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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 Craft (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 Craft. 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 southeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals and 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 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, we would have missed many valuable sources of information.

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

Craft is located in Cherokee 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 Cherokee County: Anderson, Angelina, Henderson, Houston, Nacogdoches, Rusk & Smith.

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

  • Cherokee County     (The home county of Craft)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Craft, with the one closest to Craft listed first.
    • Turney
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
      • Turney is located in Cherokee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Turney
    • Jacksonville
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Dialville
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
      • Dialville is located in Cherokee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dialville
    • Gallatin
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • New Summerfield
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Maydelle
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Ponta
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
      • Ponta is located in Cherokee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ponta
    • Rusk
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Rusk is located in Cherokee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rusk
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,664 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Rusk <1>
    • Mount Selman
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
      • Mount Selman is located in Cherokee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Selman
    • Gould
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Gould is located in Cherokee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gould
    • Larissa ‑ Historic
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Larissa is located in Cherokee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Larissa
    • Mixon
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
      • Mixon is located in Cherokee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mixon
    • Blackjack
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Blackjack is located in Cherokee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blackjack
  • Anderson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Craft, with the one closest to Craft listed first.
    • Herring
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Herring is located in Anderson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Herring
    • Todd City
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
      • Todd City is located in Anderson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Todd City
    • Neches
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
    • Jarvis
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Jarvis is located in Anderson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jarvis
    • Frankston
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
    • Pert
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
      • Pert is located in Anderson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pert
    • Kossuth
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Kossuth is located in Anderson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kossuth
    • Alderbranch
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Alderbranch is located in Anderson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alderbranch
    • Crystal Lake
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Crystal Lake is located in Anderson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crystal Lake
    • Deanwright
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Deanwright is located in Anderson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Deanwright
    • Wells Creek
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Wells Creek is located in Anderson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wells Creek
    • Brushy Creek
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Brushy Creek is located in Anderson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brushy Creek
    • Elmtown
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Elmtown is located in Anderson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elmtown
  • Henderson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Craft, with the one closest to Craft listed first.
    • Berryville
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
      • Berryville is located in Henderson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berryville
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,066 people
    • Coffee City
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Coffee City is located in Henderson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coffee City
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 299 people
    • Poynor
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
    • Moore Station
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Moore Station is located in Henderson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moore Station
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 223 people
    • LaRue
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Chandler
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Houston County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Craft, with the one closest to Craft listed first.
    • Weches
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Weches is located in Houston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weches
    • Bluff City ‑ Historic
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Bluff City is located in Houston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bluff City
    • Refuge
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Refuge is located in Houston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Refuge
  • Nacogdoches County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Craft, with the one closest to Craft listed first.
    • Dextra
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
      • Dextra is located in Nacogdoches County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dextra
    • Sacul
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
    • Cushing
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
    • Looneyville
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Looneyville is located in Nacogdoches County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Looneyville
    • Douglass
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Nat
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Nat is located in Nacogdoches County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nat
    • Trawick
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Trawick is located in Nacogdoches County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trawick
  • Rusk County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Craft, with the one closest to Craft listed first.
    • New Salem
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
      • New Salem is located in Rusk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Salem
    • Big Springs
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
      • Big Springs is located in Rusk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Springs
    • Price
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Laneville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
    • Selman City
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Turnertown
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Turnertown is located in Rusk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Turnertown
    • Joinerville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Oak Flats
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Oak Flats is located in Rusk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Flats
    • Sulphur Springs
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Sulphur Springs is located in Rusk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sulphur Springs
    • Overton
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Friars
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Friars is located in Rusk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Friars
    • Henderson
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
    • New London
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Smith County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Craft, with the one closest to Craft listed first.
    • Teaselville
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
      • Teaselville is located in Smith County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Teaselville
    • Flint
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
    • Whitehouse
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
    • Dogwood City
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Dogwood City is located in Smith County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dogwood City
    • Lee Spring
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Lee Spring is located in Smith County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lee Spring
    • Sinclair City
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Sinclair City is located in Smith County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sinclair City
    • Gresham
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Gresham is located in Smith County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gresham
    • Omen
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Omen is located in Smith County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Omen
    • Arp
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Arp is located in Smith County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arp
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,046 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Arp <1>
    • Wright City
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Wright City is located in Smith County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wright City
    • Noonday
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Noonday is located in Smith County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Noonday
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 722 people
    • New Chapel Hill
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • New Chapel Hill is located in Smith County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Chapel Hill
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 667 people
    • Tyler
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Tyler is located in Smith County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tyler
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 108,222 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Tyler <1>

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

Cemeteries Near Craft ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Craft.

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

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

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

  • Jarrett Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
  • Pleasant View Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
  • Providence Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
  • Staton Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
  • Piney Grove Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Tilley Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Resthaven Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Resthaven Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Resthaven Cemetery is located outside and to the northwest of Jacksonville.
  • City Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Ragsdale Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Miles Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
  • Berge Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • Jones Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jones Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Jones Cemetery is located 4 miles [6.4 km]<3> to the northwest of Rusk.
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #4546 <2>
  • Continue List   (318 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.<4>

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

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

  • Jacksonville
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
  • Rusk
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Rusk is located in Cherokee County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rusk
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,664 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Rusk <1>
  • Mount Selman
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Mount Selman is located in Cherokee County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Selman
  • Larissa ‑ Historic
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Larissa is located in Cherokee County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Larissa
  • Lone Star
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Lone Star is located in Cherokee County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lone Star
  • Mixon
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Mixon is located in Cherokee County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mixon
  • New Birmingham ‑ Historic
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • New Birmingham is located in Cherokee County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Birmingham
  • Griffin
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Griffin is located in Cherokee County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Griffin
  • Neches
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
  • Bullard
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
  • New Salem
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
    • New Salem is located in Rusk County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Salem
  • Troup
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Troup is located in Cherokee County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Troup
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,064 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Troup <1>
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Berryville
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
      • Berryville is located in Henderson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berryville
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,066 people
    • Alderbranch
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Alderbranch is located in Anderson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alderbranch
    • Flint
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)

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

Newspapers Published in Craft ...

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 59 newspapers that have been published in the area around Craft.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Craft, there are papers which were published within 25 miles [40.2 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Craft.

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 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 Craft:

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>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- Craft) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.
<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 Craft, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.