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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 Lelia Lake (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 Lelia Lake. 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.

Name Variations for Lelia Lake ...

When searching records, keep in mind that names and their spelling can change over time. Our sources include documents like maps, railroad schedules, Travel, Express and Shipping Guides. Many of these documents date from the 1800's and it's common to find spelling differences.

Although we can't give a definitive list, hopefully the following will give you a feel for the variations that might have occurred.

For example, a typical abbreviation for Lelia Lake: Lelia Lk.

If you have information about these names (such as the reason for the change, date of change, the origin of the name), please Contact Us.

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 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 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.

Lelia Lake is located in Donley 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 Donley County: Armstrong, Briscoe, Carson, Collingsworth, Gray, Hall & Wheeler.

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

  • Donley County     (The home county of Lelia Lake)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Lelia Lake, with the one closest to Lelia Lake listed first.
    • Hedley
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hedley have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hedley
      • Hedley is located in Donley County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 291 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hedley <2>
    • Clarendon
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Clarendon have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clarendon
      • Clarendon is located in Donley County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,788 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Clarendon <2>
    • Howardwick
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Howardwick have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Howardwick
      • Howardwick is located in Donley County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 398 people
  • Armstrong County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Lelia Lake, with the one closest to Lelia Lake listed first.
    • Paloduro
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Paloduro. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paloduro
      • Paloduro is located in Armstrong County
    • Goodnight
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
  • Carson County
    • Groom
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Groom have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Groom
      • Groom is located in Carson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 547 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Groom <2>
  • Collingsworth County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Lelia Lake, with the one closest to Lelia Lake listed first.
    • Quail
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
    • Samnorwood
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Samnorwood have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Samnorwood
      • Samnorwood is located in Collingsworth County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Samnorwood <2>
  • Gray County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Lelia Lake, with the one closest to Lelia Lake listed first.
    • Alanreed
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Alanreed have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alanreed
      • Alanreed is located in Gray County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Alanreed <2>
    • McLean
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for McLean have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McLean
      • McLean is located in Gray County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 742 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for McLean <2>
  • Hall County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Lelia Lake, with the one closest to Lelia Lake listed first.
    • Lakeview
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lakeview
      • Lakeview is located in Hall County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 94 people
    • Memphis
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Newlin
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newlin
      • Newlin is located in Hall County
    • Hulver
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Hulver. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hulver
      • Hulver is located in Hall County
    • Estelline
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)

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

Cemeteries Near Lelia Lake ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Lelia Lake.

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

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

  • Rowe Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Rowe Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Rowe Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Citizens Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Citizens Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Citizens Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Odd Fellows Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Odd Fellows Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Odd Fellows Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • St. Marys Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Marys Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Marys Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Liberty Cemetery
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Liberty Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Liberty Cemetery is located 6 miles [9.7 km]<4> to the east of Lakeview.
  • Jericho Cemetery
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Jericho Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Jericho Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Quail Cemetery
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Quail Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Quail Cemetery is located outside and to the north of Quail.
  • Boydston Cemetery
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Boydston Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Boydston Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Goodnight Cemetery
    (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
  • Elderidge Cemetery
    (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Elderidge Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Elderidge Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Dozier Cemetery
    (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Dozier Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Dozier Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Hillcrest Cemetery
    (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hillcrest Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hillcrest Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (7 more) ...
    • Newlin Cemetery
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Newlin Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Newlin Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Plymouth Cemetery
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Plymouth Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Plymouth Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Groom Cemetery
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)

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>

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

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

  • Clarendon
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Clarendon have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clarendon
    • Clarendon is located in Donley County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,788 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Clarendon <2>
  • Giles
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Giles have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Giles
    • Giles is located in Donley County
  • Lakeview
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lakeview
    • Lakeview is located in Hall County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 94 people
  • Memphis
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Boydston
    (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Boydston have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boydston
    • Boydston is located in Donley County
  • Paloduro
    (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Paloduro. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paloduro
    • Paloduro is located in Armstrong County
  • Goodnight
    (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
  • Newlin
    (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newlin
    • Newlin is located in Hall County
  • Hulver
    (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Hulver. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hulver
    • Hulver is located in Hall County

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

Newspapers Published in Lelia Lake ...

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 20 newspapers that have been published in the area around Lelia Lake.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Lelia Lake, there are papers which were published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Lelia Lake.

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 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 Lelia Lake:

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Lelia Lake. 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 'straight-line' (or point-to-point) distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Lelia Lake) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Lelia Lake. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 34.9012, Longitude: -100.7707       In this case, the coordinates for Lelia Lake 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 Lelia Lake, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 29 Apr 2025