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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 Ritchie (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 Ritchie. 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 southwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals and doctors 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.

Ritchie is located in McLennan 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 McLennan County: Bell, Bosque, Coryell, Falls, Hill & Limestone.

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

  • McLennan County     (The home county of Ritchie)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ritchie, with the one closest to Ritchie listed first.
    • Woodway
      (Less than 2 miles to the north)
    • Hewitt
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Hewitt is located in McLennan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hewitt
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 15,113 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hewitt <1>
    • Beverly Hills
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
      • Beverly Hills is located in McLennan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beverly Hills
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,980 people
    • Robinson
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Speegleville
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
      • Speegleville is located in McLennan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Speegleville
    • Waco
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Waco is located in McLennan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waco
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 141,377 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Waco <1>
    • Lorena
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
      • Lorena is located in McLennan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lorena
    • Rosenthal
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Rosenthal is located in McLennan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rosenthal
    • Downsville
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
      • Downsville is located in McLennan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Downsville
    • Bosqueville
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
      • Bosqueville is located in McLennan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bosqueville
    • East Waco
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
      • East Waco is located in McLennan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Waco
    • Bruceville
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Bellmead
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Bell County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ritchie, with the one closest to Ritchie listed first.
    • Troy
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
    • Pendleton
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • Moffat
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Moffat is located in Bell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moffat
    • Oenaville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Oenaville is located in Bell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oenaville
    • Morgan's Point Resort
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Temple
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
    • Ocker
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Ocker is located in Bell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ocker
  • Bosque County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ritchie, with the one closest to Ritchie listed first.
    • Valley Mills
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
    • Greenock
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Greenock is located in Bosque County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenock
    • Cayote
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Cayote is located in Bosque County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cayote
    • Laguna Park
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • Clifton
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Womack
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Womack is located in Bosque County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Womack
  • Coryell County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ritchie, with the one closest to Ritchie listed first.
    • McGregor
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Oglesby
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
    • Lime City
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
      • Lime City is located in Coryell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lime City
    • The Grove
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • The Grove is located in Coryell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for The Grove
    • Leon Junction
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
    • Coryell
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Coryell is located in Coryell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coryell
    • Mound
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
    • Flat
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
    • South Mountain
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • South Mountain is located in Coryell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Mountain
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 367 people
    • Fort Gates
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Fort Gates is located in Coryell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fort Gates
    • Gatesville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
  • Falls County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ritchie, with the one closest to Ritchie listed first.
    • Golinda
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Golinda is located in Falls County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Golinda
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 610 people
    • Bruceville - Eddy
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
      • Bruceville - Eddy is located in Falls County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bruceville - Eddy
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,704 people
    • North Prairie
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • North Prairie is located in Falls County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Prairie
    • Mooreville
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Mooreville is located in Falls County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mooreville
    • Satin
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Chilton
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Blevins
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
      • Blevins is located in Falls County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blevins
    • Perry
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
    • Durango
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
      • Durango is located in Falls County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Durango
    • Lott
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Marlin
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
    • McClanahan
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • McClanahan is located in Falls County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McClanahan
    • Otto
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
  • Hill County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ritchie, with the one closest to Ritchie listed first.
    • Tyson
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Tyson is located in Hill County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tyson
    • Aquilla
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Mount Calm
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Abbott
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
  • Limestone County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ritchie, with the one closest to Ritchie listed first.
    • Watt
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Watt is located in Limestone County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Watt
    • Prairie Hill
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Ben Hur
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Ben Hur is located in Limestone County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ben Hur
    • Kirk
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Kirk is located in Limestone County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kirk

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

Cemeteries Near Ritchie ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Ritchie.

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

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

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

  • Whitehall Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
  • Chapel Hill Memorial Park
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
  • Waco Memorial Park
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
  • McLennan Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
  • Evergreen Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
  • Greenwood Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
  • Robinson Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
  • Lorena Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
  • Lawson Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Fletcher Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
  • St. Pauls Memorial Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
  • Jacob - Sholom Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Continue List   (179 more) ...
    • Rosemound Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Restland Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Oakwood Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakwood Cemetery
      • To give a relative sense of its location, the Oakwood Cemetery is a very large cemetery that is located outside and to the east of Waco.
      • The Oakwood Cemetery has also been known as:
      • Park Lawn Cemetery
      • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #5694 <2>

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>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that in 1895, Ritchie had railroad service and no post office.

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

  • Hewitt
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Hewitt is located in McLennan County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hewitt
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 15,113 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hewitt <1>
  • South Bosque
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • South Bosque is located in McLennan County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Bosque
  • Speegleville
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Speegleville is located in McLennan County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Speegleville
  • Robinson
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
  • Waco
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Waco is located in McLennan County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waco
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 141,377 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Waco <1>
  • Rosenthal
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Rosenthal is located in McLennan County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rosenthal
  • Downs
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Downs is located in McLennan County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Downs
  • Downsville
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Downsville is located in McLennan County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Downsville
  • East Waco
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • East Waco is located in McLennan County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Waco
  • Bosqueville
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Bosqueville is located in McLennan County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bosqueville
  • McGregor
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
  • Bruceville
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
  • Continue List   (16 more) ...
    • Golinda
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Golinda is located in Falls County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Golinda
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 610 people
    • Eddy
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • China Spring
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)

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

Newspapers Published in Ritchie ...

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 55 newspapers that have been published in the area around Ritchie.

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

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 helpful 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 Ritchie:

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 Ritchie, 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' (or point-to-point) distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Ritchie) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.