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 southeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals and doctors were in the next county to the east. Almost all of the nearby churches and cemeteries were in the county to the south.
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 south 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 Wood 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 Wood County: Franklin, Hopkins, Rains, Smith, Upshur & Van Zandt.
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:
- Wood County (The home county of Salem)
- The following are listed by their distance from Salem, with the one closest to Salem listed first.
- Alba
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Gunter
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Gunter is located in Wood County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gunter
- Yantis
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Golden
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Quitman
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Forest Hill
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Forest Hill is located in Wood County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forest Hill
- Coke
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Coke is located in Wood County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coke
- Mineola
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Cartwright
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Cartwright is located in Wood County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cartwright
- Hainesville
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Hainesville is located in Wood County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hainesville
- Stout
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Stout is located in Wood County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stout
- Pine Mills
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Pine Mills is located in Wood County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Mills
- Franklin County
- The following are listed by their distance from Salem, with the one closest to Salem listed first.
- Winnsboro
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Purley
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Purley is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Purley
- Scroggins
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Hopkins County
- The following are listed by their distance from Salem, with the one closest to Salem listed first.
- Bonanza
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Black Oak
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Black Oak is located in Hopkins County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Black Oak
- Tazewell
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Tazewell is located in Hopkins County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tazewell
- Divide
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Divide is located in Hopkins County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Divide
- Miller Grove
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Como
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- Rockdale
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Rockdale is located in Hopkins County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rockdale
- Pickton
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Palestine
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Palestine is located in Hopkins County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Palestine
- Brashear
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Sulphur Springs
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Cumby
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Hunt County
- The following are listed by their distance from Salem, with the one closest to Salem listed first.
- Lone Oak
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- West Tawakoni
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- West Tawakoni is located in Hunt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Tawakoni
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,994 people
- Hawk Cove
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Hawk Cove is located in Hunt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hawk Cove
- Population from the 2020 Census: 562 people
- Weiland
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Weiland is located in Hunt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weiland
- Campbell
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Dixon
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Dixon is located in Hunt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dixon
- Boles Home
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Boles Home is located in Hunt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boles Home
- Quinlan
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Kaufman County
- Ables Springs
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Ables Springs is located in Kaufman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ables Springs
- Rains County
- The following are listed by their distance from Salem, with the one closest to Salem listed first.
- Emory
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Flats
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Flats is located in Rains County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flats
- Point
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- East Tawakoni
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- East Tawakoni is located in Rains County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Tawakoni
- Population from the 2020 Census: 991 people
- Hooker Ridge
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Hooker Ridge is located in Rains County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hooker Ridge
- Smith County
- The following are listed by their distance from Salem, with the one closest to Salem listed first.
- Jamestown
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Jamestown is located in Smith County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jamestown
- Garden Valley
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Garden Valley is located in Smith County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garden Valley
- Carroll
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Carroll is located in Smith County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carroll
- Hideaway
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Hideaway is located in Smith County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hideaway
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,208 people
- Lindale
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Red Springs
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Red Springs is located in Smith County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Springs
- Swan
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Swan is located in Smith County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Swan
- Upshur County
- The following are listed by their distance from Salem, with the one closest to Salem listed first.
- Rhonesboro
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Rhonesboro is located in Upshur County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rhonesboro
- Grice
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Grice is located in Upshur County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grice
- Piney Grove
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Piney Grove is located in Upshur County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Piney Grove
- Van Zandt County
- The following are listed by their distance from Salem, with the one closest to Salem listed first.
- Grand Saline
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Fruitvale
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Edgewood
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Van
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Van is located in Van Zandt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Van
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,778 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Van <1>
- Canton
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Myrtle Springs
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Myrtle Springs is located in Van Zandt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Myrtle Springs
- Wills Point
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Ben Wheeler
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Tundra
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Tundra is located in Van Zandt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tundra
- Edom
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
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.
- Holland Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Pilgrim Rest Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pilgrim Rest Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Pilgrim Rest Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located 4 miles [6.4 km]<2> to the east of Emory.
- The Pilgrim Rest Cemetery has also been known as:
- Pilgrim's Rest Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #271442 <3>
- MaGee - McCord Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Searcy Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Turner Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Slatter Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Sharp Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Clewis Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Burke - Yandell Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Yantis Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Robertson / Henrys Chapel Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Forbis Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Continue List (173 more) ...
- Danley Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Campbell Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Elm 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.<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.
- Alba
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Golden
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Yantis
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Emory
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Silver Lake
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Silver Lake is located in Van Zandt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Silver Lake
- Quitman
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Grand Saline
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Coke
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Coke is located in Wood County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coke
- Mineola
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Reilly Springs
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Reilly Springs is located in Hopkins County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reilly Springs
- Black Oak
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Black Oak is located in Hopkins County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Black Oak
- Tazewell
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Tazewell is located in Hopkins County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tazewell
- Continue List (13 more) ...
- Jamestown
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Jamestown is located in Smith County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jamestown
- Divide
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Divide is located in Hopkins County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Divide
- Point
(16 miles [25.7 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 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 49 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 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 Salem:
- Websites specific to Texas
- Pages specific to Wood County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Franklin County
- Hopkins County
- Hunt County
- Kaufman County
- Rains County
- Smith County
- Upshur County
- Van Zandt County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Texas
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 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores things 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. |