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The Commemorative Quarter for Texas





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 Merrick (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 Merrick. 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 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.

Merrick is located in Martin 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 Martin County: Andrews, Borden, Dawson, Gaines, Glasscock, Howard & Midland.

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

  • Martin County     (The home county of Merrick)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Merrick, with the one closest to Merrick listed first.
    • Lenorah
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lenorah have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lenorah
      • Lenorah is located in Martin County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lenorah <2>
    • Tarzan
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tarzan have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tarzan
      • Tarzan is located in Martin County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Tarzan <2>
    • Stanton
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
  • Dawson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Merrick, with the one closest to Merrick listed first.
    • Ackerly
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ackerly have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ackerly
      • Ackerly is located in Dawson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 234 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ackerly <2>
    • Sparenberg
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sparenberg
      • Sparenberg is located in Dawson County
    • Los Ybanez
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Los Ybanez have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Los Ybanez
      • Los Ybanez is located in Dawson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 17 people
    • Lamesa
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lamesa
      • Lamesa is located in Dawson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 9,131 people
      • Lamesa has also been known as:
      • La Mesa
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lamesa <2>
  • Howard County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Merrick, with the one closest to Merrick listed first.
    • Knott
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Knott have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Knott
      • Knott is located in Howard County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Knott <2>
    • Fairview
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fairview have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairview
      • Fairview is located in Howard County
    • Vealmoor
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
    • Webb Village
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Webb Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Webb Village
      • Webb Village is located in Howard County
    • Big Spring
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Big Spring have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Spring
      • Big Spring is located in Howard County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 28,077 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Big Spring <2>
    • Ziler
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ziler have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ziler
      • Ziler is located in Howard County
  • Midland County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Merrick, with the one closest to Merrick listed first.
    • Greenwood
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenwood
      • Greenwood is located in Midland County
    • Midland
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)

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

Newspapers Published in Merrick ...

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 24 newspapers that have been published in the area around Merrick.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Merrick, there are papers which were published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Merrick.

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 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 Merrick:

Cemeteries Near Merrick ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Merrick.

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

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

  • Knott Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Knott Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Knott Cemetery
  • Fairhaven Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Fairhaven Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Fairhaven Cemetery
  • Evergreen Cemetery
    (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Evergreen Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Evergreen Cemetery
  • Vealmoor Cemetery
    (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Vealmoor Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Vealmoor Cemetery
  • Midway Cemetery
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Midway Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Midway Cemetery
  • Mt. Olive Cemetery
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mt. Olive Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mt. Olive Cemetery
  • Valhalla Mausoleum
    (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Valhalla Mausoleum have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Valhalla Mausoleum
  • Rest Haven Cemetery
    (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Rest Haven Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Rest Haven Cemetery
  • Trinity Memorial Park
    (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Trinity Memorial Park have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Trinity Memorial Park
  • Fairview Cemetery
    (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Fairview Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Fairview Cemetery

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 Merrick in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Merrick.

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

  • Stanton
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
  • Morita
    (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Morita have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morita
    • Morita is located in Howard County
  • Germania
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Germania have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Germania
    • Germania is located in Midland County
  • Big Spring
    (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Big Spring have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Spring
    • Big Spring is located in Howard County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 28,077 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Big Spring <2>

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

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Merrick. 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>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Merrick) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Merrick. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 32.3846, Longitude: -101.8401       In this case, the coordinates for Merrick have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<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 Merrick, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024