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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 Laird Hill (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 Laird Hill. 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 northwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors and hospitals were in the next county to the west. Almost all of the nearby churches and cemeteries were in the county to the north.

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 north 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.

Laird Hill is located in Rusk 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 Rusk County: Cherokee, Gregg, Harrison, Nacogdoches, Panola, Shelby & Smith.

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

  • Rusk County     (The home county of Laird Hill)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Laird Hill, with the one closest to Laird Hill listed first.
    • Sexton City
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
      • Sexton City is located in Rusk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sexton City
    • Pirtle
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Pirtle is located in Rusk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pirtle
    • New London
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Jacobs
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Jacobs is located in Rusk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jacobs
    • Overton
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Friars
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
      • Friars is located in Rusk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Friars
    • Monroe
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
      • Monroe is located in Rusk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monroe
    • Selman City
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Turnertown
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
      • Turnertown is located in Rusk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Turnertown
    • Joinerville
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • Price
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
    • Henderson
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
  • Cherokee County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Laird Hill, with the one closest to Laird Hill listed first.
    • Henrys Chapel
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
      • Henrys Chapel is located in Cherokee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Henrys Chapel
    • Troup
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Troup is located in Cherokee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Troup
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,064 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Troup <1>
    • Blackjack
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Blackjack is located in Cherokee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blackjack
    • Griffin
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Griffin is located in Cherokee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Griffin
    • Gould
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Gould is located in Cherokee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gould
    • Mixon
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Mixon is located in Cherokee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mixon
    • Bullard
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
    • New Summerfield
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Mount Selman
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Mount Selman is located in Cherokee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Selman
  • Gregg County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Laird Hill, with the one closest to Laird Hill listed first.
    • Kilgore
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Danville
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
      • Danville is located in Gregg County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Danville
    • Liberty City
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
      • Liberty City is located in Gregg County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Liberty City
    • Fredonia
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Fredonia is located in Gregg County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fredonia
    • Rolling Meadows
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Rolling Meadows is located in Gregg County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rolling Meadows
    • Elderville
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
      • Elderville is located in Gregg County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elderville
    • Lakeport
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Greggton
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Greggton is located in Gregg County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greggton
    • Clarksville City
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Clarksville City is located in Gregg County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clarksville City
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 945 people
    • Gladewater
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • White Oak
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • Teneryville
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Teneryville is located in Gregg County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Teneryville
  • Harrison County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Laird Hill, with the one closest to Laird Hill listed first.
    • Lansing
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Lansing is located in Harrison County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lansing
    • Hallsville
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Noonday
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Noonday is located in Harrison County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Noonday
    • Morton
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Morton is located in Harrison County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morton
    • Harleton
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Panola County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Laird Hill, with the one closest to Laird Hill listed first.
    • Center Point ‑ Historic
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Center Point is located in Panola County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Center Point
    • Beckville
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
    • Long Branch
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Delray
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Delray is located in Panola County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Delray
    • Clayton
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Smith County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Laird Hill, with the one closest to Laird Hill listed first.
    • Jamestown ‑ Historic
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
      • Jamestown is located in Smith County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jamestown
      • Jamestown has also been known as:
      • Jimtown
    • Browning
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
      • Browning is located in Smith County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Browning
    • Wright City
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Wright City is located in Smith County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wright City
    • Arp
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Arp is located in Smith County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arp
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,046 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Arp <1>
    • Starrville
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Starrville is located in Smith County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Starrville
    • Omen
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Omen is located in Smith County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Omen
    • Sinclair City
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Sinclair City is located in Smith County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sinclair City
    • New Chapel Hill
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
      • New Chapel Hill is located in Smith County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Chapel Hill
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 667 people
    • Winona
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
    • Whitehouse
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Tyler
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Tyler is located in Smith County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tyler
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 108,222 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Tyler <1>
    • Red Springs
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Red Springs is located in Smith County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Springs
  • Upshur County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Laird Hill, with the one closest to Laird Hill listed first.
    • Union Grove
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
      • Union Grove is located in Upshur County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union Grove
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 372 people
    • Wilkins
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Wilkins is located in Upshur County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilkins
    • Center Point
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • Center Point is located in Upshur County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Center Point
    • Big Sandy
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Glenwood
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Glenwood is located in Upshur County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glenwood
    • Pritchett
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Pritchett is located in Upshur County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pritchett
    • Indian Rock
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Indian Rock is located in Upshur County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Indian Rock
    • Graceton
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Graceton is located in Upshur County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Graceton
    • James
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • James is located in Upshur County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for James
    • Diana
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
    • Gilmer
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
    • Kelsey
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Kelsey is located in Upshur County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kelsey
  • Wood County
    • Hawkins
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)

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

Cemeteries Near Laird Hill ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Laird Hill.

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 Laird Hill - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Mt. Comfort Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
  • Thompson Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
  • Star Memorial Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
  • Choice Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
  • Moriah Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
  • Strong Memorial Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
  • Fortson Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
  • Harmony Pirtle Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Florey Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
  • Mt. Pleasant Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
  • Danville Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
  • Goodman Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
  • Continue List   (267 more) ...

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.<4>

While we didn't find Laird Hill in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Laird Hill.

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

  • Kilgore
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Pirtle
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Pirtle is located in Rusk County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pirtle
  • Overton
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Monroe
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Monroe is located in Rusk County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monroe
  • Elderville
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Elderville is located in Gregg County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elderville
  • Browning
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Browning is located in Smith County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Browning
  • Gladewater
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
  • Omen
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Omen is located in Smith County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Omen
  • Longview
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
  • Starrville
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Starrville is located in Smith County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Starrville
  • Henderson
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
  • Wilkins
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Wilkins is located in Upshur County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilkins
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • West Mountain
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
      • West Mountain is located in Upshur County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Mountain
    • Easton
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
    • Judson
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)

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

Newspapers Published in Laird Hill ...

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 44 newspapers that have been published in the area around Laird Hill.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Laird Hill, there are papers which were published within 27 miles [43.5 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Laird Hill.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we start with the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These helpful 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 Laird Hill:

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>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Laird Hill) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.
<4>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 Laird Hill, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.