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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 Mewshaw (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 Mewshaw. 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 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.

Mewshaw is located in Cherokee 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 Cherokee County: Anderson, Angelina, Henderson, Houston, Nacogdoches, Rusk & Smith.

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

  • Cherokee County     (The home county of Mewshaw)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Mewshaw, with the one closest to Mewshaw listed first.
    • Maydelle
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Dialville
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Dialville is located in Cherokee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dialville
    • Rusk
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
      • Rusk is located in Cherokee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rusk
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,664 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Rusk <1>
    • Jacksonville
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
    • Turney
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Turney is located in Cherokee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Turney
    • New Birmingham ‑ Historic
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • New Birmingham is located in Cherokee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Birmingham
    • Gallatin
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Reese
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
      • Reese is located in Cherokee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reese
    • Weeping Mary
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Weeping Mary is located in Cherokee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weeping Mary
    • Cuney
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
    • Ponta
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
      • Ponta is located in Cherokee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ponta
    • Alto
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Alto is located in Cherokee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alto
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,239 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Alto <1>
  • Anderson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Mewshaw, with the one closest to Mewshaw listed first.
    • Herring
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Herring is located in Anderson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Herring
    • Jarvis
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
      • Jarvis is located in Anderson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jarvis
    • Alderbranch
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Alderbranch is located in Anderson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alderbranch
    • Kossuth
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
      • Kossuth is located in Anderson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kossuth
    • Crystal Lake
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
      • Crystal Lake is located in Anderson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crystal Lake
    • Neches
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Todd City
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Todd City is located in Anderson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Todd City
    • Slocum
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Slocum is located in Anderson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Slocum
    • Deanwright
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
      • Deanwright is located in Anderson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Deanwright
    • Wells Creek
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
      • Wells Creek is located in Anderson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wells Creek
    • Pert
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Pert is located in Anderson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pert
    • Mound City
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
      • Mound City is located in Anderson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mound City
  • Henderson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Mewshaw, with the one closest to Mewshaw listed first.
    • Berryville
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Berryville is located in Henderson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berryville
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,066 people
    • Poynor
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Coffee City
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Coffee City is located in Henderson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coffee City
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 299 people
    • LaRue
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Moore Station
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Moore Station is located in Henderson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moore Station
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 223 people
  • Houston County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Mewshaw, with the one closest to Mewshaw listed first.
    • Weches
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
      • Weches is located in Houston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weches
    • Refuge
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
      • Refuge is located in Houston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Refuge
    • Bluff City ‑ Historic
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Bluff City is located in Houston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bluff City
    • Grapeland
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
    • Belott
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Belott is located in Houston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belott
    • Tadmor
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Tadmor is located in Houston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tadmor
    • Harrison Town
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Harrison Town is located in Houston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harrison Town
    • Hickory Creek
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Hickory Creek is located in Houston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hickory Creek
    • Latexo
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
    • Ratcliff
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Kennard
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
  • Nacogdoches County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Mewshaw, with the one closest to Mewshaw listed first.
    • Dextra
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Dextra is located in Nacogdoches County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dextra
    • Sacul
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
    • Douglass
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
    • Cushing
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
    • Looneyville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Looneyville is located in Nacogdoches County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Looneyville
  • Rusk County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Mewshaw, with the one closest to Mewshaw listed first.
    • New Salem
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • New Salem is located in Rusk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Salem
    • Big Springs
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Big Springs is located in Rusk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Springs
  • Smith County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Mewshaw, with the one closest to Mewshaw listed first.
    • Teaselville
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Teaselville is located in Smith County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Teaselville
    • Dogwood City
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Dogwood City is located in Smith County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dogwood City
    • Flint
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
    • Lee Spring
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Lee Spring is located in Smith County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lee Spring

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

Cemeteries Near Mewshaw ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Mewshaw.

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

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

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

  • Pleasant Grove Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
  • West Shady Grove Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
  • Mt. Comfort Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Fields Chapel Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
  • Mt. Hope Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
  • Tillman Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • Holly Springs Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Berge Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
  • Berry Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Ford Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
  • Caldwell Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
  • White Oak Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Continue List   (307 more) ...
    • Providence Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Sardis Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Parks Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)

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

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

  • Alderbranch
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Alderbranch is located in Anderson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alderbranch
  • Neches
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
  • Rusk
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
    • Rusk is located in Cherokee County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rusk
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,664 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Rusk <1>
  • Wells Creek
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Wells Creek is located in Anderson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wells Creek
  • Jacksonville
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
  • New Birmingham ‑ Historic
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
    • New Birmingham is located in Cherokee County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Birmingham
  • Cronin
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Cronin is located in Anderson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cronin
  • Elkhart
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Palestine
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
  • Augusta
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
    • Augusta is located in Houston County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Augusta
  • Weches
    (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
    • Weches is located in Houston County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weches
  • Alto
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Alto is located in Cherokee County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alto
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,239 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Alto <1>
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Larissa ‑ Historic
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • Larissa is located in Cherokee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Larissa
    • Brushy Creek
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Brushy Creek is located in Anderson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brushy Creek
    • Mount Selman
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Mount Selman is located in Cherokee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Selman

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

Newspapers Published in Mewshaw ...

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 49 newspapers that have been published in the area around Mewshaw.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Mewshaw, there are papers which were published within 21 miles [33.8 km]<2>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Mewshaw.

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 either 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 Mewshaw:

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>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- Mewshaw) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.
<3>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.
<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 Mewshaw, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.