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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 Prairie Valley (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 Prairie Valley. 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 Prairie Valley ...

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 Prairie Valley: Prairie Vly. (or less commonly used: Prairie Vally. or Prairie Vlly.)

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

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 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.

Prairie Valley is located in Hill 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 Hill County: Bosque, Ellis, Johnson, Limestone, McLennan & Navarro.

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

  • Hill County     (The home county of Prairie Valley)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Prairie Valley, with the one closest to Prairie Valley listed first.
    • Whitney
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Aquilla
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Tyson
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Tyson is located in Hill County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tyson
    • Peoria
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Peoria is located in Hill County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peoria
    • Huron ‑ Historic
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
      • Huron is located in Hill County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Huron
    • Abbott
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
    • Chatt
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • Chatt is located in Hill County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chatt
    • Hillsboro
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Blum
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
    • Lovelace
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
      • Lovelace is located in Hill County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lovelace
    • Bynum
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
    • Carl's Corner
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Carl's Corner is located in Hill County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carl's Corner
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 199 people
  • Bosque County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Prairie Valley, with the one closest to Prairie Valley listed first.
    • Laguna Park
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Greenock
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
      • Greenock is located in Bosque County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenock
    • Cayote
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Cayote is located in Bosque County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cayote
    • Womack
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
      • Womack is located in Bosque County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Womack
    • Lakeside Village
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Lakeside Village is located in Bosque County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lakeside Village
    • Kopperl
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Clifton
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Valley Mills
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Kimball
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
      • Kimball is located in Bosque County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kimball
    • Morgan
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Meridian
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
    • Norse
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Norse is located in Bosque County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Norse
  • Coryell County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Prairie Valley, with the one closest to Prairie Valley listed first.
    • Coryell
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Coryell is located in Coryell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coryell
    • McGregor
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
    • Turnersville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Turnersville is located in Coryell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Turnersville
  • Ellis County
    • Milford
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
  • Johnson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Prairie Valley, with the one closest to Prairie Valley listed first.
    • Rio Vista
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
    • Parker
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Parker is located in Johnson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parker
    • Grandview
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
    • Cuba
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Cuba is located in Johnson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cuba
  • McLennan County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Prairie Valley, with the one closest to Prairie Valley listed first.
    • Gholson
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Gholson is located in McLennan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gholson
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,127 people
    • West
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • 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>
    • Patrick
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
      • Patrick is located in McLennan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Patrick
    • China Spring
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
    • Rock Creek
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
      • Rock Creek is located in McLennan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock Creek
    • Ross
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Ross is located in McLennan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ross
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 272 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ross <1>
    • Tours
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
      • Tours is located in McLennan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tours
    • Elm Mott
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Bosqueville
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Bosqueville is located in McLennan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bosqueville
    • Leroy
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Lacy - Lakeview
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Northcrest
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Northcrest is located in McLennan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Northcrest

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

Cemeteries Near Prairie Valley ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Prairie Valley.

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 Prairie Valley - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Prairie Valley Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
  • Smiths Bend - Coon Creek Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
  • Whitney - Towash Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
  • Lebanon Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • Yates Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Bethlehem Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
  • Prairie Grove Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Scotts Chapel Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
  • Vaughan Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
  • Oak Grove Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
  • Peoria Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
  • Cedron Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
  • Continue List   (146 more) ...
    • Pleasant Grove Cemetery
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Ft. Graham Cemetery
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Hickey 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.<3>

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

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

  • Whitney
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • Aquilla
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
  • Greenock
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Greenock is located in Bosque County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenock
  • Tyson
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Tyson is located in Hill County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tyson
  • Vaughan
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Vaughan is located in Hill County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vaughan
  • Peoria
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Peoria is located in Hill County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peoria
  • Womack
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Womack is located in Bosque County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Womack
  • Cayote
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Cayote is located in Bosque County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cayote
  • Gholson
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Gholson is located in McLennan County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gholson
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,127 people
  • Woodbury
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Woodbury is located in Hill County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodbury
  • Patrick
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
    • Patrick is located in McLennan County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Patrick
  • West
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
    • 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>
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Abbott
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
    • Hillsboro
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
    • China Spring
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)

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

Newspapers Published in Prairie Valley ...

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 134 newspapers that have been published in the area around Prairie Valley.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Prairie Valley, 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 Prairie Valley.

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 Prairie Valley:

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>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 Prairie Valley, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<4>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Prairie Valley) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.