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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 Porter Springs (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 Porter Springs. 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 Porter Springs ...

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 Porter Springs: Porter Spgs. (or less commonly used: Porter Spngs. or Porter Sprngs.)

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 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.

Porter Springs is located in Houston 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 Houston County: Anderson, Angelina, Cherokee, Leon, Madison, Trinity & Walker.

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

  • Houston County     (The home county of Porter Springs)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Porter Springs, with the one closest to Porter Springs listed first.
    • Cooper
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cooper have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cooper
      • Cooper is located in Houston County
    • Halls Bluff Town ‑ Historic
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Halls Bluff Town have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Halls Bluff Town
      • Halls Bluff Town is located in Houston County
    • Austonio
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Crockett
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Crockett have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crockett
      • Crockett is located in Houston County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 6,350 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Crockett <2>
    • Latexo
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Lovelady
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lovelady have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lovelady
      • Lovelady is located in Houston County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 623 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lovelady <2>
    • Grapeland
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Hickory Creek
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
    • Holly
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Holly. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holly
      • Holly is located in Houston County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Holly
      • From Porter Springs to Holly
    • Refuge
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Belott
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Harrison Town
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Harrison Town have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harrison Town
      • Harrison Town is located in Houston County
    • Kennard
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kennard have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kennard
      • Kennard is located in Houston County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 325 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Kennard <2>
  • Anderson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Porter Springs, with the one closest to Porter Springs listed first.
    • Salmon
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
    • Elkhart
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
    • Mound City
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Slocum
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
    • Lakeview Assembly
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lakeview Assembly have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lakeview Assembly
      • Lakeview Assembly is located in Anderson County
    • Cronin
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Cronin. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cronin
      • Cronin is located in Anderson County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Cronin
      • From Porter Springs to Cronin
    • Long Lake
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
    • Tucker
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
    • Alderbranch
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
  • Freestone County
    • Oakwood
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Oakwood have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakwood
      • Oakwood is located in Freestone County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 514 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Oakwood <2>
  • Leon County
  • Madison County
  • Trinity County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Porter Springs, with the one closest to Porter Springs listed first.
    • Pennington
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pennington have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pennington
      • Pennington is located in Trinity County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Pennington <2>
    • Friday
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
    • Glendale
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Mill Town
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mill Town have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mill Town
      • Mill Town is located in Trinity County
    • Trinity
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Center Point ‑ Historic
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Center Point have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Center Point
      • Center Point is located in Trinity County
  • Walker County

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

Cemeteries Near Porter Springs ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Porter Springs.

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 Porter Springs covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

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

  • Porter Springs Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Porter Springs Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Porter Springs Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Mayes Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mayes Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mayes Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Smith Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Smith Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Smith Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Bynum Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bynum Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bynum Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Mt. Moriah Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mt. Moriah Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mt. Moriah Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Smith Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Smith Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Smith Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Bogg Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bogg Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bogg Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Campbell Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Campbell Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Campbell Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Hagan Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hagan Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hagan Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Campbell Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Campbell Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Campbell Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Pleasant Grove Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pleasant Grove Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pleasant Grove Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Rocky Mount Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Rocky Mount Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Rocky Mount Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (199 more) ...

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>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Porter Springs had a population of 350 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service.

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

  • Ash
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ash have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ash
    • Ash is located in Houston County
  • Crockett
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Crockett have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crockett
    • Crockett is located in Houston County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 6,350 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Crockett <2>
  • Guys Store
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Guys Store have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Guys Store
    • Guys Store is located in Leon County
  • Antioch ‑ Historic
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Antioch have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Antioch
    • Antioch is located in Houston County
  • Lovelady
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lovelady have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lovelady
    • Lovelady is located in Houston County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 623 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lovelady <2>
  • Russell
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
  • Middleton
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Grapeland
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Midway
    (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
  • Holly
    (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Holly. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holly
    • Holly is located in Houston County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Holly
    • From Porter Springs to Holly
  • San Pedro
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for San Pedro have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for San Pedro
    • San Pedro is located in Houston County
  • Belott
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Centerville
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
    • Pennington
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pennington have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pennington
      • Pennington is located in Trinity County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Pennington <2>
    • Leona
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Leona have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leona
      • Leona is located in Leon County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 179 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Leona <2>

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

Newspapers Published in Porter Springs ...

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 Porter Springs.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Porter Springs, there are papers which were published within 28 miles [45.1 km]<6>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Porter Springs.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we like to start 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 Porter Springs:

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

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

Footnotes ...

<1>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.
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<3>An 'estimated' location is one where we have been given GPS coordinates, but are unable to verify the accuracy of those coordinates. That said, we have some confidence that we have placed the marker near the actual location. A typical reason for being unable to verify a location is that it might be on private property or maybe historic and gone without an obvious trace.
<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 Porter Springs, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<6>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- Porter Springs) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Porter Springs. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 31.2707, Longitude: -95.6095    









 

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This page was last modified/updated: 29 Apr 2025