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 Pickens (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 Pickens. 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 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.
Pickens is located in Henderson 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 Henderson County: Anderson, Ellis, Kaufman, Navarro, Smith & Van Zandt.
Below are the counties that are near Pickens. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Pickens:
- Henderson County (The home county of Pickens)
- The following are listed by their distance from Pickens, with the one closest to Pickens listed first.
- Athens
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Eustace
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Log Cabin
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Log Cabin is located in Henderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Log Cabin
- Population from the 2020 Census: 785 people
- Caney City
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Caney City is located in Henderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Caney City
- Population from the 2020 Census: 223 people
- Malakoff
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Star Harbor
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Star Harbor is located in Henderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Star Harbor
- Population from the 2020 Census: 487 people
- Murchison
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Enchanted Oaks
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Enchanted Oaks is located in Henderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Enchanted Oaks
- Population from the 2020 Census: 343 people
- Pine Grove
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Pine Grove is located in Henderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Grove
- Payne Springs
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Payne Springs is located in Henderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Payne Springs
- Population from the 2020 Census: 756 people
- Trinidad
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Gun Barrel City
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Anderson County
- The following are listed by their distance from Pickens, with the one closest to Pickens listed first.
- Springfield
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Springfield is located in Anderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Springfield
- Cayuga
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Bradford
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Bradford is located in Anderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bradford
- Blackfoot
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Blackfoot is located in Anderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blackfoot
- Bois d'Arc
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Bois d'Arc is located in Anderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bois d'Arc
- Bethel
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Bethel is located in Anderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bethel
- Fosterville
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Fosterville is located in Anderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fosterville
- Ward
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Ward is located in Anderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ward
- Greens Bluff
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Greens Bluff is located in Anderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greens Bluff
- Yard ‑ Historic
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Yard is located in Anderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yard
- Brushy Creek
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Brushy Creek is located in Anderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brushy Creek
- Elmwood
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Elmwood is located in Anderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elmwood
- Freestone County
- Winkler
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Winkler is located in Freestone County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winkler
- Kaufman County
- The following are listed by their distance from Pickens, with the one closest to Pickens listed first.
- Mabank
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Prairieville
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Prairieville is located in Kaufman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prairieville
- Tolosa
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Tolosa is located in Kaufman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tolosa
- Kemp
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Becker
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Becker is located in Kaufman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Becker
- Stubbs
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Stubbs is located in Kaufman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stubbs
- Styx
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Styx is located in Kaufman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Styx
- Ola
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Ola is located in Kaufman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ola
- Grays Prairie
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Grays Prairie is located in Kaufman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grays Prairie
- Population from the 2020 Census: 388 people
- Abner
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Abner is located in Kaufman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Abner
- Oak Grove
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Oak Grove is located in Kaufman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Grove
- Population from the 2020 Census: 704 people
- Navarro County
- The following are listed by their distance from Pickens, with the one closest to Pickens listed first.
- Goodlow
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Goodlow is located in Navarro County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goodlow
- Population from the 2020 Census: 197 people
- Goodlow has also been known as:
- Goodlow Park
- Kerens
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Bazette
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Bazette is located in Navarro County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bazette
- Elm Flat
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Elm Flat is located in Navarro County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elm Flat
- Powell
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Powell is located in Navarro County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Powell
- Population from the 2020 Census: 149 people
- Eureka
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Eureka is located in Navarro County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eureka
- Population from the 2020 Census: 315 people
- Mildred
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Mildred is located in Navarro County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mildred
- Population from the 2020 Census: 400 people
- Roane
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Roane is located in Navarro County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roane
- Chatfield
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Tupelo
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Tupelo is located in Navarro County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tupelo
- Smith County
- The following are listed by their distance from Pickens, with the one closest to Pickens listed first.
- Dogwood City
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Dogwood City is located in Smith County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dogwood City
- Carroll
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Carroll is located in Smith County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carroll
- Garden Valley
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Garden Valley is located in Smith County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garden Valley
- Noonday
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Noonday is located in Smith County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Noonday
- Population from the 2020 Census: 722 people
- Jamestown
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Jamestown is located in Smith County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jamestown
- Van Zandt County
- The following are listed by their distance from Pickens, with the one closest to Pickens listed first.
- Tundra
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Tundra is located in Van Zandt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tundra
- Ben Wheeler
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- Canton
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Edom
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Myrtle Springs
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Myrtle Springs is located in Van Zandt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Myrtle Springs
- Van
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- 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>
- Edgewood
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Fruitvale
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Pickens, see our County-by-County Page for Pickens.
Cemeteries Near Pickens ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Pickens.
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 Pickens - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Pickens covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Pickens, with the one closest to Pickens listed first.
- Sand Flat Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Cottonwood Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Payne Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Walnut Creek Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Athens Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Athens Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Athens Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located in Athens.
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #317712 <2>
- Malakoff Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Malakoff Cemetery
- The Malakoff Cemetery has also been known as:
- Malakoff City Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #5025 <2>
- Goodgame Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Shelby Chapel Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shelby Chapel Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Shelby Chapel Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located 3 miles [4.8 km]<3> to the northeast of Athens.
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #169375 <2>
- Moorehead Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Richardson Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Clear Creek Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Stean Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Continue List (156 more) ...
- Steen Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Steen Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Steen Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located less than 2 miles<3> to the west of Malakoff.
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2171619 <2>
- Chinquapin Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Goshen Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
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.<4>
While we didn't find Pickens in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Pickens.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Pickens, with the one closest to Pickens listed first.
- Athens
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Malakoff
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Walton
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Walton is located in Van Zandt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walton
- Murchison
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Pine Grove
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Pine Grove is located in Henderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Grove
- Payne Springs
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Payne Springs is located in Henderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Payne Springs
- Population from the 2020 Census: 756 people
- Trinidad
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Roddy
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Roddy is located in Van Zandt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roddy
- Martins Mill
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Martins Mill is located in Van Zandt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Martins Mill
- Jackson
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Jackson is located in Van Zandt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jackson
- New York
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- New York is located in Henderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New York
- Brownsboro
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Continue List (14 more) ...
- Rural Shade
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Rural Shade is located in Navarro County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rural Shade
- Ben Wheeler
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- Prairieville
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Prairieville is located in Kaufman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prairieville
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Pickens. See our List of 1890's Communities around Pickens.
Newspapers Published in Pickens ...
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 28 newspapers that have been published in the area around Pickens.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Pickens, 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 Pickens.
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 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 Pickens:
- Websites specific to Texas
- Pages specific to Henderson County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Anderson County
- Freestone County
- Kaufman County
- Navarro County
- Smith County
- Van Zandt 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> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Pickens) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |
| <4> | 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 Pickens, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |