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 Ely (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 Ely. 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 doctors and hospitals 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.
Ely is located in Fannin 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 Fannin County: Bryan (OK), Collin, Delta, Grayson, Hunt & Lamar.
Below are the counties that are near Ely. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Ely:
- Fannin County (The home county of Ely)
- The following are listed by their distance from Ely, with the one closest to Ely listed first.
- Orangeville
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Orangeville is located in Fannin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orangeville
- Ector
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Randolph
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Whitewright
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Edhube
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Edhube is located in Fannin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edhube
- Savoy
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Trenton
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Bonham
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Leonard
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Bailey
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Ravenna
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Boyd
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Boyd is located in Fannin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boyd
- Gober
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Collin County
- The following are listed by their distance from Ely, with the one closest to Ely listed first.
- Sedalia
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Sedalia is located in Collin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sedalia
- Westminster
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Frognot
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Frognot is located in Collin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frognot
- Blue Ridge
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Van Alstyne
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Mantua ‑ Historic
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Mantua is located in Collin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mantua
- Anna
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Valdasta
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Valdasta is located in Collin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Valdasta
- Altoga
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Altoga is located in Collin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Altoga
- Melissa
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Weston
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Farmersville
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- New Hope
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- New Hope is located in Collin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Hope
- Population from the 2020 Census: 641 people
- Delta County
- The following are listed by their distance from Ely, with the one closest to Ely listed first.
- Jot-Em-Down
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Jot-Em-Down is located in Delta County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jot-Em-Down
- Jot-Em-Down has also been known as:
- Mohegan
- Muddig Prairie
- Pecan Gap
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Needmore
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Needmore is located in Delta County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Needmore
- Grayson County
- The following are listed by their distance from Ely, with the one closest to Ely listed first.
- Kentucky Town
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Kentucky Town is located in Grayson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kentucky Town
- Bells
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Pilot Grove
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Pilot Grove is located in Grayson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pilot Grove
- Tom Bean
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Whiterock
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Whiterock is located in Grayson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whiterock
- Ida
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Ida is located in Grayson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ida
- Cannon
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Cannon is located in Grayson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cannon
- Luella
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Luella is located in Grayson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Luella
- Tribune
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Tribune is located in Grayson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tribune
- Howe
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- Sherman
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Twin City
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Twin City is located in Grayson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Twin City
- Denison
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Hunt County
- The following are listed by their distance from Ely, with the one closest to Ely listed first.
- Celeste
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- Wolfe City
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- Kingston
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Kingston is located in Hunt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kingston
- White Rock
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- White Rock is located in Hunt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Rock
- Merit
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Aberfoyle
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Aberfoyle is located in Hunt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aberfoyle
- South Sulphur
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- South Sulphur is located in Hunt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Sulphur
- Fairlie
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Fairlie is located in Hunt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairlie
- Jacobia
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Jacobia is located in Hunt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jacobia
- Jardin
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Jardin is located in Hunt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jardin
- Greenville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Neylandville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Neylandville is located in Hunt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Neylandville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 100 people
- Yowell
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Yowell is located in Hunt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yowell
- Lamar County
- Petty
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Bryan County (OK)
- The following are listed by their distance from Ely, with the one closest to Ely listed first.
- Kemp
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Hendrix
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Yarnaby
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Yarnaby is located in Bryan County (OK)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yarnaby
- Yuba
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Yuba is located in Bryan County (OK)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yuba
- Achille
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Colbert
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Albany
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Cartwright
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Wade
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Wade is located in Bryan County (OK)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wade
- Calera
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Platter
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Ely, see our County-by-County Page for Ely.
Cemeteries Near Ely ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Ely.
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 Ely - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Ely covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Ely, with the one closest to Ely listed first.
- Porter Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Blanton Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Long Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Doss Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Doss Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Doss Cemetery is located
- The Doss Cemetery has also been known as:
- Lindsey Springs Cemetery
- Sears Chapel Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sears Chapel Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Sears Chapel Cemetery is located
- The Sears Chapel Cemetery has also been known as:
- Lindsey Springs Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #1959780 <2>
- Belmont Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Oak Hill Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Oak Hill Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Little Jordan Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Whitewright City Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Coon Town Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Randolph - Lindsey Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Randolph - Lindsey Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Randolph - Lindsey Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located outside and to the northeast of Randolph.
- The Randolph - Lindsey Cemetery has also been known as:
- Lindsey Cemetery
- Lindsey - Randolph Cemetery
- Randolph Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #6245 <2>
- Continue List (291 more) ...
- Wrenn Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Hood Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Canon Family Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Canon Family Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Canon Family Cemetery is located
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 Ely in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Ely.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Ely, with the one closest to Ely listed first.
- Orangeville
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Orangeville is located in Fannin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orangeville
- Randolph
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Ector
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Whitewright
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Trenton
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Savoy
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Kentucky Town
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Kentucky Town is located in Grayson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kentucky Town
- Pilot Grove
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Pilot Grove is located in Grayson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pilot Grove
- Bonham
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Bells
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Tom Bean
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Nobility
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Nobility is located in Fannin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nobility
- Continue List (13 more) ...
- Delba
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Delba is located in Fannin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Delba
- Leonard
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Bailey
(10 miles [16.1 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 Ely. See our List of 1890's Communities around Ely.
Newspapers Published in Ely ...
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 67 newspapers that have been published in the area around Ely.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Ely, 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 Ely.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we first visit the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These professional and volunteer 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 Ely:
- Websites specific to Texas
- Pages specific to Fannin County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Collin County
- Delta County
- Grayson County
- Hunt County
- Lamar County
- Bryan County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Texas
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 Ely, 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' (or point-to-point) distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Ely) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |