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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 Jamestown (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 Jamestown. 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.

Jamestown is located in Smith 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 Smith County: Cherokee, Gregg, Henderson, Upshur, Van Zandt & Wood.

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

  • Smith County     (The home county of Jamestown)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Jamestown, with the one closest to Jamestown listed first.
    • Garden Valley
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Carroll
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Carroll. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carroll
      • Carroll is located in Smith County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Carroll
      • From Jamestown to Carroll
    • Hideaway
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Lindale
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lindale have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lindale
      • Lindale is located in Smith County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 6,730 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lindale <3>
    • Swan
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Red Springs
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
    • Tyler
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
    • Winona
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Winona have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winona
      • Winona is located in Smith County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 617 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Winona <3>
    • Noonday
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Noonday have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Noonday
      • Noonday is located in Smith County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 722 people
    • Gresham
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Starrville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Starrville. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Starrville
      • Starrville is located in Smith County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Starrville
      • From Jamestown to Starrville
    • Lee Spring
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lee Spring have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lee Spring
      • Lee Spring is located in Smith County
  • Franklin County
    • Winnsboro
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Winnsboro have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winnsboro
      • Winnsboro is located in Franklin County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,330 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Winnsboro <3>
  • Henderson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Jamestown, with the one closest to Jamestown listed first.
    • Brownsboro
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Brownsboro have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brownsboro
      • Brownsboro is located in Henderson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,293 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Brownsboro <3>
    • Chandler
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • Murchison
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Murchison have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Murchison
      • Murchison is located in Henderson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 610 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Murchison <3>
    • Leagueville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
    • Moore Station
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Moore Station have been provided by the GNIS.<2> 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
    • Athens
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Hopkins County
  • Rains County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Jamestown, with the one closest to Jamestown listed first.
    • Emory
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Flats
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Point
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
    • East Tawakoni
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for East Tawakoni have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Tawakoni
      • East Tawakoni is located in Rains County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 991 people
  • Upshur County
  • Van Zandt County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Jamestown, with the one closest to Jamestown listed first.
    • Van
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Van have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Van
      • Van is located in Van Zandt County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,778 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Van <3>
    • Grand Saline
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Ben Wheeler
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ben Wheeler have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ben Wheeler
      • Ben Wheeler is located in Van Zandt County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ben Wheeler <3>
    • Fruitvale
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Edom
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Edom have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edom
      • Edom is located in Van Zandt County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 387 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Edom <3>
    • Canton
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Canton have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Canton
      • Canton is located in Van Zandt County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,941 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Canton <3>
    • Edgewood
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Tundra
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Wills Point
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
  • Wood County

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

Cemeteries Near Jamestown ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Jamestown.

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

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

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Jamestown had a population of 62 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service.

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

  • Pruitt
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pruitt have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pruitt
    • Pruitt is located in Van Zandt County
  • Garden Valley
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Silver Lake
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Silver Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Silver Lake
    • Silver Lake is located in Van Zandt County
  • Mineola
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Carroll
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Carroll. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carroll
    • Carroll is located in Smith County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Carroll
    • From Jamestown to Carroll
  • Golden
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Golden have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Golden
    • Golden is located in Wood County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Golden <3>
  • Grand Saline
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
  • Colfax
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Colfax have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colfax
    • Colfax is located in Van Zandt County
  • Ben Wheeler
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ben Wheeler have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ben Wheeler
    • Ben Wheeler is located in Van Zandt County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ben Wheeler <3>
  • Mount Sylvan
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mount Sylvan have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Sylvan
    • Mount Sylvan is located in Smith County
  • Lindale
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lindale have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lindale
    • Lindale is located in Smith County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 6,730 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lindale <3>
  • Alba
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Edom
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Edom have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edom
      • Edom is located in Van Zandt County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 387 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Edom <3>
    • Martins Mill
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Martins Mill have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Martins Mill
      • Martins Mill is located in Van Zandt County
    • Swan
      (16 miles [25.7 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 Jamestown. See our List of 1890's Communities around Jamestown.

Newspapers Published in Jamestown ...

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 51 newspapers that have been published in the area around Jamestown.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Jamestown, there are papers which were published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<5>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Jamestown.

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 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 Jamestown:

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

The official website for Smith County: www.smith-county.com/

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

Footnotes ...

<1>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.
<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>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<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 from Point A (ie- Jamestown) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Jamestown. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 32.5861, Longitude: -95.5838       In this case, the coordinates for Jamestown have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<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 Jamestown, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 29 Apr 2025