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 Ridgeway (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 Ridgeway. 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 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.
Ridgeway is located in Hopkins 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 Hopkins County: Delta, Franklin, Hunt, Lamar, Rains, Red River & Wood.
Below are the counties that are near Ridgeway. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Ridgeway:
- Hopkins County (The home county of Ridgeway)
- The following are listed by their distance from Ridgeway, with the one closest to Ridgeway listed first.
- Brashear
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Cumby
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cumby have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cumby
- Cumby is located in Hopkins County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 794 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cumby <1>
- Peerless
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Palestine
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Palestine have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Palestine
- Palestine is located in Hopkins County
- Posey
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Divide
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Rockdale
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Sulphur Springs
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Miller Grove
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Tazewell
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Bonanza
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Dike
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Delta County
- The following are listed by their distance from Ridgeway, with the one closest to Ridgeway listed first.
- Klondike
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Needmore
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Cooper
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Jot-Em-Down
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Jot-Em-Down. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jot-Em-Down
- Jot-Em-Down is located in Delta County
- Jot-Em-Down has also been known as:
- Mohegan
- Muddig Prairie
- Google driving directions:
- From your current location to Jot-Em-Down
- From Ridgeway to Jot-Em-Down
- Enloe
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Enloe have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Enloe
- Enloe is located in Delta County
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Enloe <1>
- Pecan Gap
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Charleston
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Charleston. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Charleston
- Charleston is located in Delta County
- Google driving directions:
- From your current location to Charleston
- From Ridgeway to Charleston
- Ben Franklin
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ben Franklin have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ben Franklin
- Ben Franklin is located in Delta County
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ben Franklin <1>
- Lake Creek
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Fannin County
- The following are listed by their distance from Ridgeway, with the one closest to Ridgeway listed first.
- Ladonia
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Dial
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Bug Tussle ‑ Historic
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Silver City
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Silver City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Silver City
- Silver City is located in Fannin County
- Gober
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Hail
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Honey Grove
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Bailey
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Windom
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Windom have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Windom
- Windom is located in Fannin County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 207 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Windom <1>
- Leonard
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Leonard have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leonard
- Leonard is located in Fannin County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,068 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Leonard <1>
- Franklin County
- Purley
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Purley. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Purley
- Purley is located in Franklin County
- Google driving directions:
- From your current location to Purley
- From Ridgeway to Purley
- Hunt County
- The following are listed by their distance from Ridgeway, with the one closest to Ridgeway listed first.
- Commerce
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Commerce have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Commerce
- Commerce is located in Hunt County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 9,700 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Commerce <1>
- Campbell
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Campbell have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Campbell
- Campbell is located in Hunt County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 634 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Campbell <1>
- Yowell
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Yowell have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yowell
- Yowell is located in Hunt County
- Jardin
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Jardin. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jardin
- Jardin is located in Hunt County
- Google driving directions:
- From your current location to Jardin
- From Ridgeway to Jardin
- Neylandville
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Neylandville. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Neylandville
- Neylandville is located in Hunt County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 100 people
- Google driving directions:
- From your current location to Neylandville
- From Ridgeway to Neylandville
- Fairlie
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Fairlie. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairlie
- Fairlie is located in Hunt County
- Google driving directions:
- From your current location to Fairlie
- From Ridgeway to Fairlie
- South Sulphur
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Aberfoyle
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Dixon
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Lone Oak
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lone Oak have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lone Oak
- Lone Oak is located in Hunt County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 699 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lone Oak <1>
- Jacobia
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Greenville
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Lamar County
- The following are listed by their distance from Ridgeway, with the one closest to Ridgeway listed first.
- Gadston
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Howland
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Roxton
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Frog Hop ‑ Historic
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Frog Hop have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frog Hop
- Frog Hop is located in Lamar County
- Taylor Town
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Glory
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Atlas
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Atlas. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Atlas
- Atlas is located in Lamar County
- Google driving directions:
- From your current location to Atlas
- From Ridgeway to Atlas
- High
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for High. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for High
- High is located in Lamar County
- Google driving directions:
- From your current location to High
- From Ridgeway to High
- Petty
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Petty have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Petty
- Petty is located in Lamar County
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Petty <1>
- Biardstown
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Cunningham
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cunningham have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cunningham
- Cunningham is located in Lamar County
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cunningham <1>
- Brookston
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Brookston have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brookston
- Brookston is located in Lamar County
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Brookston <1>
- Rains County
- The following are listed by their distance from Ridgeway, with the one closest to Ridgeway listed first.
- Point
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Emory
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- East Tawakoni
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for East Tawakoni have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Tawakoni
- East Tawakoni is located in Rains County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 991 people
- Hooker Ridge
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Flats
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Wood County
- The following are listed by their distance from Ridgeway, with the one closest to Ridgeway listed first.
- Yantis
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Yantis have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yantis
- Yantis is located in Wood County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 425 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Yantis <1>
- Gunter
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gunter have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gunter
- Gunter is located in Wood County
- Coke
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Alba
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Ridgeway, see our County-by-County Page for Ridgeway.
Cemeteries Near Ridgeway ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Ridgeway.
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 Ridgeway covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Ridgeway, with the one closest to Ridgeway listed first.
- Oakland Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Pleasant Grove Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- 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.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Stewart Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Stewart Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Stewart Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Sunny Point Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Sunny Point Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Sunny Point Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Long Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Long Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Long Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Lebanon Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Stewart Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Stewart Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Stewart Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Lindley Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lindley Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lindley Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Rosemound Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Rosemound Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Rosemound Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Shiloh Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Shiloh Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Shiloh Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Sulphur Springs City Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- New Klondike Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Continue List (200 more) ...
- Brigham Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Brigham Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Brigham Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Twin Oak Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Twin Oak Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Twin Oak Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jordan Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Jordan Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Jordan Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
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.<6>
The Rand McNally Atlas shows that in 1895, Ridgeway had a post office and railroad service.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Ridgeway, with the one closest to Ridgeway listed first.
- Peerless
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Commerce
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Commerce have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Commerce
- Commerce is located in Hunt County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 9,700 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Commerce <1>
- Divide
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Campbell
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Campbell have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Campbell
- Campbell is located in Hunt County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 634 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Campbell <1>
- Miller Grove
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Needmore
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Sulphur Springs
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Gough
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gough have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gough
- Gough is located in Delta County
- Tazewell
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Addran
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Addran have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Addran
- Addran is located in Hopkins County
- Birthright
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Birthright have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Birthright
- Birthright is located in Hopkins County
- Jardin
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Jardin. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jardin
- Jardin is located in Hunt County
- Google driving directions:
- From your current location to Jardin
- From Ridgeway to Jardin
- Continue List (18 more) ...
- Neylandville
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Neylandville. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Neylandville
- Neylandville is located in Hunt County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 100 people
- Google driving directions:
- From your current location to Neylandville
- From Ridgeway to Neylandville
- Cooper
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- South Sulphur
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Ridgeway. See our List of 1890's Communities around Ridgeway.
Newspapers Published in Ridgeway ...
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 50 newspapers that have been published in the area around Ridgeway.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Ridgeway, there are papers which were published within 25 miles [40.2 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Ridgeway.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we first turn to the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These 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 Ridgeway:
- Websites specific to Texas
- Pages specific to Hopkins County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Delta County
- Fannin County
- Franklin County
- Hunt County
- Lamar County
- Rains County
- Wood County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Texas
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Ridgeway. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for Hopkins County: www.hopkinscountytx.org/
The official website for State of Texas: https://texas.gov/
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 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. |
<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> | 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- Ridgeway) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Ridgeway. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 33.1813, Longitude: -95.7727 |
<5> | 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. |
<6> | 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 Ridgeway, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |