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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 Rockett (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 Rockett. 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 northeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors and hospitals were in the next county to the east. 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 east 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.

Rockett is located in Ellis 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 Ellis County: Dallas, Henderson, Hill, Johnson, Kaufman, Navarro & Tarrant.

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

  • Ellis County     (The home county of Rockett)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rockett, with the one closest to Rockett listed first.
    • Pecan Hill
      (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
      • Pecan Hill is located in Ellis County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pecan Hill
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 714 people
    • Sterrett
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
      • Sterrett is located in Ellis County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sterrett
    • Ike
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
      • Ike is located in Ellis County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ike
    • Red Oak
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Oak Leaf
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Oak Leaf is located in Ellis County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Leaf
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,498 people
    • Boyce
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
      • Boyce is located in Ellis County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boyce
    • Palmer
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Waxahachie
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Sardis
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
      • Sardis is located in Ellis County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sardis
    • Garrett
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Garrett is located in Ellis County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garrett
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 891 people
    • Bristol
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
      • Bristol is located in Ellis County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bristol
    • Crisp
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Crisp is located in Ellis County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crisp
    • Ennis
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Dallas County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rockett, with the one closest to Rockett listed first.
    • Ferris
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Glenn Heights
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Lancaster
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Ovilla
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • DeSoto
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Wilmer
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Shamrock
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Shamrock is located in Dallas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shamrock
    • Hutchins
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • Cedar Hill
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Lisbon ‑ Historic
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
      • Lisbon is located in Dallas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lisbon
    • Duncanville
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Combine
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Combine is located in Dallas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Combine
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,537 people
    • Kleberg
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Kleberg is located in Dallas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kleberg
  • Hill County
    • Mertens
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
  • Johnson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rockett, with the one closest to Rockett listed first.
    • Lillian
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
    • Alvarado
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
    • Grandview
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
  • Kaufman County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rockett, with the one closest to Rockett listed first.
    • Rosser
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
    • Cottonwood
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • Cottonwood is located in Kaufman County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cottonwood
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 209 people
    • Crandall
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Scurry
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
    • Grays Prairie
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Grays Prairie is located in Kaufman County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grays Prairie
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 388 people
    • Forney
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Oak Grove
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Oak Grove is located in Kaufman County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Grove
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 704 people
    • Styx
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Styx is located in Kaufman County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Styx
    • Lone Star
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Lone Star is located in Kaufman County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lone Star
    • Talty
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Talty is located in Kaufman County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Talty
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,883 people
    • Kaufman
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
    • Stubbs
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Stubbs is located in Kaufman County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stubbs
    • Post Oak Bend City
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Post Oak Bend City is located in Kaufman County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Post Oak Bend City
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 626 people
  • Navarro County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rockett, with the one closest to Rockett listed first.
    • Rice
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Rice is located in Navarro County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rice
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 983 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Rice <1>
    • Emhouse
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • Emhouse is located in Navarro County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Emhouse
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 154 people
    • Cryer Creek ‑ Historic
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Cryer Creek is located in Navarro County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cryer Creek
    • Chatfield
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Barry
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
    • Blooming Grove
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
    • Tupelo
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Tupelo is located in Navarro County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tupelo
    • Frost
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
    • Dresden
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Dresden is located in Navarro County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dresden
    • Roane
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Roane is located in Navarro County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roane
  • Tarrant County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rockett, with the one closest to Rockett listed first.
    • Johnsons Station
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Johnsons Station is located in Tarrant County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Johnsons Station
    • Arlington
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Dalworthington Gardens
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
    • University Park Village
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Pantego
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Rendon
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Rendon is located in Tarrant County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rendon
    • Retta
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Retta is located in Tarrant County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Retta
    • Kennedale
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)

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

Cemeteries Near Rockett ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Rockett.

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

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

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

  • Graves Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
  • Prude Hyde Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
  • Bell Chapel Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
  • Bells Chapel Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
  • Smith Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
  • Douglas Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
  • Red Oak Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
  • Bluff Springs Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Old Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Rawlins Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
  • Lucille Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
  • Palmer Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
  • Continue List   (169 more) ...
    • Ferris Park Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Edgewood Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Hillcrest Park Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)

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.<2>

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

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

  • Sterrett
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Sterrett is located in Ellis County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sterrett
  • Red Oak
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
  • Waxahachie
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Boyce
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Boyce is located in Ellis County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boyce
  • Palmer
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Ferris
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Sardis
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Sardis is located in Ellis County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sardis
  • Ovilla
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
  • Lancaster
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
  • DeSoto
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
  • Wilmer
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
  • Bristol
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Bristol is located in Ellis County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bristol
  • Continue List   (13 more) ...
    • Ennis
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Hutchins
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • Cedar Hill
      (13 miles [20.9 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 Rockett. See our List of 1890's Communities around Rockett.

Newspapers Published in Rockett ...

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 260 newspapers that have been published in the area around Rockett.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Rockett, there are papers which were published within 27 miles [43.5 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Rockett.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we like to start with 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 Rockett:

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>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 Rockett, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<3>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Rockett) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.