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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 Rolla (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 Rolla. 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 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.

Rolla is located in Collingsworth 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 Collingsworth County: Beckham (OK), Harmon (OK), Childress, Donley, Hall & Wheeler.

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

  • Collingsworth County     (The home county of Rolla)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rolla, with the one closest to Rolla listed first.
    • Wellington
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Quail
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Dodson
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dodson
      • Dodson is located in Collingsworth County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 104 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Dodson <1>
    • Samnorwood
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Samnorwood have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Samnorwood
      • Samnorwood is located in Collingsworth County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Samnorwood <1>
  • Childress County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rolla, with the one closest to Rolla listed first.
    • Loco ‑ Historic
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Loco have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loco
      • Loco is located in Childress County
    • Arlie
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Arlie. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arlie
      • Arlie is located in Childress County
    • Carey
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
    • Childress
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
    • Tell
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
  • Donley County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rolla, with the one closest to Rolla listed first.
    • Hedley
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hedley have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hedley
      • Hedley is located in Donley County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 291 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hedley <1>
    • Lelia Lake
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lelia Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lelia Lake
      • Lelia Lake is located in Donley County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lelia Lake <1>
  • Hall County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rolla, with the one closest to Rolla listed first.
    • Memphis
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Newlin
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newlin
      • Newlin is located in Hall County
    • Estelline
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
    • Hulver
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Hulver. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hulver
      • Hulver is located in Hall County
    • Lakeview
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lakeview
      • Lakeview is located in Hall County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 94 people
  • Wheeler County
    • Shamrock
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Shamrock have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shamrock
      • Shamrock is located in Wheeler County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,720 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Shamrock <1>
  • Harmon County (OK)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rolla, with the one closest to Rolla listed first.
    • Sandy
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Sandy. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandy
      • Sandy is located in Harmon County (OK)
    • Arnett
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arnett
      • Arnett is located in Harmon County (OK)
    • Hollis
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hollis
      • Hollis is located in Harmon County (OK)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,818 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hollis <1>
    • Vinson
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)

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

Cemeteries Near Rolla ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Rolla.

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

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

  • Fairview Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Fairview Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Fairview Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Old Wellington Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Old Wellington Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Old Wellington Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Quail Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Quail Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Quail Cemetery is located outside and to the north of Quail.
  • Loco Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Arlie Cemetery
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Plymouth Cemetery
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Plymouth Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Plymouth Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Newlin Cemetery
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Newlin Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Newlin Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Dodson Cemetery
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Dodson Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Dodson Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Dozier Cemetery
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Dozier Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Dozier Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Olympus Cemetery
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
  • Bitter Creek Cemetery
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bitter Creek Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bitter Creek Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Estelline Cemetery
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Estelline Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Estelline Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (19 more) ...
    • Hutchins Family Cemetery
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hutchins Family Cemetery
      • To give a relative sense of its location, the Hutchins Family Cemetery is located less than 2 miles<5> to the north of Estelline.
    • #2 Cemetery
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the #2 Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the #2 Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Needwood Cemetery
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Needwood Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Needwood 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>

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

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

  • Wellington
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Fresno
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fresno have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fresno
    • Fresno is located in Collingsworth County
  • Arlie
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Arlie. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arlie
    • Arlie is located in Childress County
  • Memphis
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
  • Giles
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Giles have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Giles
    • Giles is located in Donley County
  • Newlin
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newlin
    • Newlin is located in Hall County
  • Aberdeen
    (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Aberdeen have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aberdeen
    • Aberdeen is located in Collingsworth County
  • Hulver
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Hulver. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hulver
    • Hulver is located in Hall County
  • Lakeview
    (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lakeview
    • Lakeview is located in Hall County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 94 people
  • Carey
    (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
  • Childress
    (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)

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

Newspapers Published in Rolla ...

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 32 newspapers that have been published in the area around Rolla.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Rolla, there are papers which were published within 26 miles [41.8 km]<5>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Rolla.

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 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 Rolla:

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

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>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>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Rolla) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Rolla. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 34.8053, Longitude: -100.3107       In this case, the coordinates for Rolla have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<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 Rolla, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 29 Apr 2025