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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 The Colony (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 The Colony. 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 and 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.

The Colony is located in Denton 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 Denton County: Collin, Cooke, Dallas, Grayson, Tarrant & Wise.

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

  • Denton County     (The home county of The Colony)
    • The following are listed by their distance from The Colony, with the one closest to The Colony listed first.
    • Hackberry
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
      • Hackberry is located in Denton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hackberry
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,094 people
    • Lakewood Village
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
      • Lakewood Village is located in Denton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lakewood Village
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,002 people
    • Little Elm
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Hickory Creek
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Oak Point
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Lake Dallas
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Shady Shores
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Shady Shores is located in Denton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shady Shores
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,958 people
    • Highland Village
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Providence Village
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
      • Providence Village is located in Denton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Providence Village
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 7,564 people
    • Lincoln Park
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Lincoln Park is located in Denton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lincoln Park
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 567 people
    • Corinth
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Copper Canyon
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
  • Collin County
    • The following are listed by their distance from The Colony, with the one closest to The Colony listed first.
    • Hebron
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
      • Hebron is located in Collin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hebron
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 212 people
    • Frisco
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Carrollton
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Rockhill
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Rockhill is located in Collin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rockhill
    • Prosper
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Allen
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
      • Allen is located in Collin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Allen
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 109,379 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Allen <1>
    • Plano
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Plano is located in Collin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plano
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 291,296 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Plano <1>
    • Rhea Mills
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Rhea Mills is located in Collin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rhea Mills
    • Fairview
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
    • Parker
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
    • McKinney
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Celina
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
  • Comanche County
    • Cross Roads
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Cross Roads is located in Comanche County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cross Roads
  • Cooke County
    • The following are listed by their distance from The Colony, with the one closest to The Colony listed first.
    • Hemming
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Hemming is located in Cooke County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hemming
    • Bloomfield
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Bloomfield is located in Cooke County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bloomfield
    • Burns City
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Burns City is located in Cooke County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burns City
  • Dallas County
    • The following are listed by their distance from The Colony, with the one closest to The Colony listed first.
    • Lewisville
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Trinity Mills
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
      • Trinity Mills is located in Dallas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trinity Mills
    • Addison
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Coppell
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Farmers Branch
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Richardson
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Buckingham
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Buckingham is located in Dallas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buckingham
    • Grapevine
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Irving
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
    • Estelle
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Estelle is located in Dallas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Estelle
    • University Park
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
    • Highland Park
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
  • Grayson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from The Colony, with the one closest to The Colony listed first.
    • Gunter
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
    • Tioga
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Tioga is located in Grayson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tioga
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,117 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Tioga <1>
  • Kaufman County
    • Heath
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Heath is located in Kaufman County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Heath
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 9,718 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Heath <1>
  • Rockwall County
    • The following are listed by their distance from The Colony, with the one closest to The Colony listed first.
    • Rockwall
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Mobile City
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Mobile City is located in Rockwall County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mobile City
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 208 people
  • Tarrant County
    • The following are listed by their distance from The Colony, with the one closest to The Colony listed first.
    • Minters Chapel ‑ Historic
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Minters Chapel is located in Tarrant County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Minters Chapel
    • Bransford
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Bransford is located in Tarrant County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bransford
    • Colleyville
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Euless
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Bedford
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Keller
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Smithfield
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Smithfield is located in Tarrant County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smithfield
    • Hurst
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Hurst is located in Tarrant County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hurst
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 38,172 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hurst <1>
    • North Richland Hills
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Watauga
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Arlington
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Haslet
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)

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

Cemeteries Near The Colony ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of The Colony.

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 The Colony - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Bridges Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
  • Ritter Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Little Elm Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
  • Baccus Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
  • Sonntag Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Cemetery Hill
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • Old Hall Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
  • Bethel Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Zion Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
  • Martin Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
  • Hilltop Memorial Park
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
  • Perry Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
  • Continue List   (212 more) ...
    • Thomas Park Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Frankford Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Smith Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)

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>

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

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

  • Hebron
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Hebron is located in Collin County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hebron
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 212 people
  • Lebanon
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Lebanon is located in Collin County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lebanon
  • Lewisville
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Little Elm
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
  • Trinity Mills
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Trinity Mills is located in Dallas County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trinity Mills
  • Carrollton
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
  • Navo
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Navo is located in Denton County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Navo
  • Renner
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Renner is located in Collin County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Renner
  • Coppell
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
  • Corinth
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
  • Farmers Branch
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
  • Parvin
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Parvin is located in Denton County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parvin
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Plano
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Plano is located in Collin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plano
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 291,296 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Plano <1>
    • Allen
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
      • Allen is located in Collin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Allen
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 109,379 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Allen <1>
    • Richardson
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)

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

Newspapers Published in The Colony ...

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 225 newspapers that have been published in the area around The Colony.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of The Colony, there are papers which were published within 24 miles [38.6 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for The Colony.

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 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 The Colony:

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 The Colony, 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' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- The Colony) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.