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 Smithfield (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 Smithfield. 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.
Smithfield is located in Tarrant 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 Tarrant County: Dallas, Denton, Ellis, Johnson, Parker & Wise.
Below are the counties that are near Smithfield. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Smithfield:
- Tarrant County (The home county of Smithfield)
- The following are listed by their distance from Smithfield, with the one closest to Smithfield listed first.
- North Richland Hills
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Watauga
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Bransford
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Bransford is located in Tarrant County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bransford
- Hurst
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Colleyville
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Keller
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Richland Hills
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Bedford
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Haltom City
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Blue Mound
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Euless
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Saginaw
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Collin County
- The following are listed by their distance from Smithfield, with the one closest to Smithfield listed first.
- Carrollton
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Hebron
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Hebron is located in Collin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hebron
- Population from the 2020 Census: 212 people
- Frisco
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Plano
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Comanche County
- Cross Roads
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Cross Roads is located in Comanche County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cross Roads
- Dallas County
- The following are listed by their distance from Smithfield, with the one closest to Smithfield listed first.
- Grapevine
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Estelle
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Estelle is located in Dallas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Estelle
- Sowers ‑ Historic
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Sowers is located in Dallas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sowers
- Irving
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Coppell
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Grand Prairie
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Lewisville
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
- Eagle Ford
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Eagle Ford is located in Dallas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eagle Ford
- Farmers Branch
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Trinity Mills
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Trinity Mills is located in Dallas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trinity Mills
- Cockrell Hill
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Addison
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Denton County
- The following are listed by their distance from Smithfield, with the one closest to Smithfield listed first.
- Southlake
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Westlake
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Roanoke
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Trophy Club
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Marshall Creek
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Marshall Creek is located in Denton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marshall Creek
- Elizabethtown
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Elizabethtown is located in Denton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elizabethtown
- Flower Mound
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Bartonville
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Northlake
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Double Oak
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Corral City
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Corral City is located in Denton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Corral City
- Population from the 2020 Census: 52 people
- Justin
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Ellis County
- The following are listed by their distance from Smithfield, with the one closest to Smithfield listed first.
- Mansfield
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Britton
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Britton is located in Ellis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Britton
- Midlothian
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Johnson County
- The following are listed by their distance from Smithfield, with the one closest to Smithfield listed first.
- Crowley
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Burleson
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Lillian
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Briaroaks
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Briaroaks is located in Johnson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Briaroaks
- Population from the 2020 Census: 506 people
- Cross Timber
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Cross Timber is located in Johnson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cross Timber
- Population from the 2020 Census: 315 people
- Egan
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Egan is located in Johnson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Egan
- Joshua
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Parker County
- The following are listed by their distance from Smithfield, with the one closest to Smithfield listed first.
- Azle
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Reno
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Reno is located in Parker County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reno
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,473 people
- Sanctuary
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Sanctuary is located in Parker County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sanctuary
- Population from the 2020 Census: 327 people
- Aledo
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Willow Park
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Springtown
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Annetta North
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Annetta North is located in Parker County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Annetta North
- Population from the 2020 Census: 583 people
- Dicey
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Dicey is located in Parker County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dicey
- Annetta South
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Annetta South is located in Parker County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Annetta South
- Population from the 2020 Census: 579 people
- Annetta
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Annetta is located in Parker County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Annetta
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,319 people
- Hudson Oaks
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Carter
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Carter is located in Parker County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carter
- Wise County
- The following are listed by their distance from Smithfield, with the one closest to Smithfield listed first.
- Newark
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Rhome
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Briar
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Briar is located in Wise County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Briar
- Aurora
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- New Fairview
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- New Fairview is located in Wise County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Fairview
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,557 people
- Former name for New Fairview:
- Fairview
- Bluett
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Bluett is located in Wise County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bluett
- Boyd
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Herman
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Herman is located in Wise County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Herman
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Smithfield, see our County-by-County Page for Smithfield.
Cemeteries Near Smithfield ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Smithfield.
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 Smithfield - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Smithfield covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Smithfield, with the one closest to Smithfield listed first.
- Parker Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Arwine Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Bluebonnet Hills Memorial Park
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Birdville Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Bourland Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Parker Memorial Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Mt. Olivet Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Ray - Manship Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- White Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Mitchell Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mitchell Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Mitchell Cemetery is located in Fort Worth.
- The Mitchell Cemetery has also been known as:
- York Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #1233952 <2>
- Harrison Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Tomlin Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Continue List (156 more) ...
- Gibbons Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Colloway Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Bear Creek Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
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.<3>
The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Smithfield had a population of 74 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Smithfield, with the one closest to Smithfield listed first.
- Watauga
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Bransford
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Bransford is located in Tarrant County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bransford
- Keller
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Bedford
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Ederville
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Ederville is located in Tarrant County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ederville
- Saginaw
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Handley
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Handley is located in Tarrant County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Handley
- Grapevine
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Roanoke
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Haslet
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Fort Worth
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Arlington
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Continue List (19 more) ...
- Estelle
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Estelle is located in Dallas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Estelle
- Johnsons Station
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Johnsons Station is located in Tarrant County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Johnsons Station
- Sowers ‑ Historic
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Sowers is located in Dallas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sowers
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Smithfield. See our List of 1890's Communities around Smithfield.
Newspapers Published in Smithfield ...
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 167 newspapers that have been published in the area around Smithfield.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Smithfield, there are papers which were published within 23 miles [37 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Smithfield.
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 Smithfield:
- Websites specific to Texas
- Pages specific to Tarrant County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Collin County
- Comanche County
- Dallas County
- Denton County
- Ellis County
- Johnson County
- Parker County
- Wise 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> | 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. |
| <3> | 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 Smithfield, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <4> | 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- Smithfield) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |