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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 Rusk (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 Rusk. 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.

Rusk is located in Cherokee County and is the County Seat.

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 Cherokee County: Anderson, Angelina, Henderson, Houston, Nacogdoches, Rusk & Smith.

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

  • Cherokee County     (The home county of Rusk)
  • Anderson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rusk, with the one closest to Rusk listed first.
    • Herring
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Herring. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Herring
      • Herring is located in Anderson County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Herring
      • From Rusk to Herring
    • Jarvis
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
    • Alderbranch
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Alderbranch. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alderbranch
      • Alderbranch is located in Anderson County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Alderbranch
      • From Rusk to Alderbranch
    • Kossuth
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Kossuth. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kossuth
      • Kossuth is located in Anderson County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Kossuth
      • From Rusk to Kossuth
    • Neches
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
    • Todd City
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Todd City. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Todd City
      • Todd City is located in Anderson County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Todd City
      • From Rusk to Todd City
    • Mound City
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Mound City. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mound City
      • Mound City is located in Anderson County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Mound City
      • From Rusk to Mound City
    • Slocum
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Crystal Lake
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Crystal Lake. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crystal Lake
      • Crystal Lake is located in Anderson County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Crystal Lake
      • From Rusk to Crystal Lake
    • Deanwright
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Deanwright. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Deanwright
      • Deanwright is located in Anderson County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Deanwright
      • From Rusk to Deanwright
    • Pert
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Pert. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pert
      • Pert is located in Anderson County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Pert
      • From Rusk to Pert
    • Wells Creek
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Wells Creek. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wells Creek
      • Wells Creek is located in Anderson County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Wells Creek
      • From Rusk to Wells Creek
    • Salmon
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
  • Angelina County
  • Henderson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rusk, with the one closest to Rusk listed first.
    • Berryville
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Berryville. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berryville
      • Berryville is located in Henderson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,066 people
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Berryville
      • From Rusk to Berryville
    • Coffee City
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Houston County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rusk, with the one closest to Rusk listed first.
    • Bluff City ‑ Historic
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bluff City have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bluff City
      • Bluff City is located in Houston County
    • Weches
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Weches. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weches
      • Weches is located in Houston County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Weches
      • From Rusk to Weches
    • Tadmor
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
    • Refuge
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Belott
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
    • Harrison Town
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Harrison Town have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harrison Town
      • Harrison Town is located in Houston County
    • Ratcliff
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
    • Grapeland
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Hickory Creek
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
    • Kennard
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kennard have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kennard
      • Kennard is located in Houston County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 325 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Kennard <2>
  • Nacogdoches County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rusk, with the one closest to Rusk listed first.
    • Dextra
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Dextra. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dextra
      • Dextra is located in Nacogdoches County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Dextra
      • From Rusk to Dextra
    • Sacul
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sacul have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sacul
      • Sacul is located in Nacogdoches County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sacul <2>
    • Cushing
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cushing have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cushing
      • Cushing is located in Nacogdoches County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 614 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cushing <2>
    • Looneyville
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
    • Douglass
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
    • Nat
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
    • Trawick
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Trawick. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trawick
      • Trawick is located in Nacogdoches County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Trawick
      • From Rusk to Trawick
    • Alazan
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Redfield
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
  • Rusk County
  • Smith County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rusk, with the one closest to Rusk listed first.
    • Sinclair City
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sinclair City have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sinclair City
      • Sinclair City is located in Smith County
    • Teaselville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Omen
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
    • Whitehouse
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Whitehouse have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whitehouse
      • Whitehouse is located in Smith County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 9,108 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Whitehouse <2>
    • Wright City
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wright City have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wright City
      • Wright City is located in Smith County
    • Arp
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
    • Dogwood City
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dogwood City have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dogwood City
      • Dogwood City is located in Smith County
    • Flint
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)

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

Cemeteries Near Rusk ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Rusk.

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

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

  • Kilgore Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Kilgore Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Kilgore Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Cedar Hill Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Cedar Hill Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Cedar Hill Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Weems Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Weems Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Weems Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Hogg Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hogg Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hogg Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Old Prison Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Old Prison Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Old Prison Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Salem Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Salem Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Salem Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • State Hospital Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the State Hospital Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the State Hospital Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Mosley Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mosley Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mosley Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Meredith Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Meredith Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Meredith Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Lone Dove Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lone Dove Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lone Dove Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Rowe Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Rowe Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Rowe Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Russell Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Russell Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Russell Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (329 more) ...
    • Nelson Cemetery
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Nelson Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Nelson Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jones Cemetery
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Jones Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Jones Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Ford Cemetery
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Ford Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Ford Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> 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.<4>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Rusk had a population of 1,383 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Rusk had a population of 5,664 people.

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

  • New Birmingham ‑ Historic
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
  • Alto
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Lone Star
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lone Star have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lone Star
    • Lone Star is located in Cherokee County
  • Linwood
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Linwood have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Linwood
    • Linwood is located in Cherokee County
  • Jacksonville
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
  • New Salem
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
  • Weches
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Weches. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weches
    • Weches is located in Houston County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Weches
    • From Rusk to Weches
  • Griffin
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Griffin. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Griffin
    • Griffin is located in Cherokee County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Griffin
    • From Rusk to Griffin
  • Douglass
    (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
  • Looneyville
    (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
  • Alderbranch
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Alderbranch. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alderbranch
    • Alderbranch is located in Anderson County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Alderbranch
    • From Rusk to Alderbranch
  • Glenfawn
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Glenfawn have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glenfawn
    • Glenfawn is located in Rusk County
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Forest
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Mount Selman
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Larissa ‑ Historic
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Larissa have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Larissa
      • Larissa is located in Cherokee County

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Rusk ...

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 59 newspapers that have been published in the area around Rusk.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Rusk. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Rusk and those printed in the larger area surrounding Rusk.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 28 miles [45.1 km]<5> of Rusk.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we begin 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 Rusk:

The official website for Rusk: www.rusktx.com/

The official website for State of Texas: https://texas.gov/

Footnotes ...

<1>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.
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<3>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.
<4>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 Rusk, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<5>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- Rusk) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Rusk. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 31.7959, Longitude: -95.1505    









 

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This page was last modified/updated: 29 Apr 2025