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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 Saint Jo (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 Saint Jo. 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.

Name Variations for Saint Jo ...

When searching records, keep in mind that names and their spelling can change over time. Our sources include documents like maps, railroad schedules, Travel, Express and Shipping Guides. Many of these documents date from the 1800's and it's common to find spelling differences.

Although we can't give a definitive list, hopefully the following will give you a feel for the variations that might occur.

For example, a typical abbreviation for Saint Jo: St. Jo

If you have information about these names (such as the reason for the change, date of change, the origin of the name), please Contact Us.

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.

Saint Jo is located in Montague 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 Montague County: Jefferson (OK), Love (OK), Clay, Cooke, Jack & Wise.

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

  • Montague County     (The home county of Saint Jo)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Saint Jo, with the one closest to Saint Jo listed first.
    • Bonita
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Bonita is located in Montague County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bonita
    • Dye
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Dye is located in Montague County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dye
    • Hardy
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
      • Hardy is located in Montague County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hardy
    • Forestburg
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Montague
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
    • Illinois Bend
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
      • Illinois Bend is located in Montague County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Illinois Bend
    • Nocona
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
    • New Harp
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
      • New Harp is located in Montague County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Harp
    • Salona
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Salona is located in Montague County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salona
    • Spanish Fort
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Spanish Fort is located in Montague County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spanish Fort
    • Hynds City
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
      • Hynds City is located in Montague County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hynds City
    • Belcherville ‑ Historic
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • Belcherville is located in Montague County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belcherville
  • Clay County
    • Bellevue
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
  • Cooke County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Saint Jo, with the one closest to Saint Jo listed first.
    • Muenster
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Myra
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
    • Marysville
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Marysville is located in Cooke County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marysville
    • Hood
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Hood is located in Cooke County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hood
    • Rosston
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
    • Lindsay
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
    • Era
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Gainesville
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
    • Valley View
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Custer City ‑ Historic
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Custer City is located in Cooke County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Custer City
    • Oak Ridge
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Oak Ridge is located in Cooke County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Ridge
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 255 people
    • Callisburg
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Callisburg is located in Cooke County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Callisburg
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 367 people
  • Denton County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Saint Jo, with the one closest to Saint Jo listed first.
    • Bolivar
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Bolivar is located in Denton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bolivar
    • Sanger
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Wise County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Saint Jo, with the one closest to Saint Jo listed first.
    • Greenwood
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
    • Slidell
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
    • Alvord
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Park Springs
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Park Springs is located in Wise County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Park Springs
  • Jefferson County (OK)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Saint Jo, with the one closest to Saint Jo listed first.
    • Petersburg
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Petersburg is located in Jefferson County (OK)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Petersburg
    • Grady
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Grady is located in Jefferson County (OK)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grady
    • Fleetwood
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Fleetwood is located in Jefferson County (OK)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fleetwood
    • Oscar
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
    • Terral
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Terral is located in Jefferson County (OK)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Terral
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 382 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Terral <1>
  • Love County (OK)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Saint Jo, with the one closest to Saint Jo listed first.
    • Leon
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Leon is located in Love County (OK)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leon
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 99 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Leon <1>
    • Jimtown
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Jimtown is located in Love County (OK)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jimtown
    • Burneyville
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Thackerville
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
    • Orr
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Orr is located in Love County (OK)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orr
    • Marietta
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)

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

Cemeteries Near Saint Jo ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Saint Jo.

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 Saint Jo - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Mountain Park Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
  • McGrady Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Mountain Creek Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
  • Fairview Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Reed Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • Antioch Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • Dye Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Brushy Mound Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Starkey Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
  • Hardy Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
  • Coker Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
  • Union Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
  • Continue List   (124 more) ...
    • Roberts Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Scanland Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Redbud Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)

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>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Saint Jo had a population of 710 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Saint Jo had a population of 1,032 people.

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

  • Bonita
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Bonita is located in Montague County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bonita
  • Dye
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Dye is located in Montague County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dye
  • Hardy
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Hardy is located in Montague County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hardy
  • Muenster
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
  • Montague
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
  • Forestburg
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
  • Myra
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
  • Marysville
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Marysville is located in Cooke County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marysville
  • Illinois Bend
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
    • Illinois Bend is located in Montague County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Illinois Bend
  • Nocona
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
  • Hood
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Hood is located in Cooke County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hood
  • Rosston
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Salona
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Salona is located in Montague County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salona
    • Lindsay
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
    • Spanish Fort
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Spanish Fort is located in Montague County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spanish Fort

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Saint Jo ...

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 39 newspapers that have been published in the area around Saint Jo.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Saint Jo. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Saint Jo and those printed in the larger area surrounding Saint Jo.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<3> of Saint Jo.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we start with the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These professional and volunteer 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 Saint Jo:

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 Saint Jo, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<3>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 from Point A (ie- Saint Jo) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.