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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 Gainesville (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 Gainesville. 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 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.

Gainesville is located in Cooke County and is the County Seat.

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 Cooke County: Love (OK), Denton, Grayson, Montague & Wise.

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

  • Cooke County     (The home county of Gainesville)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Gainesville, with the one closest to Gainesville listed first.
    • Lindsay
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Oak Ridge
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Oak Ridge have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Ridge
      • Oak Ridge is located in Cooke County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 255 people
    • Custer City ‑ Historic
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Custer City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Custer City
      • Custer City is located in Cooke County
    • Callisburg
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Callisburg have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Callisburg
      • Callisburg is located in Cooke County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 367 people
    • Lake Kiowa
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lake Kiowa have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Kiowa
      • Lake Kiowa is located in Cooke County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lake Kiowa <1>
    • Myra
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Valley View
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Valley View have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Valley View
      • Valley View is located in Cooke County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 865 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Valley View <1>
    • Burns City
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burns City
      • Burns City is located in Cooke County
    • Era
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Muenster
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Hood
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hood
      • Hood is located in Cooke County
    • Hemming
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hemming
      • Hemming is located in Cooke County
    • Bloomfield
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bloomfield
      • Bloomfield is located in Cooke County
  • Collin County
    • Celina
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Comanche County
    • Cross Roads
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cross Roads
      • Cross Roads is located in Comanche County
  • Denton County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Gainesville, with the one closest to Gainesville listed first.
    • Sanger
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sanger have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sanger
      • Sanger is located in Denton County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 9,133 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sanger <1>
    • Bolivar
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bolivar
      • Bolivar is located in Denton County
    • Pilot Point
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Aubrey
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Krugerville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Krugerville
      • Krugerville is located in Denton County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,871 people
    • Krum
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Krum
      • Krum is located in Denton County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,412 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Krum <1>
    • Quakertown ‑ Historic
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Quakertown. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Quakertown
      • Quakertown is located in Denton County
    • Cross Roads
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
    • Denton
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
    • Providence Village
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Providence Village
      • Providence Village is located in Denton County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 7,564 people
    • Lincoln Park
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lincoln Park
      • Lincoln Park is located in Denton County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 567 people
    • Stony
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stony
      • Stony is located in Denton County
  • Grayson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Gainesville, with the one closest to Gainesville listed first.
    • Whitesboro
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • Collinsville
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
    • Dixie
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dixie
      • Dixie is located in Grayson County
    • Sadler
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
    • Tioga
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tioga
      • Tioga is located in Grayson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,117 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Tioga <1>
    • Basin Springs
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Basin Springs have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Basin Springs
      • Basin Springs is located in Grayson County
    • Ethel
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ethel
      • Ethel is located in Grayson County
    • Gordonville
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Southmayd
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
    • Gage
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gage have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gage
      • Gage is located in Grayson County
    • Cedar Mills
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Mills
      • Cedar Mills is located in Grayson County
    • Sherwood Shores
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sherwood Shores
      • Sherwood Shores is located in Grayson County
    • Locust
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Locust
      • Locust is located in Grayson County
  • Montague County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Gainesville, with the one closest to Gainesville listed first.
    • Hardy
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hardy
      • Hardy is located in Montague County
    • Saint Jo
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Saint Jo have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Jo
      • Saint Jo is located in Montague County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,032 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Saint Jo <1>
    • Forestburg
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
    • Illinois Bend
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Illinois Bend
      • Illinois Bend is located in Montague County
    • Bonita
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bonita have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bonita
      • Bonita is located in Montague County
    • New Harp
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Harp
      • New Harp is located in Montague County
  • Wise County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Gainesville, with the one closest to Gainesville listed first.
    • Slidell
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
    • Greenwood
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
  • Love County (OK)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Gainesville, with the one closest to Gainesville listed first.
    • Thackerville
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Thackerville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thackerville
      • Thackerville is located in Love County (OK)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 521 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Thackerville <1>
    • Jimtown
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jimtown
      • Jimtown is located in Love County (OK)
    • Marietta
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
    • Burneyville
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Leon
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Leon have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leon
      • Leon is located in Love County (OK)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 99 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Leon <1>
    • Overbrook
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
  • Marshall County (OK)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Gainesville, with the one closest to Gainesville listed first.
    • Lebanon
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Shay
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shay
      • Shay is located in Marshall County (OK)

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Gainesville ...

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 71 newspapers that have been published in the area around Gainesville.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Gainesville. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Gainesville and those printed in the larger area surrounding Gainesville.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<4> of Gainesville.

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 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 Gainesville:

Cemeteries Near Gainesville ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Gainesville.

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

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

  • Fairview Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
    • The Fairview Cemetery has also been known as:
    • East Hill Cemetery
    • Gainesville Fairview Cemetery
    • Howeth Family Cemetery
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Fairview Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #3524 <5>
  • Rest Haven Memorial Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Rest Haven Memorial Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Rest Haven Memorial Cemetery
  • Redmond Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Redmond Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Redmond Cemetery
  • Dervin Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Dervin Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Dervin Cemetery
  • Oak Grove Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Oak Grove Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Oak Grove Cemetery
  • Center Hill Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Center Hill Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Center Hill Cemetery
  • Clark County Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Clark County Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Clark County Cemetery
  • Red River Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Red River Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Red River Cemetery
  • Nelson Grove Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Nelson Grove Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Nelson Grove Cemetery
  • Union Hill Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Union Hill Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Union Hill Cemetery
  • Reed Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Reed Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Reed Cemetery
  • Callisburg Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Callisburg Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Callisburg Cemetery
  • Continue List   (173 more) ...
    • Van Syke Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Van Syke Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Van Syke Cemetery
    • Valley View Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Valley View Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Valley View Cemetery
    • Este Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Este Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Este Cemetery

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>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Gainesville had a population of 6,594 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Gainesville had a population of 16,876 people.

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

  • Lindsay
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
  • Custer City ‑ Historic
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Custer City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Custer City
    • Custer City is located in Cooke County
  • Woodbine
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Woodbine have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodbine
    • Woodbine is located in Cooke County
  • Callisburg
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Callisburg have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Callisburg
    • Callisburg is located in Cooke County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 367 people
  • Myra
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
  • Valley View
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Valley View have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Valley View
    • Valley View is located in Cooke County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 865 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Valley View <1>
  • Era
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Mountain Springs
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mountain Springs have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mountain Springs
    • Mountain Springs is located in Cooke County
  • Balm
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Balm have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Balm
    • Balm is located in Cooke County
  • Muenster
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
  • Hood
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hood
    • Hood is located in Cooke County
  • Whitesboro
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Bloomfield
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bloomfield
      • Bloomfield is located in Cooke County
    • Collinsville
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
    • Coesfield
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Coesfield have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coesfield
      • Coesfield is located in Cooke County

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

The official website for Gainesville: www.gainesville.tx.us/

The official website for Cooke County: www.co.cooke.tx.us/

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>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.
<3>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.
<4>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Gainesville) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Gainesville. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 33.6385, Longitude: -97.1485       In this case, the coordinates for Gainesville have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<5>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.
<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 Gainesville, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024