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 Oak Ridge (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 Oak Ridge. 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.
Name Variations for Oak Ridge ...
When searching records, keep in mind that names and their spelling can change over time. Our sources include documents like maps, railroad schedules, Travel, Express and Shipping Guides. Many of these documents date from the 1800's and it's common to find spelling differences.
For example, a typical abbreviation for Oak Ridge: Oak Rdg. (or less commonly used: Oak Rdge. or Oak Ridg.)
You might be interested in other communities that are also named Oak Ridge. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Oak Ridge.
If you have information about these names (such as the reason for the change, date of change, the origin of the name), please Contact Us.
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 northwest 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 north.
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 north 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.
Oak Ridge is located in Fannin 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 Fannin County: Bryan (OK), Collin, Delta, Grayson, Hunt & Lamar.
Below are the counties that are near Oak Ridge. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Oak Ridge:
- Fannin County (The home county of Oak Ridge)
- The following are listed by their distance from Oak Ridge, with the one closest to Oak Ridge listed first.
- Bug Tussle ‑ Historic
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Bug Tussle is located in Fannin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bug Tussle
- Silver City
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Silver City is located in Fannin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Silver City
- Ladonia
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Windom
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Hail
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Hail is located in Fannin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hail
- Dial
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Dial is located in Fannin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dial
- Gober
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Honey Grove
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Dodd City
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Allens Chapel
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Allens Chapel is located in Fannin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Allens Chapel
- Bailey
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Allen Point
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Allen Point is located in Fannin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Allen Point
- Collin County
- The following are listed by their distance from Oak Ridge, with the one closest to Oak Ridge listed first.
- Frognot
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Frognot is located in Collin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frognot
- Blue Ridge
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Sedalia
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Sedalia is located in Collin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sedalia
- Westminster
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Delta County
- The following are listed by their distance from Oak Ridge, with the one closest to Oak Ridge listed first.
- Pecan Gap
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Jot-Em-Down
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Jot-Em-Down is located in Delta County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jot-Em-Down
- Jot-Em-Down has also been known as:
- Mohegan
- Muddig Prairie
- Ben Franklin
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Needmore
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Needmore is located in Delta County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Needmore
- Klondike
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Cooper
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- Enloe
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Lake Creek
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Charleston
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Charleston is located in Delta County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Charleston
- Grayson County
- The following are listed by their distance from Oak Ridge, with the one closest to Oak Ridge listed first.
- Bells
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Pilot Grove
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Pilot Grove is located in Grayson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pilot Grove
- Kentucky Town
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Kentucky Town is located in Grayson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kentucky Town
- Cannon
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Cannon is located in Grayson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cannon
- Tom Bean
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Whiterock
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Whiterock is located in Grayson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whiterock
- Ida
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Ida is located in Grayson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ida
- Hopkins County
- The following are listed by their distance from Oak Ridge, with the one closest to Oak Ridge listed first.
- Peerless
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Peerless is located in Hopkins County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peerless
- Posey
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Posey is located in Hopkins County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Posey
- Ridgeway
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Ridgeway is located in Hopkins County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ridgeway
- Cumby
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Tira
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Tira is located in Hopkins County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tira
- Population from the 2020 Census: 311 people
- Birthright
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Birthright is located in Hopkins County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Birthright
- Palestine
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Palestine is located in Hopkins County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Palestine
- Brashear
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Hunt County
- The following are listed by their distance from Oak Ridge, with the one closest to Oak Ridge listed first.
- Wolfe City
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Jardin
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Jardin is located in Hunt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jardin
- Fairlie
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Fairlie is located in Hunt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairlie
- Yowell
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Yowell is located in Hunt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yowell
- Aberfoyle
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Aberfoyle is located in Hunt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aberfoyle
- South Sulphur
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- South Sulphur is located in Hunt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Sulphur
- Commerce
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- White Rock
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- White Rock is located in Hunt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Rock
- Jacobia
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Jacobia is located in Hunt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jacobia
- Celeste
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Neylandville
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Neylandville is located in Hunt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Neylandville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 100 people
- Kingston
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Kingston is located in Hunt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kingston
- Lamar County
- The following are listed by their distance from Oak Ridge, with the one closest to Oak Ridge listed first.
- Petty
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Roxton
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- High
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- High is located in Lamar County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for High
- Brookston
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- Howland
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Howland is located in Lamar County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Howland
- Ambia
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Ambia is located in Lamar County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ambia
- Atlas
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Atlas is located in Lamar County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Atlas
- Gadston
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Gadston is located in Lamar County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gadston
- Toco
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Toco is located in Lamar County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Toco
- Population from the 2020 Census: 76 people
- Broadway
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Broadway is located in Lamar County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Broadway
- Direct
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Direct is located in Lamar County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Direct
- Sumner
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Bryan County (OK)
- The following are listed by their distance from Oak Ridge, with the one closest to Oak Ridge listed first.
- Yarnaby
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Yarnaby is located in Bryan County (OK)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yarnaby
- Yuba
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Yuba is located in Bryan County (OK)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yuba
- Wade
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Wade is located in Bryan County (OK)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wade
- Albany
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Kemp
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Oak Ridge, see our County-by-County Page for Oak Ridge.
Cemeteries Near Oak Ridge ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Oak Ridge.
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 Oak Ridge - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Oak Ridge covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Oak Ridge, with the one closest to Oak Ridge listed first.
- Oak Ridge Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- McFarland Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Merrill Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Woods Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Willow Grove Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Odd Fellows Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Pleasant Grove Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Wall Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Providence Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- New Harmony Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Center Point Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Wood Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Continue List (257 more) ...
- Bourland Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Lyday Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Biggerstaff Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
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.<2>
While we didn't find Oak Ridge in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Oak Ridge.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Oak Ridge, with the one closest to Oak Ridge listed first.
- Ladonia
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Windom
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Dial
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Dial is located in Fannin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dial
- Gober
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Pecan Gap
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Honey Grove
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Wolfe City
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Jardin
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Jardin is located in Hunt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jardin
- Lannius
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Lannius is located in Fannin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lannius
- Bailey
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Ben Franklin
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Noble
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Noble is located in Lamar County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Noble
- Continue List (14 more) ...
- Aberfoyle
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Aberfoyle is located in Hunt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aberfoyle
- Petty
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Hickory Creek
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Hickory Creek is located in Hunt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hickory Creek
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Oak Ridge. See our List of 1890's Communities around Oak Ridge.
Newspapers Published in Oak Ridge ...
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 65 newspapers that have been published in the area around Oak Ridge.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Oak Ridge, there are papers which were published within 25 miles [40.2 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Oak Ridge.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we begin with 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 Oak Ridge:
- Websites specific to Texas
- Pages specific to Fannin County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Collin County
- Delta County
- Grayson County
- Hopkins County
- Hunt County
- Lamar County
- Bryan 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> | 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 Oak Ridge, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <3> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Oak Ridge) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |