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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 Stephenville (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 Stephenville. 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 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.

Stephenville is located in Erath County and is the County Seat.

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 Erath County: Bosque, Comanche, Eastland, Hamilton, Hood, Palo Pinto & Somervell.

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

  • Erath County     (The home county of Stephenville)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Stephenville, with the one closest to Stephenville listed first.
    • Harbin
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harbin
      • Harbin is located in Erath County
    • Bunyan
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bunyan
      • Bunyan is located in Erath County
    • Lingleville
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lingleville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lingleville
      • Lingleville is located in Erath County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lingleville <2>
    • Morgan Mill
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Morgan Mill have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morgan Mill
      • Morgan Mill is located in Erath County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Morgan Mill <2>
    • Alexander
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alexander
      • Alexander is located in Erath County
    • Dublin
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dublin have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dublin
      • Dublin is located in Erath County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,552 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Dublin <2>
    • Bluff Dale
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Clairette
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clairette
      • Clairette is located in Erath County
    • Duffau
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Duffau
      • Duffau is located in Erath County
    • Chalk Mountain
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chalk Mountain
      • Chalk Mountain is located in Erath County
    • Thurber
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
  • Bosque County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Stephenville, with the one closest to Stephenville listed first.
    • Iredell
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Iredell have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Iredell
      • Iredell is located in Bosque County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 340 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Iredell <2>
    • Walnut Springs
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Walnut Springs have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walnut Springs
      • Walnut Springs is located in Bosque County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 877 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Walnut Springs <2>
  • Comanche County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Stephenville, with the one closest to Stephenville listed first.
    • Comyn
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Comyn
      • Comyn is located in Comanche County
    • Wilson
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wilson have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilson
      • Wilson is located in Comanche County
    • Proctor
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Proctor have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Proctor
      • Proctor is located in Comanche County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Proctor <2>
    • De Leon
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
    • Ararat ‑ Historic
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Ararat. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ararat
      • Ararat is located in Comanche County
    • Rucker
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rucker
      • Rucker is located in Comanche County
    • Gustine
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gustine have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gustine
      • Gustine is located in Comanche County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 474 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Gustine <2>
  • Eastland County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Stephenville, with the one closest to Stephenville listed first.
    • Desdemona
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
    • Gorman
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gorman have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gorman
      • Gorman is located in Eastland County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,033 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Gorman <2>
    • Kokomo
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kokomo
      • Kokomo is located in Eastland County
  • Hamilton County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Stephenville, with the one closest to Stephenville listed first.
    • Hico
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hico
      • Hico is located in Hamilton County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,437 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hico <2>
    • Carlton
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • Spurlin ‑ Historic
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Spurlin have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spurlin
      • Spurlin is located in Hamilton County
  • Hood County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Stephenville, with the one closest to Stephenville listed first.
    • Paluxy
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Paluxy have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paluxy
      • Paluxy is located in Hood County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Paluxy <2>
    • Tolar
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Hill City
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hill City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hill City
      • Hill City is located in Hood County
    • Lipan
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lipan have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lipan
      • Lipan is located in Hood County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 501 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lipan <2>
    • Granbury
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Oak Trail Shores
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Oak Trail Shores have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Trail Shores
      • Oak Trail Shores is located in Hood County
  • Palo Pinto County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Stephenville, with the one closest to Stephenville listed first.
    • Gordon
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Mingus
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mingus have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mingus
      • Mingus is located in Palo Pinto County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 256 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mingus <2>
    • Santo
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Santo have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Santo
      • Santo is located in Palo Pinto County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Santo <2>
    • Strawn
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Brazos
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brazos
      • Brazos is located in Palo Pinto County
  • Somervell County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Stephenville, with the one closest to Stephenville listed first.
    • Glass
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glass
      • Glass is located in Somervell County
    • Glen Rose
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
    • Rainbow
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rainbow have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rainbow
      • Rainbow is located in Somervell County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Rainbow <2>

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Stephenville ...

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 67 newspapers that have been published in the area around Stephenville.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Stephenville. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Stephenville and those printed in the larger area surrounding Stephenville.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 28 miles [45.1 km]<4> of Stephenville.

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 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 Stephenville:

Cemeteries Near Stephenville ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Stephenville.

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 Stephenville covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

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

  • East Memorial Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
  • Mt. Olive Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mt. Olive Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mt. Olive Cemetery
  • West End Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
  • Johnson Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Johnson Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Johnson Cemetery
  • Valley Grove Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Valley Grove Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Valley Grove Cemetery
  • Allard Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Allard Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Allard Cemetery
  • Smith Springs Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Smith Springs Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Smith Springs Cemetery
  • Erath Garden of Memory
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Erath Garden of Memory have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Erath Garden of Memory
  • Wright Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Wright Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Wright Cemetery
  • Hickey Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hickey Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hickey Cemetery
  • Ogan Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Ogan Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Ogan Cemetery
  • Knob Hill Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Knob Hill Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Knob Hill Cemetery
  • Continue List   (147 more) ...
    • Ramsey Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Ramsey Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Ramsey Cemetery
    • Indian Creek Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Indian Creek Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Indian Creek Cemetery
    • Corinth Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Corinth Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Corinth Cemetery

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.<6>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Stephenville had a population of 909 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Stephenville had a population of 21,687 people.

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

  • Selden
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Selden have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Selden
    • Selden is located in Erath County
  • Harbin
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harbin
    • Harbin is located in Erath County
  • Bunyan
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bunyan
    • Bunyan is located in Erath County
  • Huckabay
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Huckabay have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Huckabay
    • Huckabay is located in Erath County
  • Lingleville
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lingleville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lingleville
    • Lingleville is located in Erath County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lingleville <2>
  • Alexander
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alexander
    • Alexander is located in Erath County
  • Dublin
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dublin have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dublin
    • Dublin is located in Erath County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,552 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Dublin <2>
  • Bluff Dale
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
  • Hannibal
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hannibal have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hannibal
    • Hannibal is located in Erath County
  • Highland
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Highland have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Highland
    • Highland is located in Erath County
  • Duffau
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Duffau
    • Duffau is located in Erath County
  • Chalk Mountain
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chalk Mountain
    • Chalk Mountain is located in Erath County
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Paluxy
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Paluxy have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paluxy
      • Paluxy is located in Hood County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Paluxy <2>
    • Victor
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Victor have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Victor
      • Victor is located in Erath County
    • Hico
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hico
      • Hico is located in Hamilton County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,437 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hico <2>

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

The official website for Stephenville: www.ci.stephenville.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>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or 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- Stephenville) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Stephenville. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 32.2206, Longitude: -98.2022    
<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>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 Stephenville, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024