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 Pierces Chapel (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 Pierces Chapel. 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 Pierces Chapel ...
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.
While the name of this community is Pierces Chapel, be aware that it's the common practice of mapmakers to remove the apostrophe from possessive names<1>. So Pierces Chapel may originally have been Pierce's Chapel.
Sometimes the trailing 's' might be dropped altogether, in which case Pierces Chapel might be written as Pierce Chapel.
You might be interested in other communities that are also named Pierces Chapel. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Pierces Chapel.
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 southwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals and 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.
Pierces Chapel is located in Cherokee 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 Cherokee County: Anderson, Angelina, Henderson, Houston, Nacogdoches, Rusk & Smith.
Below are the counties that are near Pierces Chapel. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Pierces Chapel:
- Cherokee County (The home county of Pierces Chapel)
- The following are listed by their distance from Pierces Chapel, with the one closest to Pierces Chapel listed first.
- Maydelle
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Dialville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Dialville is located in Cherokee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dialville
- Jacksonville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Reese
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Reese is located in Cherokee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reese
- Turney
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Turney is located in Cherokee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Turney
- Cuney
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Larissa ‑ Historic
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Larissa is located in Cherokee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Larissa
- Gallatin
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Cherokee Landing
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Cherokee Landing is located in Cherokee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cherokee Landing
- Rusk
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Mount Selman
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Mount Selman is located in Cherokee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Selman
- Mixon
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
- Mixon is located in Cherokee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mixon
- New Birmingham ‑ Historic
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- New Birmingham is located in Cherokee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Birmingham
- Anderson County
- The following are listed by their distance from Pierces Chapel, with the one closest to Pierces Chapel listed first.
- Todd City
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Todd City is located in Anderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Todd City
- Neches
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Herring
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Herring is located in Anderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Herring
- Jarvis
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Jarvis is located in Anderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jarvis
- Pert
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Pert is located in Anderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pert
- Kossuth
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Kossuth is located in Anderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kossuth
- Crystal Lake
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Crystal Lake is located in Anderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crystal Lake
- Wells Creek
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Wells Creek is located in Anderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wells Creek
- Alderbranch
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Alderbranch is located in Anderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alderbranch
- Deanwright
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Deanwright is located in Anderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Deanwright
- Frankston
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Brushy Creek
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Brushy Creek is located in Anderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brushy Creek
- Elmtown
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Elmtown is located in Anderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elmtown
- Henderson County
- The following are listed by their distance from Pierces Chapel, with the one closest to Pierces Chapel listed first.
- Berryville
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Berryville is located in Henderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berryville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,066 people
- Poynor
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Coffee City
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Coffee City is located in Henderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coffee City
- Population from the 2020 Census: 299 people
- LaRue
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Moore Station
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Moore Station is located in Henderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moore Station
- Population from the 2020 Census: 223 people
- Leagueville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Leagueville is located in Henderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leagueville
- Chandler
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Pine Grove
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Pine Grove is located in Henderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Grove
- Houston County
- The following are listed by their distance from Pierces Chapel, with the one closest to Pierces Chapel listed first.
- Weches
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Weches is located in Houston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weches
- Refuge
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Refuge is located in Houston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Refuge
- Grapeland
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Bluff City ‑ Historic
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Bluff City is located in Houston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bluff City
- Nacogdoches County
- The following are listed by their distance from Pierces Chapel, with the one closest to Pierces Chapel listed first.
- Dextra
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Dextra is located in Nacogdoches County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dextra
- Sacul
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Rusk County
- The following are listed by their distance from Pierces Chapel, with the one closest to Pierces Chapel listed first.
- New Salem
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- New Salem is located in Rusk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Salem
- Big Springs
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Big Springs is located in Rusk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Springs
- Smith County
- The following are listed by their distance from Pierces Chapel, with the one closest to Pierces Chapel listed first.
- Teaselville
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Teaselville is located in Smith County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Teaselville
- Dogwood City
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Dogwood City is located in Smith County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dogwood City
- Flint
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Lee Spring
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Lee Spring is located in Smith County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lee Spring
- Gresham
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Gresham is located in Smith County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gresham
- Noonday
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Noonday is located in Smith County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Noonday
- Population from the 2020 Census: 722 people
- Whitehouse
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Omen
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Omen is located in Smith County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Omen
- Sinclair City
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Sinclair City is located in Smith County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sinclair City
- Arp
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Pierces Chapel, see our County-by-County Page for Pierces Chapel.
Cemeteries Near Pierces Chapel ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Pierces Chapel.
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 Pierces Chapel - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Pierces Chapel covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Pierces Chapel, with the one closest to Pierces Chapel listed first.
- Tillman Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- West Shady Grove Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Berge Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Cherry Tree Lake Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Caldwell Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- White Oak Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Miles Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Flint Hill Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Earls Chapel Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Neches Church of Christ Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Pleasant Grove Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Ragsdale Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Continue List (301 more) ...
- Todd Pond Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Neches Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Mt. Comfort Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
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 Pierces Chapel in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Pierces Chapel.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Pierces Chapel, with the one closest to Pierces Chapel listed first.
- Neches
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Jacksonville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Wells Creek
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Wells Creek is located in Anderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wells Creek
- Larissa ‑ Historic
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Larissa is located in Cherokee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Larissa
- Alderbranch
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Alderbranch is located in Anderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alderbranch
- Rusk
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Mount Selman
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Mount Selman is located in Cherokee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Selman
- Brushy Creek
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Brushy Creek is located in Anderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brushy Creek
- Berryville
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Berryville is located in Henderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berryville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,066 people
- Palestine
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Fosterville
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Fosterville is located in Anderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fosterville
- New Birmingham ‑ Historic
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- New Birmingham is located in Cherokee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Birmingham
- Continue List (14 more) ...
- Mixon
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
- Mixon is located in Cherokee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mixon
- Bullard
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Cronin
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Cronin is located in Anderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cronin
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Pierces Chapel. See our List of 1890's Communities around Pierces Chapel.
Newspapers Published in Pierces Chapel ...
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 60 newspapers that have been published in the area around Pierces Chapel.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Pierces Chapel, there are papers which were published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Pierces Chapel.
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 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 Pierces Chapel:
- Websites specific to Texas
- Pages specific to Cherokee County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Anderson County
- Henderson County
- Houston County
- Nacogdoches County
- Rusk County
- Smith County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Texas
Footnotes ...
| <1> | It's generally believed that possessive apostrophes are removed to prevent confusion on maps where the apostrophe may be confused with a cartographic symbol. While this is generally true, it's not uncommon to find possessive apostrophes in administrative names (such as towns or counties). |
| <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 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. |
| <4> | 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- Pierces Chapel) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |
| <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 Pierces Chapel, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |