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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 Dotson (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 Dotson. 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 northwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most 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/parishes 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/parishes, we would have missed many valuable sources of information.

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

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

  • Panola County     (The home county of Dotson)
  • Cherokee County
  • Gregg County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Dotson, with the one closest to Dotson listed first.
    • Easton
      (26 miles [41.8 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
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Elderville. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elderville
      • Elderville is located in Gregg County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Elderville
      • From Dotson to Elderville
    • Lakeport
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • 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>
  • Nacogdoches County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Dotson, with the one closest to Dotson listed first.
    • Garrison
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • Fitze
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Fitze. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fitze
      • Fitze is located in Nacogdoches County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Fitze
      • From Dotson to Fitze
    • Whispering Pines
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
    • Appleby
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • Trawick
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Trawick. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trawick
      • Trawick is located in Nacogdoches County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Trawick
      • From Dotson to Trawick
    • Cushing
      (22 miles [35.4 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>
    • Redfield
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
    • Looneyville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Martinsville
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
    • Swift
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Swift. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Swift
      • Swift is located in Nacogdoches County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Swift
      • From Dotson to Swift
    • Nat
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Sacul
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sacul have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sacul
      • Sacul is located in Nacogdoches County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sacul <1>
    • Dextra
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Dextra. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dextra
      • Dextra is located in Nacogdoches County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Dextra
      • From Dotson to Dextra
  • Rusk County
  • Shelby County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Dotson, with the one closest to Dotson listed first.
    • Timpson
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • 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 east)
    • Arcadia
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Center
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Africa ‑ Historic
      (27 miles [43.5 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
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Africa
      • From Dotson to Africa
    • Joaquin
      (28 miles [45.1 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>
    • Short
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Short. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Short
      • Short is located in Shelby County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Short
      • From Dotson to Short
    • Haslam
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
    • Choice
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Smith County
    • Wright City
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • 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

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

Cemeteries Near Dotson ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Dotson.

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

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Dotson, with the one closest to Dotson 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>

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

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

  • Caledonia
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • Long Branch
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
  • Lawsonville
    (6 miles [9.7 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
  • Pinehill
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
  • Fair Play
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • 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
  • Mount Enterprise
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
  • Timpson
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • 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>
  • Delray
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Delray. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Delray
    • Delray is located in Panola County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Delray
    • From Dotson to Delray
  • Minden
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • 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>
  • Garrison
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
  • Fitze
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Fitze. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fitze
    • Fitze is located in Nacogdoches County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Fitze
    • From Dotson to Fitze
  • Carthage
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
  • Continue List   (13 more) ...

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

Newspapers Published in Dotson ...

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 58 newspapers that have been published in the area around Dotson.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Dotson, there are papers which were published within 28 miles [45.1 km]<5>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Dotson.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we start with the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These helpful 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 Dotson:

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Dotson. 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>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 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Dotson) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Dotson. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 32.0054, Longitude: -94.5289    
<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 Dotson, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 29 Apr 2025