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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 Franklin (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 Franklin. 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 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.

Franklin is located in Robertson County and is the County Seat.

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 Robertson County: Brazos, Burleson, Falls, Leon, Limestone, Madison & Milam.

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

  • Robertson County     (The home county of Franklin)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Franklin, with the one closest to Franklin listed first.
    • New Baden
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Owensville
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Owensville is located in Robertson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Owensville
    • Elliot
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Elliot is located in Robertson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elliot
    • Wheelock
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Hearne
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Hearne is located in Robertson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hearne
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,340 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hearne <1>
    • Calvert
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
    • Ridge
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Ridge is located in Robertson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ridge
    • Bald Prairie
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Bald Prairie is located in Robertson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bald Prairie
    • Bremond
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Hammond
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
      • Hammond is located in Robertson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hammond
    • Benchley
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
      • Benchley is located in Robertson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Benchley
    • Seale
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Seale is located in Robertson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seale
    • Mumford
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
  • Brazos County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Franklin, with the one closest to Franklin listed first.
    • Edge
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Edge is located in Brazos County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edge
    • Tabor
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Tabor is located in Brazos County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tabor
    • Rye ‑ Historic
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
      • Rye is located in Brazos County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rye
    • Wixon Valley
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Wixon Valley is located in Brazos County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wixon Valley
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 254 people
    • Kurten
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Bryan
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Bryan is located in Brazos County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bryan
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 88,165 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bryan <1>
    • Boonville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Boonville is located in Brazos County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boonville
    • Stone City
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Stone City is located in Brazos County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stone City
    • College Station
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
  • Burleson County
    • Cooks Point
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Cooks Point is located in Burleson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cooks Point
  • Falls County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Franklin, with the one closest to Franklin listed first.
    • Highbank
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Highbank is located in Falls County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Highbank
    • Reagan
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Wilderville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Wilderville is located in Falls County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilderville
    • Stranger
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Stranger is located in Falls County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stranger
    • Rosebud
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
    • McClanahan
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • McClanahan is located in Falls County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McClanahan
  • Grimes County
    • Iola
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Leon County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Franklin, with the one closest to Franklin listed first.
    • Hilltop Lakes
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
    • Wealthy
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
      • Wealthy is located in Leon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wealthy
    • Marquez
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Normangee
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
    • Flynn
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
    • Concord
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Newby
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Newby is located in Leon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newby
    • Jewett
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Limestone County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Franklin, with the one closest to Franklin listed first.
    • Kosse
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Kosse is located in Limestone County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kosse
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 463 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Kosse <1>
    • Thornton
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
  • Madison County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Franklin, with the one closest to Franklin listed first.
    • George
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • George is located in Madison County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for George
    • North Zulch
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
    • Zulch ‑ Historic
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Zulch is located in Madison County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zulch
  • Milam County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Franklin, with the one closest to Franklin listed first.
    • Port Sullivan ‑ Historic
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Port Sullivan is located in Milam County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Port Sullivan
    • Branchville
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
      • Branchville is located in Milam County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Branchville
    • Crossroads
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
      • Crossroads is located in Milam County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crossroads
    • Baileyville
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
      • Baileyville is located in Milam County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baileyville
    • Gause
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Jones Prairie
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Jones Prairie is located in Milam County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jones Prairie
    • Maysfield
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
    • Marlow
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Marlow is located in Milam County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marlow
    • Silver City
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Silver City is located in Milam County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Silver City
    • Burlington
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)

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

Cemeteries Near Franklin ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Franklin.

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

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

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

  • Hale Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
  • New Baden Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Owensville Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Little Mississippi Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Cazy Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
  • Chapel Hill Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
  • Elliot Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Mt. Vernon Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
  • Camp Creek Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
  • Beck Prairie Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Hammond Colony Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
  • Easterly Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
  • Continue List   (238 more) ...
    • East Boone Prairie Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Jackson Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Webb Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)

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.<2>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Franklin had a population of 665 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Franklin had a population of 1,643 people.

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

  • New Baden
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Elliot
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Elliot is located in Robertson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elliot
  • Nesbitt
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Nesbitt is located in Robertson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nesbitt
  • Wheelock
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
  • Calvert
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
  • Hearne
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Hearne is located in Robertson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hearne
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,340 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hearne <1>
  • Petteway
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Petteway is located in Robertson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Petteway
  • Sutton
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
    • Sutton is located in Robertson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sutton
  • Bald Prairie
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Bald Prairie is located in Robertson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bald Prairie
  • Bremond
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
  • Hammond
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
    • Hammond is located in Robertson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hammond
  • Headsville
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
    • Headsville is located in Robertson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Headsville
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Tabor
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Tabor is located in Brazos County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tabor
    • Branchville
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
      • Branchville is located in Milam County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Branchville
    • Benchley
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
      • Benchley is located in Robertson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Benchley

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Franklin ...

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 55 newspapers that have been published in the area around Franklin.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Franklin. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Franklin and those printed in the larger area surrounding Franklin.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<3> of Franklin.

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 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 Franklin:

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>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 Franklin, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<3>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- Franklin) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.