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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 Griffin (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 Griffin. 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 southwest 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 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 west 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.

Griffin is located in Cherokee 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 Cherokee County: Anderson, Angelina, Henderson, Houston, Nacogdoches, Rusk & Smith.

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

  • Cherokee County     (The home county of Griffin)
  • Anderson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Griffin, with the one closest to Griffin listed first.
    • Frankston
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
    • Todd City
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Todd City. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Todd City
      • Todd City is located in Anderson County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Todd City
      • From Griffin to Todd City
    • Herring
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Herring. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Herring
      • Herring is located in Anderson County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Herring
      • From Griffin to Herring
    • Neches
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Pert
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Pert. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pert
      • Pert is located in Anderson County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Pert
      • From Griffin to Pert
    • Jarvis
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Gregg County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Griffin, with the one closest to Griffin listed first.
    • Kilgore
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Liberty City
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Liberty City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Liberty City
      • Liberty City is located in Gregg County
    • Danville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Elderville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • 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.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elderville
      • Elderville is located in Gregg County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Elderville
      • From Griffin to Elderville
    • Fredonia
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Rolling Meadows
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rolling Meadows have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rolling Meadows
      • Rolling Meadows is located in Gregg County
  • Henderson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Griffin, with the one closest to Griffin listed first.
    • Berryville
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Berryville. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berryville
      • Berryville is located in Henderson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,066 people
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Berryville
      • From Griffin to Berryville
    • Coffee City
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
    • Chandler
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Moore Station
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Moore Station have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moore Station
      • Moore Station is located in Henderson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 223 people
    • Poynor
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Poynor have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Poynor
      • Poynor is located in Henderson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 311 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Poynor <2>
  • Nacogdoches County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Griffin, with the one closest to Griffin listed first.
    • Dextra
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
      • 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.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dextra
      • Dextra is located in Nacogdoches County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Dextra
      • From Griffin to Dextra
    • Sacul
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sacul have been provided by the GNIS.<1> 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 <2>
    • Cushing
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cushing have been provided by the GNIS.<1> 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 <2>
    • Looneyville
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
    • Nat
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Trawick
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • 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.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trawick
      • Trawick is located in Nacogdoches County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Trawick
      • From Griffin to Trawick
    • Douglass
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
  • Panola County
  • Rusk County
  • Smith County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Griffin, with the one closest to Griffin listed first.
    • Sinclair City
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sinclair City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sinclair City
      • Sinclair City is located in Smith County
    • Omen
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • Wright City
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wright City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wright City
      • Wright City is located in Smith County
    • Arp
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
    • Whitehouse
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Whitehouse have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whitehouse
      • Whitehouse is located in Smith County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 9,108 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Whitehouse <2>
    • New Chapel Hill
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for New Chapel Hill have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Chapel Hill
      • New Chapel Hill is located in Smith County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 667 people
    • Flint
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Gresham
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Teaselville
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
    • Jamestown ‑ Historic
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Jamestown. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jamestown
      • Jamestown is located in Smith County
      • Jamestown has also been known as:
      • Jimtown
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Jamestown
      • From Griffin to Jamestown
    • Lee Spring
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lee Spring have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lee Spring
      • Lee Spring is located in Smith County
    • Browning
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)

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

Cemeteries Near Griffin ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Griffin.

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

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

  • Griffin Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Griffin Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Griffin Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Fitch Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Fitch Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Fitch Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Pleasant Plains Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pleasant Plains Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pleasant Plains Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • McDonald Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the McDonald Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the McDonald Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Union Chapel Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Union Chapel Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Union Chapel Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Knoxville Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Knoxville Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Knoxville Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Union Hill Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Union Hill Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Union Hill Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Henry's Chapel Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • Sanders Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Sanders Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Sanders Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Myrtle Springs Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Myrtle Springs Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Myrtle Springs Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Boatright Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Boatright Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Boatright Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Union Grove Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Continue List   (311 more) ...
    • Tilley Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Tilley Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Tilley Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Wiggins Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Wiggins Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Wiggins Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Moore Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Moore Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Moore Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> 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.<6>

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

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

  • Lone Star
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lone Star have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lone Star
    • Lone Star is located in Cherokee County
  • Troup
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
  • Mixon
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Mixon. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mixon
    • Mixon is located in Cherokee County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Mixon
    • From Griffin to Mixon
  • New Salem
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
  • Jacksonville
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Omen
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
  • Mount Selman
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
  • Larissa ‑ Historic
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Larissa have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Larissa
    • Larissa is located in Cherokee County
  • Glenfawn
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Glenfawn have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glenfawn
    • Glenfawn is located in Rusk County
  • Laneville
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
  • Bullard
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bullard have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bullard
    • Bullard is located in Cherokee County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,891 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bullard <2>
  • Rusk
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...

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

Newspapers Published in Griffin ...

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 34 newspapers that have been published in the area around Griffin.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Griffin, there are papers which were published within 25 miles [40.2 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Griffin.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we like to start with 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 Griffin:

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

The official website for State of Texas: https://texas.gov/

Footnotes ...

<1>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.
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<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- Griffin) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Griffin. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 32.0376, Longitude: -95.0759       In this case, the coordinates for Griffin 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 Griffin, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 29 Apr 2025