby County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,130 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Timpson <1>
    • Tenaha
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Arcadia
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arcadia
      • Arcadia is located in Shelby County
    • Joaquin
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Joaquin have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Joaquin
      • Joaquin is located in Shelby County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 793 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Joaquin <1>
    • Haslam
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Haslam
      • Haslam is located in Shelby County
    • Center
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Africa ‑ Historic
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Africa. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Africa
      • Africa is located in Shelby County
  • Smith County
    • Wright City
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wright City have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wright City
      • Wright City is located in Smith County
  • De Soto Parish (LA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Clayton, with the one closest to Clayton listed first.
    • Logansport
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Logansport have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Logansport
      • Logansport is located in De Soto Parish (LA)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,546 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Logansport <1>
    • Longstreet
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Longstreet have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Longstreet
      • Longstreet is located in De Soto Parish (LA)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 154 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Longstreet <1>

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

Newspapers Published in Clayton ...

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 Clayton.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Clayton, there are papers which were published within 29 miles [46.7 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Clayton.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first turn to 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 Clayton:

Cemeteries Near Clayton ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Clayton.

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

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

  • Roquemore Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
  • Heath Long Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Heath Long Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Heath Long Cemetery
  • Ross - Etheridge Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Ross - Etheridge Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Ross - Etheridge Cemetery
  • Page Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Page Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Page Cemetery
  • Carrico Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Carrico Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Carrico Cemetery
  • Miller Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Miller Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Miller Cemetery
  • Snap Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Snap Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Snap Cemetery
  • Walton Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Walton Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Walton Cemetery
  • Harris Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Harris Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Harris Cemetery
  • Union Murvaul Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • Lindsey Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lindsey Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lindsey Cemetery
  • Macedonia Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Macedonia Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Macedonia Cemetery
  • Continue List   (222 more) ...
    • Davis Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Davis Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Davis Cemetery
    • Williams Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Williams Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Williams Cemetery
    • Thomas Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Thomas Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Thomas Cemetery

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>

While we didn't find Clayton in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Clayton.

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

  • Delray
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Delray have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Delray
    • Delray is located in Panola County
  • Fair Play
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fair Play have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fair Play
    • Fair Play is located in Panola County
  • Long Branch
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
  • Pinehill
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pinehill
    • Pinehill is located in Rusk County
  • Carthage
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
  • Beckville
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
  • Caledonia
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Caledonia
    • Caledonia is located in Rusk County
  • Lawsonville
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lawsonville have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lawsonville
    • Lawsonville is located in Rusk County
  • Minden
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Minden have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Minden
    • Minden is located in Rusk County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Minden <1>
  • Timpson
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Timpson have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Timpson
    • Timpson is located in Shelby County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,130 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Timpson <1>
  • Woods
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Woods have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woods
    • Woods is located in Panola County
  • Tatum
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
  • Continue List   (13 more) ...
    • Mount Enterprise
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Tenaha
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Garrison
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)

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

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

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

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>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.
<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>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 drawn from Point A (ie- Clayton) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Clayton. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 32.0987, Longitude: -94.4747       In this case, the coordinates for Clayton have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<5>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.
<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 Clayton, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024