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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 Retta (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 Retta. 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 northwest 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 north.

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 north 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.

Retta is primarily located in Tarrant County. A portion of Retta extends into Johnson 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 Tarrant County: Dallas, Denton, Ellis, Johnson, Parker & Wise.

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

  • Tarrant County     (The home county of Retta)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Retta, with the one closest to Retta listed first.
    • Rendon
      (Less than 2 miles to the north)
      • Rendon is located in Tarrant County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rendon
    • Oak Grove
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Oak Grove is located in Tarrant County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Grove
    • Kennedale
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Everman
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Forest Hill
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Edgecliff Village
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Edgecliff Village is located in Tarrant County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edgecliff Village
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,012 people
    • Wedgewood East
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Wedgewood East is located in Tarrant County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wedgewood East
    • Dalworthington Gardens
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Johnsons Station
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Johnsons Station is located in Tarrant County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Johnsons Station
    • Pantego
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • Primrose
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
      • Primrose is located in Tarrant County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Primrose
    • Saint Francis Village
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
  • Dallas County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Retta, with the one closest to Retta listed first.
    • Cedar Hill
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
    • Grand Prairie
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Duncanville
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
    • Ovilla
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
    • Shamrock
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • Shamrock is located in Dallas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shamrock
    • DeSoto
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
    • Glenn Heights
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
    • Cockrell Hill
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
    • Sowers ‑ Historic
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Sowers is located in Dallas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sowers
    • Eagle Ford
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Eagle Ford is located in Dallas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eagle Ford
    • Estelle
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Estelle is located in Dallas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Estelle
    • Jim Town ‑ Historic
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Jim Town is located in Dallas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jim Town
      • Jim Town has also been known as:
      • Jimtown
  • Denton County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Retta, with the one closest to Retta listed first.
    • Southlake
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • Westlake
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
  • Ellis County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Retta, with the one closest to Retta listed first.
    • Mansfield
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Britton
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
      • Britton is located in Ellis County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Britton
    • Venus
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Midlothian
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
    • Auburn
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Auburn is located in Ellis County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Auburn
    • Maypearl
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Sardis
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Sardis is located in Ellis County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sardis
    • Oak Leaf
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Oak Leaf is located in Ellis County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Leaf
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,498 people
    • Red Oak
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
    • Sterrett
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Sterrett is located in Ellis County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sterrett
    • Boz
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Boz is located in Ellis County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boz
    • Waxahachie
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
  • Hill County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Retta, with the one closest to Retta listed first.
    • Covington
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
    • Itasca
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
    • Blum
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
  • Hood County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Retta, with the one closest to Retta listed first.
    • Cresson
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
    • Acton
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
    • DeCordova
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • DeCordova is located in Hood County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for DeCordova
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,108 people
    • Fort Spunky
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Fort Spunky is located in Hood County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fort Spunky
    • Pecan Plantation
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Pecan Plantation is located in Hood County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pecan Plantation
  • Johnson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Retta, with the one closest to Retta listed first.
    • Lillian
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Briaroaks
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
      • Briaroaks is located in Johnson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Briaroaks
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 506 people
    • Burleson
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Cross Timber
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Cross Timber is located in Johnson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cross Timber
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 315 people
    • Egan
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Egan is located in Johnson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Egan
    • Crowley
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Alvarado
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Joshua
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Keene
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
      • 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>
    • Coyote Flats
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
      • Coyote Flats is located in Johnson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coyote Flats
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 368 people
    • Cuba
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
      • Cuba is located in Johnson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cuba
    • Cleburne
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Parker County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Retta, with the one closest to Retta listed first.
    • Aledo
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
    • Annetta South
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Annetta South is located in Parker County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Annetta South
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 579 people
    • Willow Park
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Annetta
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Annetta is located in Parker County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Annetta
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,319 people
    • Annetta North
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Annetta North is located in Parker County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Annetta North
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 583 people
    • Azle
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Azle is located in Parker County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Azle
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 13,607 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Azle <1>
    • Hudson Oaks
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)

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

Cemeteries Near Retta ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Retta.

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 Retta - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Walnut Creek Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
  • Skyvue Memorial Gardens
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
  • Oak Grove Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
  • Burleson Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
  • Burleson Memorial Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
  • Hudson Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
  • Everman Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • Cahill Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • Grimsley Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
  • Cedar Hill Memorial Park
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
  • Prairie Springs Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Marystown Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Continue List   (157 more) ...
    • Rehoboth Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Hawkins Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Crowley Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)

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

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

  • Rendon
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
    • Rendon is located in Tarrant County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rendon
  • Oak Grove
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Oak Grove is located in Tarrant County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Grove
  • Pleasant Point
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Pleasant Point is located in Johnson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Point
  • Mansfield
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
  • Burleson
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
  • Kennedale
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
  • Egan
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Egan is located in Johnson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Egan
  • Crowley
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
  • Marystown
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Marystown is located in Johnson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marystown
  • Joshua
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
  • Alvarado
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
  • Venus
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Continue List   (13 more) ...
    • Johnsons Station
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Johnsons Station is located in Tarrant County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Johnsons Station
    • Handley
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Handley is located in Tarrant County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Handley
    • Primrose
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
      • Primrose is located in Tarrant County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Primrose

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

Newspapers Published in Retta ...

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 98 newspapers that have been published in the area around Retta.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Retta, there are papers which were published within 27 miles [43.5 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Retta.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first visit the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These professional and volunteer 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 Retta:

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