RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> State of Texas >> Grayson County >> Smith Oaks >> Genealogy HelperIndex...










Learn About
The Commemorative
Quarter for
Texas

The Commemorative Quarter for Texas





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 Smith Oaks (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 Smith Oaks. 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 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.

Smith Oaks is located in Grayson County.

To see how the shape of Texas' counties have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Grayson County: Bryan (OK), Love (OK), Marshall (OK), Collin, Cooke, Denton & Fannin.

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

  • Grayson County     (The home county of Smith Oaks)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Smith Oaks, with the one closest to Smith Oaks listed first.
    • Twin City
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Twin City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Twin City
      • Twin City is located in Grayson County
    • Ida
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ida
      • Ida is located in Grayson County
    • Bells
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bells
      • Bells is located in Grayson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,516 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bells <2>
    • Whiterock
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whiterock
      • Whiterock is located in Grayson County
    • Luella
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Luella
      • Luella is located in Grayson County
    • Tribune
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Tribune. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tribune
      • Tribune is located in Grayson County
    • Sherman
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Denison
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Frontier Village
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Frontier Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frontier Village
      • Frontier Village is located in Grayson County
    • Knollwood
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Knollwood have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Knollwood
      • Knollwood is located in Grayson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 503 people
    • Tom Bean
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Kentucky Town
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kentucky Town
      • Kentucky Town is located in Grayson County
  • Collin County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Smith Oaks, with the one closest to Smith Oaks listed first.
    • Van Alstyne
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
    • Sedalia
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Sedalia. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sedalia
      • Sedalia is located in Collin County
    • Mantua ‑ Historic
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mantua came from an uncertain source and they still need to be verified:<4>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mantua
      • Mantua is located in Collin County
    • Westminster
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Westminster have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westminster
      • Westminster is located in Collin County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Westminster <2>
    • Anna
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Anna
      • Anna is located in Collin County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 16,945 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Anna <2>
    • Weston
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
    • Blue Ridge
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
    • Valdasta
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Valdasta
      • Valdasta is located in Collin County
    • Frognot
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frognot
      • Frognot is located in Collin County
    • Melissa
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
    • Roland
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Roland. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roland
      • Roland is located in Collin County
    • Celina
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
  • Cooke County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Smith Oaks, with the one closest to Smith Oaks listed first.
    • Dexter
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dexter
      • Dexter is located in Cooke County
    • Callisburg
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Callisburg. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Callisburg
      • Callisburg is located in Cooke County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 367 people
    • Lake Kiowa
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lake Kiowa have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Kiowa
      • Lake Kiowa is located in Cooke County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lake Kiowa <2>
  • Fannin County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Smith Oaks, with the one closest to Smith Oaks listed first.
    • Savoy
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Whitewright
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Ector
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • Mulberry
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mulberry
      • Mulberry is located in Fannin County
    • Ravenna
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
    • Orangeville
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Orangeville. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orangeville
      • Orangeville is located in Fannin County
    • Boyd
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boyd
      • Boyd is located in Fannin County
    • Edhube
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edhube
      • Edhube is located in Fannin County
    • Randolph
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Trenton
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Bonham
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
    • Ridings
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ridings
      • Ridings is located in Fannin County
  • Hunt County
    • Celeste
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Celeste have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Celeste
      • Celeste is located in Hunt County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 931 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Celeste <2>
  • Bryan County (OK)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Smith Oaks, with the one closest to Smith Oaks listed first.
    • Hendrix
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hendrix have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hendrix
      • Hendrix is located in Bryan County (OK)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 86 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hendrix <2>
    • Kemp
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kemp
      • Kemp is located in Bryan County (OK)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 156 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Kemp <2>
    • Cartwright
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Colbert
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colbert
      • Colbert is located in Bryan County (OK)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,268 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Colbert <2>
    • Achille
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Yarnaby
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yarnaby
      • Yarnaby is located in Bryan County (OK)
    • Platter
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
    • Yuba
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Yuba. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yuba
      • Yuba is located in Bryan County (OK)
    • Calera
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Calera have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Calera
      • Calera is located in Bryan County (OK)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,414 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Calera <2>
    • Durant
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Durant
      • Durant is located in Bryan County (OK)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 19,157 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Durant <2>
    • Mead
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mead have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mead
      • Mead is located in Bryan County (OK)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 260 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mead <2>
    • Albany
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
  • Marshall County (OK)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Smith Oaks, with the one closest to Smith Oaks listed first.
    • McBride
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for McBride have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McBride
      • McBride is located in Marshall County (OK)
    • New Woodville
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Woodville
      • New Woodville is located in Marshall County (OK)
      • Population from the 2010 Census: 132 people
    • Shay
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shay
      • Shay is located in Marshall County (OK)
    • Kingston
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kingston have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kingston
      • Kingston is located in Marshall County (OK)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,689 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Kingston <2>
    • Cumberland
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cumberland
      • Cumberland is located in Marshall County (OK)

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

Cemeteries Near Smith Oaks ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Smith Oaks.

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.

If you need information about a burial or interment, photos, transcripts, how to contact the cemetery or local authorities, please visit our selection of Genealogy Websites (see below).

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

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

  • Isom Family Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
  • Cherry Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
  • Bethany Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
  • Blue Creek Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Blue Creek Cemetery
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for the Blue Creek Cemetery. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • The Blue Creek Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Ida Cemetery
    • Independence Springs Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2445099 <5>
  • Antioch Baptist Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Antioch Baptist Cemetery
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for the Antioch Baptist Cemetery. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • The Antioch Baptist Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Antioch Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #1987971 <5>
  • Dripping Spring Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
  • Bigbee Family Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bigbee Family Cemetery
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for the Bigbee Family Cemetery. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2456191 <5>
  • Washburn Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
  • Francis Family Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Francis Family Cemetery
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for the Francis Family Cemetery. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Francis Family Cemetery is located 2 miles [3.2 km]<6> to the southeast of Bells.
    • The Francis Family Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Francis Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2293580 <5>
  • Goff Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Goff Cemetery
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for the Goff Cemetery. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2291051 <5>
  • Allred Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Allred Cemetery
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for the Allred Cemetery. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2207412 <5>
  • Dugan Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Dugan Cemetery
    • The Dugan Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Dugan Chapel Cemetery
    • Dugan - Whiting Cemetery
    • Dugans Chapel Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2291068 <5>
  • Continue List   (309 more) ...
    • Taylor Family Cemetery
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Taylor Family Cemetery
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for the Taylor Family Cemetery. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2513032 <5>
    • Cottonwood Cemetery
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Cottonwood Cemetery
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for the Cottonwood Cemetery. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • The Cottonwood Cemetery has also been known as:
      • Taylor Cemetery
      • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2397598 <5>
    • Burleson Cemetery
      (4 miles [6.4 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.<7>

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

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

  • Ida
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ida
    • Ida is located in Grayson County
  • Bells
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bells
    • Bells is located in Grayson County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,516 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bells <2>
  • Luella
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Luella
    • Luella is located in Grayson County
  • Sherman
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
  • Denison
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
  • Savoy
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Tom Bean
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
  • White Mound
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for White Mound have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Mound
    • White Mound is located in Grayson County
  • Kentucky Town
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kentucky Town
    • Kentucky Town is located in Grayson County
  • Whitewright
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
  • Howe
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Howe
    • Howe is located in Grayson County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,390 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Howe <2>
  • Ray
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ray have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ray
    • Ray is located in Grayson County
  • Continue List   (16 more) ...
    • Mormon Grove ‑ Historic
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mormon Grove have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mormon Grove
      • Mormon Grove is located in Grayson County
    • Ector
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • Mulberry
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mulberry
      • Mulberry is located in Fannin County

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

Newspapers Published in Smith Oaks ...

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 Smith Oaks.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Smith Oaks, there are papers which were published within 24 miles [38.6 km]<6>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Smith Oaks.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first turn to 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 Smith Oaks:

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Smith Oaks. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.

The official website for Grayson County: www.co.grayson.tx.us/

The official website for State of Texas: https://texas.gov/

Footnotes ...

<1>The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required.
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<3>An 'estimated' location is one where we have been given GPS coordinates, but are unable to verify the accuracy of those coordinates. That said, we have some confidence that we have placed the marker near the actual location. A typical reason for being unable to verify a location is that it might be on private property or maybe historic and gone without an obvious trace.
<4>If we found a location and have questions about the accuracy of our information, we will simply say that the marker is 'in the vicinity'. We are not confident about the location and the position of our marker is only a rough guide. If we have too many doubts about the location, we will not include it in our database.
<5>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.
<6>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Smith Oaks) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Smith Oaks. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 33.6484, Longitude: -96.4922       In this case, the coordinates for Smith Oaks have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<7>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 Smith Oaks, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

Copyright 2025
All Rights Reserved

Thank you for visiting our website.

In closing, please keep in mind that we can not guarantee the accuracy or timeliness of the information on this website, so use with care. We encourage you to double-check the information that is critical to you.

If you've found an error or have additional information that you would like to share, please don't hesitate to write: Click here to contact us.

This page was last modified/updated: 29 Apr 2025