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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 Plum Grove (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 Plum Grove. 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 Plum Grove ...

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 Plum Grove: Plum Grv.

You might be interested in other communities that are also named Plum Grove. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Plum Grove.

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 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 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.

Plum Grove 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 Plum Grove. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Plum Grove:

  • Ellis County     (The home county of Plum Grove)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Plum Grove, with the one closest to Plum Grove listed first.
    • Milford
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Italy
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Maypearl
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Boz
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Boz is located in Ellis County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boz
    • Forreston
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Auburn
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Auburn is located in Ellis County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Auburn
    • Avalon
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Nash
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Nash is located in Ellis County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nash
    • Howard
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Howard is located in Ellis County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Howard
    • Sardis
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
      • Sardis is located in Ellis County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sardis
    • Waxahachie
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Bardwell
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
    • Venus
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
  • Bosque County
    • Kimball
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Kimball is located in Bosque County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kimball
  • Dallas County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Plum Grove, with the one closest to Plum Grove listed first.
    • Ovilla
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
    • Glenn Heights
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Cedar Hill
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • DeSoto
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
    • Shamrock
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Shamrock is located in Dallas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shamrock
    • Ferris
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Lancaster
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Hill County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Plum Grove, with the one closest to Plum Grove listed first.
    • Carl's Corner
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Carl's Corner is located in Hill County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carl's Corner
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 199 people
    • Itasca
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Brandon
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Mertens
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Lovelace
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Lovelace is located in Hill County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lovelace
    • Bynum
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
    • Irene
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Hillsboro
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Covington
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
    • Chatt
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Chatt is located in Hill County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chatt
    • Malone
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • Peoria
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Peoria is located in Hill County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peoria
    • Abbott
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
  • Johnson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Plum Grove, with the one closest to Plum Grove listed first.
    • Grandview
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Parker
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Parker is located in Johnson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parker
    • Cuba
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
      • Cuba is located in Johnson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cuba
    • Alvarado
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Coyote Flats
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Coyote Flats is located in Johnson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coyote Flats
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 368 people
    • Rio Vista
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
    • Keene
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Keene is located in Johnson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keene
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 6,588 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Keene <1>
    • Lillian
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Cleburne
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Egan
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Egan is located in Johnson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Egan
    • Briaroaks
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Briaroaks is located in Johnson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Briaroaks
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 506 people
    • Cross Timber
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Cross Timber is located in Johnson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cross Timber
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 315 people
    • Joshua
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
  • McLennan County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Plum Grove, with the one closest to Plum Grove listed first.
    • West
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • West is located in McLennan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,969 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for West <1>
    • Tours
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Tours is located in McLennan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tours
  • Navarro County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Plum Grove, with the one closest to Plum Grove listed first.
    • Frost
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Blooming Grove
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Cryer Creek ‑ Historic
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
      • Cryer Creek is located in Navarro County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cryer Creek
    • Barry
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
    • Dresden
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Dresden is located in Navarro County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dresden
    • Emhouse
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Emhouse is located in Navarro County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Emhouse
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 154 people
    • Navarro Mills
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Navarro Mills is located in Navarro County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Navarro Mills
    • Spring Hill
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Spring Hill is located in Navarro County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Hill
    • Silver City
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Silver City is located in Navarro County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Silver City
    • Dawson
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Purdon
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Rice
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • 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>
    • Oak Valley
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Oak Valley is located in Navarro County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Valley
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 427 people
  • Tarrant County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Plum Grove, with the one closest to Plum Grove listed first.
    • Retta
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Retta is located in Tarrant County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Retta
    • Rendon
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Rendon is located in Tarrant County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rendon

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

Cemeteries Near Plum Grove ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Plum Grove.

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 Plum Grove - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Berrys Chapel Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
  • Bee Creek Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
  • Files Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
  • Turner Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
  • Forreston Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
  • Greathouse Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
  • Jackson Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
  • Blanton Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
  • Hughes Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
  • Auburn Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
  • Odom Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
  • Eureka Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
  • Continue List   (163 more) ...
    • Ozro Cemetery
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Blanton - Hooser Cemetery
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Glenwood Cemetery
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)

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 Plum Grove in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Plum Grove.

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

  • Milford
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
  • Italy
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
  • Boz
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Boz is located in Ellis County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boz
  • Auburn
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Auburn is located in Ellis County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Auburn
  • Itasca
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
  • Brandon
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
  • Mertens
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
  • Avalon
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
  • Nash
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Nash is located in Ellis County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nash
  • Grandview
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Frost
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Osceola
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
    • Osceola is located in Hill County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Osceola
  • Continue List   (17 more) ...
    • Hillsboro
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Bynum
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
    • Irene
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)

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

Newspapers Published in Plum Grove ...

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 55 newspapers that have been published in the area around Plum Grove.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Plum Grove, there are papers which were published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<2>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Plum Grove.

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 Plum Grove:

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>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- Plum Grove) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.
<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>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 Plum Grove, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.