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 Shady Grove (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 Shady Grove. 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 Shady Grove ...
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.
For example, a typical abbreviation for Shady Grove: Shady Grv.
You might be interested in other communities that are also named Shady Grove. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Shady Grove.
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 southwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals were in the next county to the west. 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 west 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.
Shady Grove is located in Rains 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 Rains County: Hopkins, Hunt, Van Zandt & Wood.
Below are the counties that are near Shady Grove. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Shady Grove:
- Rains County (The home county of Shady Grove)
- The following are listed by their distance from Shady Grove, with the one closest to Shady Grove listed first.
- Emory
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- Point
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Flats
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Flats is located in Rains County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flats
- East Tawakoni
(10 miles [16.1 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
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Hooker Ridge is located in Rains County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hooker Ridge
- Delta County
- The following are listed by their distance from Shady Grove, with the one closest to Shady Grove listed first.
- Klondike
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Needmore
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Needmore is located in Delta County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Needmore
- Franklin County
- The following are listed by their distance from Shady Grove, with the one closest to Shady Grove listed first.
- Winnsboro
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Purley
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Purley is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Purley
- Hopkins County
- The following are listed by their distance from Shady Grove, with the one closest to Shady Grove listed first.
- Bonanza
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Miller Grove
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Divide
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Divide is located in Hopkins County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Divide
- Palestine
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Palestine is located in Hopkins County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Palestine
- Tazewell
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Tazewell is located in Hopkins County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tazewell
- Brashear
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Rockdale
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Rockdale is located in Hopkins County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rockdale
- Cumby
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Black Oak
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Black Oak is located in Hopkins County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Black Oak
- Sulphur Springs
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- Ridgeway
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Ridgeway is located in Hopkins County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ridgeway
- Como
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Pickton
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Hunt County
- The following are listed by their distance from Shady Grove, with the one closest to Shady Grove listed first.
- Lone Oak
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- West Tawakoni
(15 miles [24.1 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
- Dixon
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Dixon is located in Hunt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dixon
- Weiland
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Weiland is located in Hunt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weiland
- Hawk Cove
(19 miles [30.6 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
- Campbell
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Boles Home
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Boles Home is located in Hunt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boles Home
- Quinlan
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Commerce
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Neylandville
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Neylandville is located in Hunt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Neylandville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 100 people
- Greenville
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Jacobia
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Jacobia is located in Hunt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jacobia
- Hendrix
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Hendrix is located in Hunt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hendrix
- Kaufman County
- The following are listed by their distance from Shady Grove, with the one closest to Shady Grove listed first.
- Ables Springs
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Ables Springs is located in Kaufman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ables Springs
- Elmo
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Poetry
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Poetry is located in Kaufman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Poetry
- College Mound
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- College Mound is located in Kaufman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for College Mound
- Smith County
- The following are listed by their distance from Shady Grove, with the one closest to Shady Grove listed first.
- Jamestown
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Jamestown is located in Smith County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jamestown
- Garden Valley
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Garden Valley is located in Smith County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garden Valley
- Van Zandt County
- The following are listed by their distance from Shady Grove, with the one closest to Shady Grove listed first.
- Fruitvale
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Grand Saline
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Edgewood
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Wills Point
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Myrtle Springs
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Myrtle Springs is located in Van Zandt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Myrtle Springs
- Canton
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Van
(26 miles [41.8 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>
- Wood County
- The following are listed by their distance from Shady Grove, with the one closest to Shady Grove listed first.
- Gunter
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Gunter is located in Wood County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gunter
- Yantis
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Alba
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Golden
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Coke
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Coke is located in Wood County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coke
- Quitman
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Forest Hill
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Forest Hill is located in Wood County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forest Hill
- Cartwright
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Cartwright is located in Wood County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cartwright
- Mineola
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Hainesville
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Hainesville is located in Wood County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hainesville
- Stout
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Stout is located in Wood County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stout
- Pine Mills
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Pine Mills is located in Wood County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Mills
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Shady Grove, see our County-by-County Page for Shady Grove.
Cemeteries Near Shady Grove ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Shady Grove.
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 Shady Grove - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Shady Grove covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Shady Grove, with the one closest to Shady Grove listed first.
- Forbis Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Robertson / Henrys Chapel Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Prairie Grove Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Danley Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Daugherty Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Prospect Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Rocky Point Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Campbell Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Pilgrim Rest Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- 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>
- Slatter Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Burke - Yandell Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Elm Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Continue List (193 more) ...
- Coats Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Clifton Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Smyrna Church Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
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 Shady Grove in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Shady Grove.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Shady Grove, with the one closest to Shady Grove listed first.
- Emory
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- Point
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Miller Grove
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Alba
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Yantis
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Divide
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Divide is located in Hopkins County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Divide
- Tazewell
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Tazewell is located in Hopkins County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tazewell
- Lone Oak
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Reilly Springs
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Reilly Springs is located in Hopkins County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reilly Springs
- Grand Saline
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Edgewood
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Golden
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Continue List (15 more) ...
- Silver Lake
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Silver Lake is located in Van Zandt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Silver Lake
- Quitman
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Coke
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Coke is located in Wood County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coke
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Shady Grove. See our List of 1890's Communities around Shady Grove.
Newspapers Published in Shady Grove ...
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 72 newspapers that have been published in the area around Shady Grove.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Shady Grove, 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 Shady Grove.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we first visit 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 Shady Grove:
- Websites specific to Texas
- Pages specific to Rains County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Delta County
- Franklin County
- Hopkins County
- Hunt County
- Kaufman County
- Smith County
- Van Zandt County
- Wood 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 obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Shady Grove) 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 Shady Grove, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |