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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 Mesquite (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 Mesquite. 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 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.

Mesquite is primarily located in Dallas County. A portion of Mesquite extends into Kaufman 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 Dallas County: Collin, Denton, Ellis, Kaufman, Rockwall & Tarrant.

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

  • Dallas County     (The home county of Mesquite)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Mesquite, with the one closest to Mesquite listed first.
    • New Hope
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
      • New Hope is located in Dallas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Hope
    • Sunnyvale
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Balch Springs
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Lawson
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
      • Lawson is located in Dallas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lawson
    • Kleberg
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
      • Kleberg is located in Dallas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kleberg
    • Centerville
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
      • Centerville is located in Dallas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Centerville
    • Rowlett
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Rawlins
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Rawlins is located in Dallas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rawlins
    • Seagoville
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Garland
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Hutchins
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Sargent
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
      • Sargent is located in Dallas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sargent
    • Dallas
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
      • Dallas is located in Dallas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dallas
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,343,266 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Dallas <1>
  • Collin County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Mesquite, with the one closest to Mesquite listed first.
    • Sachse
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Murphy
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
    • Plano
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Plano is located in Collin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plano
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 291,296 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Plano <1>
    • Saint Paul
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • Saint Paul is located in Collin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Paul
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,039 people
    • Wylie
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • Wylie is located in Collin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wylie
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 54,467 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Wylie <1>
    • Parker
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
    • Lavon
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Royse City
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Clear Lake
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Clear Lake is located in Collin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clear Lake
    • Nevada
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Lucas
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Lucas is located in Collin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lucas
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 8,819 people
    • Carrollton
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
    • Allen
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Allen is located in Collin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Allen
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 109,379 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Allen <1>
  • Denton County
    • The Colony
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
  • Ellis County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Mesquite, with the one closest to Mesquite listed first.
    • Walnut Springs
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
      • Walnut Springs is located in Ellis County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walnut Springs
    • Bristol
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
      • Bristol is located in Ellis County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bristol
    • Red Oak
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Pecan Hill
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Pecan Hill is located in Ellis County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pecan Hill
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 714 people
    • Oak Leaf
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Oak Leaf is located in Ellis County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Leaf
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,498 people
    • Palmer
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
    • Sterrett
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Sterrett is located in Ellis County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sterrett
    • Crisp
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Crisp is located in Ellis County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crisp
    • Boyce
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Boyce is located in Ellis County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boyce
    • Garrett
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Garrett is located in Ellis County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garrett
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 891 people
    • Ike
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Ike is located in Ellis County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ike
    • Telico
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Telico is located in Ellis County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Telico
    • Sardis
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Sardis is located in Ellis County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sardis
  • Hunt County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Mesquite, with the one closest to Mesquite listed first.
    • Union Valley
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Union Valley is located in Hunt County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union Valley
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 461 people
    • Caddo Mills
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Hendrix
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Hendrix is located in Hunt County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hendrix
    • Quinlan
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
    • Hawk Cove
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Hawk Cove is located in Hunt County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hawk Cove
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 562 people
  • Kaufman County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Mesquite, with the one closest to Mesquite listed first.
    • Forney
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Heath
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Heath is located in Kaufman County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Heath
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 9,718 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Heath <1>
    • Crandall
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Talty
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Talty is located in Kaufman County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Talty
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,883 people
    • Lawrence
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • Lawrence is located in Kaufman County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lawrence
    • Lone Star
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Lone Star is located in Kaufman County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lone Star
    • Post Oak Bend City
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Post Oak Bend City is located in Kaufman County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Post Oak Bend City
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 626 people
    • Terrell
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
    • Poetry
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • Poetry is located in Kaufman County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Poetry
    • Kaufman
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Scurry
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Oak Ridge
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Oak Ridge is located in Kaufman County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Ridge
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 806 people
    • Oak Grove
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Oak Grove is located in Kaufman County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Grove
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 704 people
  • Rockwall County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Mesquite, with the one closest to Mesquite listed first.
    • McLendon - Chisholm
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
      • McLendon - Chisholm is located in Rockwall County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McLendon - Chisholm
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,815 people
    • Rockwall
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Mobile City
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Mobile City is located in Rockwall County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mobile City
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 208 people
    • Blackland
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Blackland is located in Rockwall County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blackland
    • Fate
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Fate is located in Rockwall County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fate
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 17,434 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Fate <1>
  • Tarrant County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Mesquite, with the one closest to Mesquite listed first.
    • Euless
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
    • Minters Chapel ‑ Historic
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Minters Chapel is located in Tarrant County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Minters Chapel
    • Arlington
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)

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

Cemeteries Near Mesquite ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Mesquite.

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

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

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Mesquite, with the one closest to Mesquite 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.<3>

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

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

  • New Hope
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • New Hope is located in Dallas County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Hope
  • Rylie
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Rylie is located in Dallas County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rylie
  • Kleberg
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Kleberg is located in Dallas County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kleberg
  • Forney
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
  • Reinhardt
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Reinhardt is located in Dallas County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reinhardt
  • Heath
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Heath is located in Kaufman County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Heath
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 9,718 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Heath <1>
  • Seagoville
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
  • Rowlett
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
  • Rawlins
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Rawlins is located in Dallas County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rawlins
  • Hutchins
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
  • Garland
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
  • Lisbon ‑ Historic
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Lisbon is located in Dallas County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lisbon
  • Continue List   (13 more) ...
    • Wilmer
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Crandall
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Dallas
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
      • Dallas is located in Dallas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dallas
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,343,266 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Dallas <1>

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

Newspapers Published in Mesquite ...

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 271 newspapers that have been published in the area around Mesquite.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Mesquite, there are papers which were published within 24 miles [38.6 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Mesquite.

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 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 Mesquite:

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