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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 Salem (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 Salem. 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 northwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors were in the next county to the west. 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 west 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.

Salem is located in Smith 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 Smith County: Cherokee, Gregg, Henderson, Upshur, Van Zandt & Wood.

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

  • Smith County     (The home county of Salem)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Salem, with the one closest to Salem listed first.
    • Wright City
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Wright City is located in Smith County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wright City
    • Sinclair City
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Sinclair City is located in Smith County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sinclair City
    • Arp
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Arp is located in Smith County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arp
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,046 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Arp <1>
    • Omen
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
      • Omen is located in Smith County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Omen
    • Jamestown ‑ Historic
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
      • Jamestown is located in Smith County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jamestown
      • Jamestown has also been known as:
      • Jimtown
    • New Chapel Hill
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
      • New Chapel Hill is located in Smith County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Chapel Hill
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 667 people
    • Whitehouse
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Browning
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Browning is located in Smith County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Browning
    • Flint
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
    • Gresham
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • Gresham is located in Smith County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gresham
    • Tyler
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Tyler is located in Smith County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tyler
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 108,222 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Tyler <1>
    • Lee Spring
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
      • Lee Spring is located in Smith County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lee Spring
  • Anderson County
    • Frankston
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
  • Cherokee County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Salem, with the one closest to Salem listed first.
    • Henrys Chapel
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
      • Henrys Chapel is located in Cherokee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Henrys Chapel
    • Troup
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
      • Troup is located in Cherokee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Troup
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,064 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Troup <1>
    • Griffin
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
      • Griffin is located in Cherokee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Griffin
    • Blackjack
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Blackjack is located in Cherokee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blackjack
    • Gould
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Gould is located in Cherokee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gould
    • Mixon
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Mixon is located in Cherokee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mixon
    • New Summerfield
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
    • Mount Selman
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Mount Selman is located in Cherokee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Selman
    • Bullard
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
    • Ponta
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
      • Ponta is located in Cherokee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ponta
    • Larissa ‑ Historic
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Larissa is located in Cherokee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Larissa
    • Gallatin
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
  • Gregg County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Salem, with the one closest to Salem listed first.
    • Kilgore
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Liberty City
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • Liberty City is located in Gregg County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Liberty City
    • Danville
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Danville is located in Gregg County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Danville
    • Fredonia
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Fredonia is located in Gregg County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fredonia
    • Rolling Meadows
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Rolling Meadows is located in Gregg County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rolling Meadows
    • Elderville
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Elderville is located in Gregg County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elderville
    • Lakeport
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Clarksville City
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Clarksville City is located in Gregg County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clarksville City
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 945 people
    • Gladewater
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • White Oak
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
    • Greggton
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Greggton is located in Gregg County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greggton
    • Longview
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
  • Henderson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Salem, with the one closest to Salem listed first.
    • Berryville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Berryville is located in Henderson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berryville
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,066 people
    • Coffee City
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Coffee City is located in Henderson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coffee City
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 299 people
    • Chandler
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
  • Nacogdoches County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Salem, with the one closest to Salem listed first.
    • Sacul
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
    • Dextra
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Dextra is located in Nacogdoches County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dextra
    • Cushing
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Looneyville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Looneyville is located in Nacogdoches County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Looneyville
  • Panola County
  • Rusk County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Salem, with the one closest to Salem listed first.
    • Selman City
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Turnertown
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
      • Turnertown is located in Rusk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Turnertown
    • Price
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Joinerville
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Overton
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Friars
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Friars is located in Rusk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Friars
    • New London
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Big Springs
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Big Springs is located in Rusk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Springs
    • Sexton City
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Sexton City is located in Rusk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sexton City
    • Jacobs
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Jacobs is located in Rusk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jacobs
    • Henderson
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • Pirtle
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Pirtle is located in Rusk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pirtle
  • Upshur County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Salem, with the one closest to Salem listed first.
    • Wilkins
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Wilkins is located in Upshur County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilkins
    • Big Sandy
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
    • Union Grove
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Union Grove is located in Upshur County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union Grove
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 372 people
    • Center Point
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Center Point is located in Upshur County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Center Point
  • Wood County
    • Hawkins
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)

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

Cemeteries Near Salem ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Salem.

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

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

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

  • Salem Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salem Cemetery
    • The Salem Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Salem Memorial Cemetery
  • Union Grove Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Asbury Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Ebenezer Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
  • Liberty Cemetery (African-American)
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
  • Mason Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
  • Sanders Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
  • Henry's Chapel Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Henry's Chapel Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Henry's Chapel Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located 5 miles [8 km]<2> to the southeast of Troup.
    • The Henry's Chapel Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Henry's Chapel UMC Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #1960069 <3>
  • Lee Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Elkins Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elkins Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Elkins Cemetery is located outside and to the east of Omen.
  • New Hope (Southeast) Cemetery (African-American)
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
  • Bradford Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
  • Continue List   (303 more) ...
    • Troup City Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Knoxville Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Waggoner Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)

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>

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

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

  • Omen
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Omen is located in Smith County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Omen
  • Troup
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Troup is located in Cherokee County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Troup
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,064 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Troup <1>
  • Overton
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
  • Griffin
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Griffin is located in Cherokee County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Griffin
  • Mixon
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Mixon is located in Cherokee County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mixon
  • Henderson
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
  • Pirtle
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Pirtle is located in Rusk County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pirtle
  • Browning
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Browning is located in Smith County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Browning
  • Lone Star
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
    • Lone Star is located in Cherokee County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lone Star
  • Mount Selman
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Mount Selman is located in Cherokee County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Selman
  • New Salem
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
    • New Salem is located in Rusk County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Salem
  • Kilgore
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Continue List   (13 more) ...
    • Bullard
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
    • Laneville
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
    • Larissa ‑ Historic
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Larissa is located in Cherokee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Larissa

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

Newspapers Published in Salem ...

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 71 newspapers that have been published in the area around Salem.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Salem, there are papers which were published within 27 miles [43.5 km]<2>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Salem.

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 websites either 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 Salem:

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