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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 Purves (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 Purves. 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 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.

Purves is located in Erath 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 Erath County: Bosque, Comanche, Eastland, Hamilton, Hood, Palo Pinto & Somervell.

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

  • Erath County     (The home county of Purves)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Purves, with the one closest to Purves listed first.
    • Alexander
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alexander
      • Alexander is located in Erath County
    • Dublin
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Dublin. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dublin
      • Dublin is located in Erath County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,552 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Dublin <2>
    • Harbin
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harbin
      • Harbin is located in Erath County
    • Clairette
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clairette
      • Clairette is located in Erath County
    • Bunyan
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bunyan
      • Bunyan is located in Erath County
    • Duffau
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Duffau
      • Duffau is located in Erath County
    • Stephenville
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
    • Lingleville
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lingleville have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lingleville
      • Lingleville is located in Erath County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lingleville <2>
    • Chalk Mountain
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chalk Mountain
      • Chalk Mountain is located in Erath County
    • Hannibal
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Hannibal. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hannibal
      • Hannibal is located in Erath County
    • Morgan Mill
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Morgan Mill have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morgan Mill
      • Morgan Mill is located in Erath County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Morgan Mill <2>
    • Bluff Dale
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
  • Bosque County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Purves, with the one closest to Purves listed first.
    • Iredell
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Iredell have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Iredell
      • Iredell is located in Bosque County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 340 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Iredell <2>
    • Walnut Springs
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Walnut Springs have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walnut Springs
      • Walnut Springs is located in Bosque County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 877 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Walnut Springs <2>
    • Cranfills Gap
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Comanche County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Purves, with the one closest to Purves listed first.
    • Wilson
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Wilson. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilson
      • Wilson is located in Comanche County
    • Ararat ‑ Historic
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Ararat. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ararat
      • Ararat is located in Comanche County
    • Proctor
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Proctor have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Proctor
      • Proctor is located in Comanche County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Proctor <2>
    • Comyn
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Comyn
      • Comyn is located in Comanche County
    • Gustine
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gustine have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gustine
      • Gustine is located in Comanche County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 474 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Gustine <2>
    • De Leon
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Energy
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
    • Comanche
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
    • Newburg
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Newburg have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newburg
      • Newburg is located in Comanche County
    • Rucker
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rucker
      • Rucker is located in Comanche County
    • Duster
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Duster. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Duster
      • Duster is located in Comanche County
    • Sidney
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sidney have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sidney
      • Sidney is located in Comanche County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sidney <2>
  • Eastland County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Purves, with the one closest to Purves listed first.
    • Desdemona
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Gorman
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gorman have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gorman
      • Gorman is located in Eastland County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,033 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Gorman <2>
  • Hamilton County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Purves, with the one closest to Purves listed first.
    • Carlton
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Spurlin ‑ Historic
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Spurlin have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spurlin
      • Spurlin is located in Hamilton County
    • Hico
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hico
      • Hico is located in Hamilton County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,437 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hico <2>
    • Agee ‑ Historic
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Agee. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Agee
      • Agee is located in Hamilton County
    • Hamilton
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Pottsville
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pottsville have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pottsville
      • Pottsville is located in Hamilton County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Pottsville <2>
    • Lanham
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Lanham. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lanham
      • Lanham is located in Hamilton County
    • Whiteway
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whiteway
      • Whiteway is located in Hamilton County
      • Whiteway has also been known as:
      • White Way
  • Hood County
    • Paluxy
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Paluxy have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paluxy
      • Paluxy is located in Hood County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Paluxy <2>
  • Mills County
  • Somervell County
    • Glass
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glass
      • Glass is located in Somervell County

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

Cemeteries Near Purves ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Purves.

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

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

  • Pecan Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pecan Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pecan Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Live Oak Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Live Oak Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Live Oak Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Caudle Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Caudle Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Caudle Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Hancock Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hancock Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hancock Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Barbee Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
  • Turnbow Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Turnbow Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Turnbow Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Heavenly Branch Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Heavenly Branch Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Heavenly Branch Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Old Dublin Memorial Park
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Old Dublin Memorial Park
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Old Dublin Memorial Park have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Midway Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Midway Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Midway Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Altman Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Altman Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Altman Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Live Oak Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Live Oak Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Live Oak Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Carlton Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Continue List   (124 more) ...
    • Bowman Ridge Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bowman Ridge Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bowman Ridge Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Miller Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Miller Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Miller Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Clairette Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)

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

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

  • Wilson
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Wilson. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilson
    • Wilson is located in Comanche County
  • Alexander
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alexander
    • Alexander is located in Erath County
  • Dublin
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Dublin. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dublin
    • Dublin is located in Erath County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,552 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Dublin <2>
  • Harbin
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harbin
    • Harbin is located in Erath County
  • Carlton
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Hazeldell
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hazeldell have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hazeldell
    • Hazeldell is located in Comanche County
  • Proctor
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Proctor have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Proctor
    • Proctor is located in Comanche County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Proctor <2>
  • Lamkin
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lamkin have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lamkin
    • Lamkin is located in Comanche County
  • Bunyan
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bunyan
    • Bunyan is located in Erath County
  • Gustine
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gustine have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gustine
    • Gustine is located in Comanche County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 474 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Gustine <2>
  • Selden
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Selden have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Selden
    • Selden is located in Erath County
  • Gentrys Mill
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gentrys Mill have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gentrys Mill
    • Gentrys Mill is located in Hamilton County
  • Continue List   (13 more) ...
    • Hico
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hico
      • Hico is located in Hamilton County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,437 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hico <2>
    • Highland
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Highland have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Highland
      • Highland is located in Erath County
    • Duffau
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Duffau
      • Duffau is located in Erath County

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

Newspapers Published in Purves ...

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 56 newspapers that have been published in the area around Purves.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Purves, there are papers which were published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<6>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Purves.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we 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 Purves:

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

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

Footnotes ...

<1>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.
<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 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.
<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 Purves, 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' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Purves) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Purves. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 32.0035, Longitude: -98.2703       In this case, the coordinates for Purves have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 29 Apr 2025