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The Commemorative Quarter for Texas





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 Direct (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 Direct. 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 hospitals and doctors 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.

Direct is located in Lamar 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 Lamar County: Bryan (OK), Choctaw (OK), Delta, Fannin & Red River.

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

  • Lamar County     (The home county of Direct)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Direct, with the one closest to Direct listed first.
    • Garretts Bluff
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Sumner
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Razor
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Razor. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Razor
      • Razor is located in Lamar County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Razor
      • From Direct to Razor
    • Caviness
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • Hopewell
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Chicota
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
    • High
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for High. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for High
      • High is located in Lamar County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to High
      • From Direct to High
    • Petty
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Petty have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Petty
      • Petty is located in Lamar County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Petty <2>
    • Brookston
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Brookston have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brookston
      • Brookston is located in Lamar County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Brookston <2>
    • Toco
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Toco have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Toco
      • Toco is located in Lamar County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 76 people
    • Camp Maxey ‑ Historic
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Camp Maxey. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Camp Maxey
      • Camp Maxey is located in Lamar County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Camp Maxey
      • From Direct to Camp Maxey
    • Hinckley
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Hinckley. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hinckley
      • Hinckley is located in Lamar County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Hinckley
      • From Direct to Hinckley
  • Delta County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Direct, with the one closest to Direct listed first.
    • Ben Franklin
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ben Franklin have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ben Franklin
      • Ben Franklin is located in Delta County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ben Franklin <2>
    • Pecan Gap
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
    • Enloe
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Enloe have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Enloe
      • Enloe is located in Delta County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Enloe <2>
    • Lake Creek
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Jot-Em-Down
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Jot-Em-Down. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jot-Em-Down
      • Jot-Em-Down is located in Delta County
      • Jot-Em-Down has also been known as:
      • Mohegan
      • Muddig Prairie
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Jot-Em-Down
      • From Direct to Jot-Em-Down
  • Fannin County
  • Atoka County (OK)
  • Bryan County (OK)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Direct, with the one closest to Direct listed first.
    • Wade
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
    • Bennington
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bennington have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bennington
      • Bennington is located in Bryan County (OK)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 374 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bennington <2>
    • Albany
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
    • Yuba
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Yuba. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yuba
      • Yuba is located in Bryan County (OK)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Yuba
      • From Direct to Yuba
    • Bokchito
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bokchito have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bokchito
      • Bokchito is located in Bryan County (OK)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 704 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bokchito <2>
    • Yarnaby
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
    • Matoy
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Matoy. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Matoy
      • Matoy is located in Bryan County (OK)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Matoy
      • From Direct to Matoy
    • Kemp
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
  • Choctaw County (OK)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Direct, with the one closest to Direct listed first.
    • Boswell
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Soper
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Grant
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Hugo
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Frogville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Frogville. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frogville
      • Frogville is located in Choctaw County (OK)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Frogville
      • From Direct to Frogville
    • Sawyer
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sawyer have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sawyer
      • Sawyer is located in Choctaw County (OK)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 327 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sawyer <2>

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

Cemeteries Near Direct ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Direct.

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

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

  • Pyles Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pyles Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pyles Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Post Oak Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Post Oak Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Post Oak Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Community Hall Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Community Hall Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Community Hall Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Crowder Springs Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Crowder Springs Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Crowder Springs Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • New Salem Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the New Salem Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the New Salem Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Cottonwood Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Cottonwood Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Cottonwood Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Cottonwood Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Cottonwood Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Cottonwood Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Arch Chapel Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Arch Chapel Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Arch Chapel Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Forest Grove Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Forest Grove Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Forest Grove Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Little Vine Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Little Vine Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Little Vine Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Crowder Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Crowder Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Crowder Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Bigsby Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bigsby Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bigsby Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (185 more) ...
    • Sumner Cemetery
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Sumner Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Sumner Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Wilks Cemetery
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Wilks Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Wilks Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Shiloh Cemetery
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Shiloh Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Shiloh Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.

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>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that in 1895, Direct had a post office and no railroad service.

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

  • Monkstown
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Monkstown have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monkstown
    • Monkstown is located in Fannin County
  • Selfs
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Selfs have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Selfs
    • Selfs is located in Fannin County
  • Maxey
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Maxey have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maxey
    • Maxey is located in Lamar County
  • Telephone
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
  • Sumner
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
  • Emberson
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Emberson have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Emberson
    • Emberson is located in Lamar County
  • Elwood
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Elwood have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elwood
    • Elwood is located in Fannin County
  • Lamasco
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lamasco have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lamasco
    • Lamasco is located in Fannin County
  • Petty
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Petty have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Petty
    • Petty is located in Lamar County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Petty <2>
  • High
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for High. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for High
    • High is located in Lamar County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to High
    • From Direct to High
  • Brookston
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Brookston have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brookston
    • Brookston is located in Lamar County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Brookston <2>
  • Chicota
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...

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

Newspapers Published in Direct ...

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 79 newspapers that have been published in the area around Direct.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Direct, there are papers which were published within 25 miles [40.2 km]<5>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Direct.

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 Direct:

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

The official website for Lamar County: www.co.lamar.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>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 Direct, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<5>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Direct) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Direct. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 33.8206, Longitude: -95.8358    









 

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This page was last modified/updated: 29 Apr 2025