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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 Pecan Hill (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 Pecan Hill. 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.

Pecan Hill is located in Ellis 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 Ellis County: Dallas, Henderson, Hill, Johnson, Kaufman, Navarro & Tarrant.

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

  • Ellis County     (The home county of Pecan Hill)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Pecan Hill, with the one closest to Pecan Hill listed first.
    • Red Oak
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Sterrett
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Sterrett is located in Ellis County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sterrett
    • Oak Leaf
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Oak Leaf is located in Ellis County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Leaf
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,498 people
    • Ike
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
      • Ike is located in Ellis County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ike
    • Palmer
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Waxahachie
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Boyce
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
      • Boyce is located in Ellis County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boyce
    • Sardis
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Sardis is located in Ellis County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sardis
    • Garrett
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Garrett is located in Ellis County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garrett
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 891 people
    • Bristol
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
      • Bristol is located in Ellis County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bristol
    • Midlothian
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Crisp
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Crisp is located in Ellis County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crisp
  • Dallas County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Pecan Hill, with the one closest to Pecan Hill listed first.
    • Glenn Heights
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Ovilla
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Lancaster
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Ferris
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • DeSoto
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Wilmer
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Shamrock
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Shamrock is located in Dallas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shamrock
    • Hutchins
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Cedar Hill
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Duncanville
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Lisbon ‑ Historic
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Lisbon is located in Dallas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lisbon
    • Kleberg
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Kleberg is located in Dallas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kleberg
  • Hill County
    • Mertens
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
  • Johnson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Pecan Hill, with the one closest to Pecan Hill listed first.
    • Lillian
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
    • Alvarado
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
    • Grandview
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Cuba
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Cuba is located in Johnson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cuba
    • Briaroaks
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Briaroaks is located in Johnson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Briaroaks
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 506 people
    • Egan
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Egan is located in Johnson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Egan
  • Kaufman County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Pecan Hill, with the one closest to Pecan Hill listed first.
    • Rosser
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
    • Crandall
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Cottonwood
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Cottonwood is located in Kaufman County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cottonwood
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 209 people
    • Scurry
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
    • Grays Prairie
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Grays Prairie is located in Kaufman County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grays Prairie
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 388 people
    • Forney
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Lone Star
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Lone Star is located in Kaufman County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lone Star
    • Talty
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Talty is located in Kaufman County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Talty
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,883 people
    • Oak Grove
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Oak Grove is located in Kaufman County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Grove
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 704 people
    • Styx
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Styx is located in Kaufman County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Styx
    • Kaufman
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
    • Post Oak Bend City
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Post Oak Bend City is located in Kaufman County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Post Oak Bend City
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 626 people
  • Navarro County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Pecan Hill, with the one closest to Pecan Hill listed first.
    • Rice
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • Rice is located in Navarro County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rice
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 983 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Rice <1>
    • Cryer Creek ‑ Historic
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Cryer Creek is located in Navarro County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cryer Creek
    • Emhouse
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Emhouse is located in Navarro County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Emhouse
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 154 people
    • Blooming Grove
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
    • Chatfield
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Tupelo
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Tupelo is located in Navarro County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tupelo
    • Barry
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
    • Frost
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
  • Tarrant County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Pecan Hill, with the one closest to Pecan Hill listed first.
    • Johnsons Station
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Johnsons Station is located in Tarrant County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Johnsons Station
    • Arlington
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Dalworthington Gardens
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Pantego
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • University Park Village
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Retta
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Retta is located in Tarrant County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Retta
    • Kennedale
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
    • Rendon
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Rendon is located in Tarrant County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rendon
    • Euless
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Forest Hill
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Everman
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
    • Oak Grove
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Oak Grove is located in Tarrant County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Grove

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

Cemeteries Near Pecan Hill ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Pecan Hill.

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 Pecan Hill - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Bells Chapel Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
  • Bell Chapel Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
  • Graves Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
  • Red Oak Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
  • Prude Hyde Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
  • Douglas Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
  • Smith Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Bluff Springs Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Edgewood Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
  • Rawlins Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
  • Shiloh Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
  • Old Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Continue List   (180 more) ...
    • Ferris Park Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Vincent Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Sardis 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.<2>

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

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

  • Sterrett
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Sterrett is located in Ellis County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sterrett
  • Red Oak
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
  • Ovilla
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Waxahachie
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Palmer
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Ferris
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Lancaster
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
  • Sardis
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Sardis is located in Ellis County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sardis
  • Boyce
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Boyce is located in Ellis County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boyce
  • DeSoto
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
  • Wilmer
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
  • Hutchins
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
  • Continue List   (13 more) ...
    • Bristol
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
      • Bristol is located in Ellis County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bristol
    • Cedar Hill
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Midlothian
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)

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

Newspapers Published in Pecan Hill ...

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 267 newspapers that have been published in the area around Pecan Hill.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Pecan Hill, there are papers which were published within 27 miles [43.5 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Pecan Hill.

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 Pecan Hill:

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 Pecan Hill, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<3>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or point-to-point) distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Pecan Hill) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.