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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 Selfs (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 Selfs. 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 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.

Selfs is located in Fannin 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 Fannin County: Bryan (OK), Collin, Delta, Grayson, Hunt & Lamar.

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

  • Fannin County     (The home county of Selfs)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Selfs, with the one closest to Selfs listed first.
    • Allen Point
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
      • Allen Point is located in Fannin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Allen Point
    • Allens Chapel
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Allens Chapel is located in Fannin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Allens Chapel
    • Carson
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
      • Carson is located in Fannin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carson
    • Honey Grove
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Telephone
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Windom
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Dodd City
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Dial
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
      • Dial is located in Fannin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dial
    • Ivanhoe
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
    • Bug Tussle ‑ Historic
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
      • Bug Tussle is located in Fannin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bug Tussle
    • Silver City
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
      • Silver City is located in Fannin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Silver City
    • Boyd
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
      • Boyd is located in Fannin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boyd
  • Delta County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Selfs, with the one closest to Selfs listed first.
    • Pecan Gap
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
    • Ben Franklin
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Jot-Em-Down
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Jot-Em-Down is located in Delta County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jot-Em-Down
      • Jot-Em-Down has also been known as:
      • Mohegan
      • Muddig Prairie
    • Enloe
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
    • Needmore
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Needmore is located in Delta County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Needmore
    • Cooper
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Lake Creek
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Klondike
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
    • Charleston
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Charleston is located in Delta County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Charleston
  • Grayson County
    • Bells
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Bells is located in Grayson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bells
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,516 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bells <1>
  • Hunt County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Selfs, with the one closest to Selfs listed first.
    • Wolfe City
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
    • Yowell
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Yowell is located in Hunt County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yowell
    • Jardin
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Jardin is located in Hunt County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jardin
    • Fairlie
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Fairlie is located in Hunt County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairlie
    • Aberfoyle
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Aberfoyle is located in Hunt County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aberfoyle
    • South Sulphur
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • South Sulphur is located in Hunt County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Sulphur
    • Commerce
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
  • Lamar County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Selfs, with the one closest to Selfs listed first.
    • Petty
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Direct
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Direct is located in Lamar County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Direct
    • High
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
      • High is located in Lamar County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for High
    • Brookston
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • Sumner
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
    • Roxton
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Toco
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
      • Toco is located in Lamar County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Toco
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 76 people
    • Belk
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Belk is located in Lamar County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belk
    • Hopewell
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
      • Hopewell is located in Lamar County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hopewell
    • Garretts Bluff
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Garretts Bluff is located in Lamar County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garretts Bluff
    • Ambia
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Ambia is located in Lamar County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ambia
    • Caviness
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Caviness is located in Lamar County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Caviness
  • Bryan County (OK)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Selfs, with the one closest to Selfs listed first.
    • Wade
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Wade is located in Bryan County (OK)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wade
    • Yuba
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
      • Yuba is located in Bryan County (OK)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yuba
    • Albany
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Yarnaby
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
      • Yarnaby is located in Bryan County (OK)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yarnaby
    • Bennington
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
    • Bokchito
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Kemp
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Kemp is located in Bryan County (OK)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kemp
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 156 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Kemp <1>
    • Achille
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
    • Hendrix
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
  • Choctaw County (OK)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Selfs, with the one closest to Selfs listed first.
    • Boswell
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Boswell is located in Choctaw County (OK)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boswell
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 680 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Boswell <1>
    • Soper
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Soper is located in Choctaw County (OK)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Soper
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 253 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Soper <1>
    • Grant
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)

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

Cemeteries Near Selfs ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Selfs.

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

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

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

  • Shiloh Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
  • New Salem Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
  • Allen Chapel Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Allen's Chapel Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Vineyard Grove Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Wilks Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
  • Gum Springs Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
  • Smith Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Umble Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Bigsby Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
  • White Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
  • Oakwood Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
  • Continue List   (229 more) ...
    • Cottonwood Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Cottonwood Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Orphanage Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)

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 in 1895, Selfs had a post office and no railroad service.

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

  • Monkstown
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Monkstown is located in Fannin County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monkstown
  • Honey Grove
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
  • Petty
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Telephone
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
  • Lamasco
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Lamasco is located in Fannin County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lamasco
  • Maxey
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Maxey is located in Lamar County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maxey
  • Direct
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Direct is located in Lamar County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Direct
  • Lannius
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Lannius is located in Fannin County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lannius
  • Windom
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
  • Noble
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Noble is located in Lamar County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Noble
  • High
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • High is located in Lamar County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for High
  • Elwood
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Elwood is located in Fannin County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elwood
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Dial
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
      • Dial is located in Fannin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dial
    • Brookston
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • Ivanhoe
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)

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

Newspapers Published in Selfs ...

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 73 newspapers that have been published in the area around Selfs.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Selfs, there are papers which were published within 26 miles [41.8 km]<2>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Selfs.

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 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 Selfs:

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 drawn from Point A (ie- Selfs) 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 Selfs, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.