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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 Meridian (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 Meridian. 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 Meridian ...

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.

In past government published Postal Guides, Meridian was referred to as Meridian Courthouse.

You might be interested in other communities that are also named Meridian. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Meridian.

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.

For more information about how community names might have been affected by the Board of Geographic Names (BGN), see our page about Placename Rules.

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 and doctors 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.

Meridian is located in Bosque County and is the County Seat.

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 Bosque County: Coryell, Erath, Hamilton, Hill, Johnson, McLennan & Somervell.

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

  • Bosque County     (The home county of Meridian)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Meridian, with the one closest to Meridian listed first.
    • Morgan
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Walnut Springs
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Clifton
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Womack
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Womack is located in Bosque County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Womack
    • Lakeside Village
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Lakeside Village is located in Bosque County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lakeside Village
    • Norse
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
      • Norse is located in Bosque County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Norse
    • Kopperl
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Iredell
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
    • Cranfills Gap
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Kimball
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Kimball is located in Bosque County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kimball
    • Cayote
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Cayote is located in Bosque County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cayote
    • Laguna Park
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
    • Eulogy
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
      • Eulogy is located in Bosque County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eulogy
  • Coryell County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Meridian, with the one closest to Meridian listed first.
    • Turnersville
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Turnersville is located in Coryell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Turnersville
    • Jonesboro
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Coryell
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Coryell is located in Coryell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coryell
    • Ireland
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Ireland is located in Coryell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ireland
  • Erath County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Meridian, with the one closest to Meridian listed first.
    • Chalk Mountain
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Chalk Mountain is located in Erath County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chalk Mountain
    • Duffau
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Duffau is located in Erath County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Duffau
    • Clairette
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Clairette is located in Erath County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clairette
  • Hamilton County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Meridian, with the one closest to Meridian listed first.
    • Agee ‑ Historic
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Agee is located in Hamilton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Agee
    • Lanham
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Lanham is located in Hamilton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lanham
    • Hico
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Hico is located in Hamilton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hico
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,437 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hico <1>
    • Whiteway
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Whiteway is located in Hamilton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whiteway
      • Whiteway has also been known as:
      • White Way
    • Spurlin ‑ Historic
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Spurlin is located in Hamilton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spurlin
    • Carlton
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
  • Hill County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Meridian, with the one closest to Meridian listed first.
    • Huron ‑ Historic
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
      • Huron is located in Hill County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Huron
    • Whitney
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
    • Blum
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Aquilla
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
    • Peoria
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Peoria is located in Hill County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peoria
    • Tyson
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Tyson is located in Hill County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tyson
    • Covington
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Hillsboro
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
  • Hood County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Meridian, with the one closest to Meridian listed first.
    • Fort Spunky
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Fort Spunky is located in Hood County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fort Spunky
    • Hill City
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Hill City is located in Hood County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hill City
    • Paluxy
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Pecan Plantation
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Pecan Plantation is located in Hood County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pecan Plantation
  • Johnson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Meridian, with the one closest to Meridian listed first.
    • Rio Vista
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Bono
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Bono is located in Johnson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bono
    • Parker
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Parker is located in Johnson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parker
  • McLennan County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Meridian, with the one closest to Meridian listed first.
    • China Spring
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Patrick
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Patrick is located in McLennan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Patrick
    • Crawford
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Gholson
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Gholson is located in McLennan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gholson
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,127 people
    • Rock Creek
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Rock Creek is located in McLennan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock Creek
  • Somervell County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Meridian, with the one closest to Meridian listed first.
    • Glass
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Glass is located in Somervell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glass
    • Glen Rose
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
    • Nemo
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
    • Rainbow
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)

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

Cemeteries Near Meridian ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Meridian.

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 Meridian - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Morgan Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • Oswald Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Cedron Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
  • Russell Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
  • Cedron Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
  • Oak Grove Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
  • Fulton Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
  • Barry Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
  • Luth Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Clifton Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
  • New Iredell Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
  • Steiner Valley Cemetery
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
  • Continue List   (110 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.<3>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Meridian had a population of 1,037 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Meridian had a population of 1,502 people.

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

  • Morgan
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
  • Clifton
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
  • Womack
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Womack is located in Bosque County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Womack
  • Walnut Springs
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
  • Norse
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Norse is located in Bosque County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Norse
  • Kopperl
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
  • Iredell
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
  • Cranfills Gap
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
  • Cayote
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Cayote is located in Bosque County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cayote
  • Kimball
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Kimball is located in Bosque County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kimball
  • Eulogy
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
    • Eulogy is located in Bosque County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eulogy
  • Brazos Point
    (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
    • Brazos Point is located in Bosque County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brazos Point
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Whitney
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
    • Freeland
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • Freeland is located in Johnson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Freeland
    • Fairy
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
      • Fairy is located in Hamilton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairy

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Meridian ...

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 50 newspapers that have been published in the area around Meridian.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

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

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 Meridian:

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>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 Meridian, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<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 from Point A (ie- Meridian) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.