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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 Pear 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 Pear 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 Pear 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.

Although we can't give a definitive list, hopefully the following will give you a feel for the variations that might have occurred.

For example, a typical abbreviation for Pear Ridge: Pear Rdg. (or less commonly used: Pear Rdge. or Pear Ridg.)

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 northeast 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 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 east 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.

Pear Ridge is located in Jefferson County.

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 Jefferson County: Chambers, Hardin, Liberty & Orange.

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

  • Jefferson County     (The home county of Pear Ridge)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Pear Ridge, with the one closest to Pear Ridge listed first.
    • Groves
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Groves
      • Groves is located in Jefferson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 15,268 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Groves <1>
    • Port Arthur
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
    • Port Neches
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Port Neches have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Port Neches
      • Port Neches is located in Jefferson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 12,596 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Port Neches <1>
    • Nederland
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Nederland have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nederland
      • Nederland is located in Jefferson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 17,184 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Nederland <1>
    • Port Acres
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Central Gardens
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Central Gardens have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Central Gardens
      • Central Gardens is located in Jefferson County
    • Higgins
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Higgins have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Higgins
      • Higgins is located in Jefferson County
    • Taylor Landing
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Taylor Landing have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Taylor Landing
      • Taylor Landing is located in Jefferson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 237 people
    • Sabine Pass
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • La Belle
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for La Belle
      • La Belle is located in Jefferson County
    • Beaumont
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Amelia
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Amelia have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amelia
      • Amelia is located in Jefferson County
    • Pine Island
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pine Island have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Island
      • Pine Island is located in Jefferson County
  • Chambers County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Pear Ridge, with the one closest to Pear Ridge listed first.
    • Winnie
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Winnie have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winnie
      • Winnie is located in Chambers County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Winnie <1>
    • Stowell
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
  • Hardin County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Pear Ridge, with the one closest to Pear Ridge listed first.
    • Loeb
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loeb
      • Loeb is located in Hardin County
    • Rose Hill Acres
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rose Hill Acres have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rose Hill Acres
      • Rose Hill Acres is located in Hardin County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 435 people
    • Lumberton
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lumberton have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lumberton
      • Lumberton is located in Hardin County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 13,383 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lumberton <1>
    • Pinewood Estates
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pinewood Estates have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pinewood Estates
      • Pinewood Estates is located in Hardin County
  • Newton County
  • Orange County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Pear Ridge, with the one closest to Pear Ridge listed first.
    • Bridge City
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bridge City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bridge City
      • Bridge City is located in Orange County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 7,810 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bridge City <1>
    • Orangefield
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Orangefield have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orangefield
      • Orangefield is located in Orange County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Orangefield <1>
    • Vidor
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Vidor have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vidor
      • Vidor is located in Orange County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 10,310 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Vidor <1>
    • Rose City
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rose City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rose City
      • Rose City is located in Orange County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 489 people
    • West Orange
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for West Orange have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Orange
      • West Orange is located in Orange County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,168 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for West Orange <1>
    • Orange
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Pinehurst
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pinehurst
      • Pinehurst is located in Orange County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,959 people
    • Pine Forest
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Forest
      • Pine Forest is located in Orange County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 516 people
    • Pine Grove
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Grove
      • Pine Grove is located in Orange County
    • Mauriceville
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
    • Lemonville ‑ Historic
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lemonville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lemonville
      • Lemonville is located in Orange County
    • Texla
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Texla
      • Texla is located in Orange County
  • Calcasieu Parish (LA)
    • Vinton
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Vinton have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vinton
      • Vinton is located in Calcasieu Parish (LA)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,211 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Vinton <1>

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

Newspapers Published in Pear 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 40 newspapers that have been published in the area around Pear Ridge.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Pear Ridge, there are papers which were published within 28 miles [45.1 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Pear Ridge.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first visit the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These helpful 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 Pear Ridge:

Cemeteries Near Pear Ridge ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Pear 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.

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

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

  • Calvary Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Calvary Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Calvary Cemetery
  • Greenlawn Memorial Park
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
  • Johnson Memorial Park
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Johnson Memorial Park is a large cemetery that is located in Groves.
    • The Johnson Memorial Park has also been known as:
    • Johnson Cemetery
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Johnson Memorial Park
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #1987385 <4>
  • Forest Lawn Memorial Park
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Forest Lawn Memorial Park have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Forest Lawn Memorial Park
  • Floyd Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Floyd Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Floyd Cemetery
  • Thomas Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Thomas Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Thomas Cemetery
  • Adcock Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Adcock Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Adcock Cemetery
  • Kishi Colony Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Kishi Colony Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Kishi Colony Cemetery
  • Granger Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Granger Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Granger Cemetery
  • Hillebrandt Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hillebrandt Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hillebrandt Cemetery
  • Stephenson Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Stephenson Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Stephenson Cemetery
  • Hillcrest Memorial Gardens
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hillcrest Memorial Gardens have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hillcrest Memorial Gardens
  • Continue List   (42 more) ...
    • Winfree Cemetery
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Winfree Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Winfree Cemetery
    • Williams Cemetery
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Williams Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Williams Cemetery
    • Mansfield Cemetery
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mansfield Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mansfield Cemetery

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.<5>

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

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

  • Terry
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Terry have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Terry
    • Terry is located in Orange County
  • La Belle
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for La Belle
    • La Belle is located in Jefferson County
  • Sabine Pass
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
  • Tulane
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tulane have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tulane
    • Tulane is located in Orange County
  • Orange
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Beaumont
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Amelia
    (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Amelia have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amelia
    • Amelia is located in Jefferson County
  • Johnsons Bayou
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Johnsons Bayou have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Johnsons Bayou
    • Johnsons Bayou is located in Cameron Parish (LA)
  • Echo
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Echo have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Echo
    • Echo is located in Orange County
  • Rosedale
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rosedale have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rosedale
    • Rosedale is located in Jefferson County
  • Pine Island
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pine Island have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Island
    • Pine Island is located in Jefferson County
  • China
    (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for China have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for China
    • China is located in Jefferson County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,204 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for China <1>
  • Vinton
    (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Vinton have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vinton
    • Vinton is located in Calcasieu Parish (LA)
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,211 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Vinton <1>

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

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Pear Ridge. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.

The official website for Jefferson County: www.co.jefferson.tx.us/

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

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 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.
<3>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- Pear Ridge) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Pear Ridge. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 29.9202, Longitude: -93.9379       In this case, the coordinates for Pear Ridge have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<4>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.
<5>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 Pear Ridge, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024