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 Midway (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 Midway. 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 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.
Midway is located in Van Zandt 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 Van Zandt County: Henderson, Hunt, Kaufman, Rains, Smith & Wood.
Below are the counties that are near Midway. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Midway:
- Van Zandt County (The home county of Midway)
- The following are listed by their distance from Midway, with the one closest to Midway listed first.
- Edom
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Ben Wheeler
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Van
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Van is located in Van Zandt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Van
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,778 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Van <1>
- Tundra
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Tundra is located in Van Zandt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tundra
- Canton
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Grand Saline
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Fruitvale
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Myrtle Springs
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Myrtle Springs is located in Van Zandt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Myrtle Springs
- Edgewood
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Anderson County
- The following are listed by their distance from Midway, with the one closest to Midway listed first.
- Frankston
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Fosterville
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Fosterville is located in Anderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fosterville
- Brushy Creek
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Brushy Creek is located in Anderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brushy Creek
- Bradford
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Bradford is located in Anderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bradford
- Cherokee County
- The following are listed by their distance from Midway, with the one closest to Midway listed first.
- Bullard
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Cherokee Landing
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Cherokee Landing is located in Cherokee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cherokee Landing
- Cuney
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Reese
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Reese is located in Cherokee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reese
- Larissa ‑ Historic
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Larissa is located in Cherokee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Larissa
- Mount Selman
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Mount Selman is located in Cherokee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Selman
- Mixon
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Mixon is located in Cherokee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mixon
- Troup
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Henderson County
- The following are listed by their distance from Midway, with the one closest to Midway listed first.
- Chandler
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Brownsboro
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Leagueville
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Leagueville is located in Henderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leagueville
- Moore Station
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Moore Station is located in Henderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moore Station
- Population from the 2020 Census: 223 people
- Murchison
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Coffee City
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Coffee City is located in Henderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coffee City
- Population from the 2020 Census: 299 people
- LaRue
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Berryville
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Berryville is located in Henderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berryville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,066 people
- Poynor
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Athens
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Pine Grove
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Pine Grove is located in Henderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Grove
- Eustace
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Log Cabin
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Log Cabin is located in Henderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Log Cabin
- Population from the 2020 Census: 785 people
- Smith County
- The following are listed by their distance from Midway, with the one closest to Midway listed first.
- Carroll
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Carroll is located in Smith County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carroll
- Hideaway
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Hideaway is located in Smith County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hideaway
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,208 people
- Garden Valley
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Garden Valley is located in Smith County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garden Valley
- Swan
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Swan is located in Smith County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Swan
- Lindale
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Jamestown
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Jamestown is located in Smith County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jamestown
- Noonday
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- Noonday is located in Smith County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Noonday
- Population from the 2020 Census: 722 people
- Tyler
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Gresham
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Gresham is located in Smith County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gresham
- Lee Spring
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Lee Spring is located in Smith County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lee Spring
- Dogwood City
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Dogwood City is located in Smith County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dogwood City
- Flint
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Red Springs
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Red Springs is located in Smith County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Springs
- Upshur County
- Big Sandy
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Wood County
- The following are listed by their distance from Midway, with the one closest to Midway listed first.
- Mineola
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Golden
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Hainesville
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Hainesville is located in Wood County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hainesville
- Hawkins
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Alba
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Quitman
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Pine Mills
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Pine Mills is located in Wood County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Mills
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Midway, see our County-by-County Page for Midway.
Cemeteries Near Midway ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Midway.
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 Midway - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Midway covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Midway, with the one closest to Midway listed first.
- Edom Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Jacob Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Hill Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- New Harmony Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- New Harmony Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Galena Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Brownsboro Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Old Norwegian Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Macedonia Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Dover Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Asberry Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Old Rock Hill Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Continue List (226 more) ...
- Wood / Verner Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Mt. Sylvan Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Lewis Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
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 Midway in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Midway.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Midway, with the one closest to Midway listed first.
- Edom
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Mount Sylvan
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Mount Sylvan is located in Smith County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Sylvan
- Carroll
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Carroll is located in Smith County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carroll
- Brownsboro
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Chandler
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Garden Valley
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Garden Valley is located in Smith County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garden Valley
- Ben Wheeler
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Swan
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Swan is located in Smith County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Swan
- Lindale
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Pruitt
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Pruitt is located in Van Zandt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pruitt
- Colfax
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Colfax is located in Van Zandt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colfax
- Jamestown
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Jamestown is located in Smith County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jamestown
- Continue List (13 more) ...
- Martins Mill
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Martins Mill is located in Van Zandt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Martins Mill
- Murchison
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Tyler
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Midway. See our List of 1890's Communities around Midway.
Newspapers Published in Midway ...
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 79 newspapers that have been published in the area around Midway.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Midway, 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 Midway.
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 Midway:
- Websites specific to Texas
- Pages specific to Van Zandt County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Anderson County
- Cherokee County
- Henderson County
- Smith County
- Upshur County
- Wood County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Texas
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 Midway, 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' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Midway) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |