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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 Nacogdoches (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 Nacogdoches. 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 and 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.

Nacogdoches is located in Nacogdoches County and is the County Seat.

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 Nacogdoches County: Angelina, Cherokee, Rusk, San Augustine & Shelby.

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

  • Nacogdoches County     (The home county of Nacogdoches)
  • Angelina County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Nacogdoches, with the one closest to Nacogdoches listed first.
    • River Crest Estates
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Platt
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Platt have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Platt
      • Platt is located in Angelina County
    • Davisville
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Davisville have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Davisville
      • Davisville is located in Angelina County
    • Moffitt
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Moffitt have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moffitt
      • Moffitt is located in Angelina County
    • Redland
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
    • Cedar Grove
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cedar Grove have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Grove
      • Cedar Grove is located in Angelina County
    • Central
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Central have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Central
      • Central is located in Angelina County
    • Clawson
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Clawson have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clawson
      • Clawson is located in Angelina County
    • Durant
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Durant. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Durant
      • Durant is located in Angelina County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Durant
      • From Nacogdoches to Durant
    • Pollok
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Herty
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
    • Keltys
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Keltys. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keltys
      • Keltys is located in Angelina County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Keltys
      • From Nacogdoches to Keltys
    • Thomas Crossing
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Thomas Crossing have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thomas Crossing
      • Thomas Crossing is located in Angelina County
  • Cherokee County
  • Houston County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Nacogdoches, with the one closest to Nacogdoches listed first.
    • Bluff City ‑ Historic
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bluff City have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bluff City
      • Bluff City is located in Houston County
    • Hagerville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Panola County
  • Rusk County
  • San Augustine County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Nacogdoches, with the one closest to Nacogdoches listed first.
    • Denning
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
    • Broaddus
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Broaddus have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Broaddus
      • Broaddus is located in San Augustine County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 201 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Broaddus <2>
  • Shelby County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Nacogdoches, with the one closest to Nacogdoches listed first.
    • Arcadia
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Timpson
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Timpson have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Timpson
      • Timpson is located in Shelby County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,130 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Timpson <2>
    • Short
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Short. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Short
      • Short is located in Shelby County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Short
      • From Nacogdoches to Short
    • Choice
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
    • Center
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)

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

Cemeteries Near Nacogdoches ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Nacogdoches.

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

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Nacogdoches, with the one closest to Nacogdoches 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.<7>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Nacogdoches had a population of 1,138 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Nacogdoches had a population of 32,461 people.

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

  • Redfield
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • Appleby
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
  • Woden
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
  • Melrose
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Melrose have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Melrose
    • Melrose is located in Nacogdoches County
  • Swift
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Swift. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Swift
    • Swift is located in Nacogdoches County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Swift
    • From Nacogdoches to Swift
  • Linn Flat
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Linn Flat have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Linn Flat
    • Linn Flat is located in Nacogdoches County
  • Douglass
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
  • Martinsville
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
  • Fitze
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Fitze. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fitze
    • Fitze is located in Nacogdoches County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Fitze
    • From Nacogdoches to Fitze
  • Looneyville
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
  • Pollok
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Clawson
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Clawson have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clawson
    • Clawson is located in Angelina County
  • Continue List   (18 more) ...
    • Keltys
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Keltys. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keltys
      • Keltys is located in Angelina County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Keltys
      • From Nacogdoches to Keltys
    • Garrison
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Wells
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wells have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wells
      • Wells is located in Cherokee County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 781 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Wells <2>

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Nacogdoches ...

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 42 newspapers that have been published in the area around Nacogdoches.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Nacogdoches. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Nacogdoches and those printed in the larger area surrounding Nacogdoches.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 29 miles [46.7 km]<4> of Nacogdoches.

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 Nacogdoches:

The official website for Nacogdoches: www.ci.nacogdoches.tx.us/

The official website for Nacogdoches County: www.co.nacogdoches.tx.us/

The official website for State of Texas: https://texas.gov/

Footnotes ...

<1>An 'estimated' location is one where we have been given GPS coordinates, but are unable to verify the accuracy of those coordinates. That said, we have some confidence that we have placed the marker near the actual location. A typical reason for being unable to verify a location is that it might be on private property or maybe historic and gone without an obvious trace.
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<3>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.
<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- Nacogdoches) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Nacogdoches. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 31.6039, Longitude: -94.6561    
<5>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.
<6>To help visualize the location of the cemetery, we've drawn a straight line between the communities of Nacogdoches and Woden. The cemetery can be found near that line and roughly halfway between the two communities. Remember that this is just an approximate location.
<7>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 Nacogdoches, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 29 Apr 2025