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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 Sun Valley (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 Sun Valley. 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 Sun Valley ...

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.

Although we can't give a definitive list, hopefully the following will give you a feel for the variations that might have occurred.

For example, a typical abbreviation for Sun Valley: Sun Vly. (or less commonly used: Sun Vally. or Sun Vlly.)

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 northwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors and hospitals 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.

Sun Valley is located in Lamar 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 Lamar County: Bryan (OK), Choctaw (OK), Delta, Fannin & Red River.

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

  • Lamar County     (The home county of Sun Valley)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sun Valley, with the one closest to Sun Valley listed first.
    • Sylvan
      (Less than 2 miles to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sylvan have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sylvan
      • Sylvan is located in Lamar County
    • Blossom
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
    • Reno
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Reno have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reno
      • Reno is located in Lamar County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,349 people
    • Pattonville
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Paris
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Novice
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Novice
      • Novice is located in Lamar County
    • Hinckley
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hinckley have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hinckley
      • Hinckley is located in Lamar County
    • Camp Maxey ‑ Historic
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Camp Maxey. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Camp Maxey
      • Camp Maxey is located in Lamar County
    • Clardy
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clardy
      • Clardy is located in Lamar County
    • Biardstown
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Biardstown
      • Biardstown is located in Lamar County
    • Deport
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Glory
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glory
      • Glory is located in Lamar County
    • Hopewell
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hopewell
      • Hopewell is located in Lamar County
  • Delta County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sun Valley, with the one closest to Sun Valley listed first.
    • Lake Creek
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Enloe
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Enloe have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Enloe
      • Enloe is located in Delta County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Enloe <2>
    • Ben Franklin
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ben Franklin have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ben Franklin
      • Ben Franklin is located in Delta County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ben Franklin <2>
    • Cooper
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Pecan Gap
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Klondike
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Fannin County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sun Valley, with the one closest to Sun Valley listed first.
    • Dial
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dial
      • Dial is located in Fannin County
    • Allen Point
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Allen Point
      • Allen Point is located in Fannin County
    • Honey Grove
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
    • Allens Chapel
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Allens Chapel
      • Allens Chapel is located in Fannin County
  • Franklin County
    • Hagansport
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hagansport
      • Hagansport is located in Franklin County
  • Hopkins County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sun Valley, with the one closest to Sun Valley listed first.
    • Sulphur Bluff
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sulphur Bluff have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sulphur Bluff
      • Sulphur Bluff is located in Hopkins County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sulphur Bluff <2>
    • Tira
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tira have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tira
      • Tira is located in Hopkins County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 311 people
    • Dike
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
    • Posey
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Posey
      • Posey is located in Hopkins County
  • Red River County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sun Valley, with the one closest to Sun Valley listed first.
    • Detroit
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Detroit have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Detroit
      • Detroit is located in Red River County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 684 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Detroit <2>
    • Liberty
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Liberty have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Liberty
      • Liberty is located in Red River County
    • Bagwell
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
    • Addielou
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Addielou
      • Addielou is located in Red River County
    • Kanawha
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kanawha have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kanawha
      • Kanawha is located in Red River County
    • Bogata
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bogata
      • Bogata is located in Red River County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,063 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bogata <2>
    • Sherry
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sherry
      • Sherry is located in Red River County
    • Clarksville
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
    • Silver City
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Silver City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Silver City
      • Silver City is located in Red River County
    • Cuthand
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cuthand
      • Cuthand is located in Red River County
    • Greenwood
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenwood
      • Greenwood is located in Red River County
    • Annona
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
  • Titus County
    • Talco
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
  • Choctaw County (OK)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sun Valley, with the one closest to Sun Valley listed first.
    • Frogville
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Frogville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frogville
      • Frogville is located in Choctaw County (OK)
    • Grant
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
    • Hugo
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hugo
      • Hugo is located in Choctaw County (OK)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,070 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hugo <2>
    • Sawyer
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sawyer have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sawyer
      • Sawyer is located in Choctaw County (OK)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 327 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sawyer <2>
    • Fort Towson
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fort Towson have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fort Towson
      • Fort Towson is located in Choctaw County (OK)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 487 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Fort Towson <2>
    • Virgil
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Virgil
      • Virgil is located in Choctaw County (OK)
    • Swink
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Soper
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Soper
      • Soper is located in Choctaw County (OK)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 253 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Soper <2>
  • McCurtain County (OK)
    • Valliant
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Valliant
      • Valliant is located in McCurtain County (OK)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 742 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Valliant <2>

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

Newspapers Published in Sun Valley ...

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 88 newspapers that have been published in the area around Sun Valley.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Sun Valley, there are papers which were published within 26 miles [41.8 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Sun Valley.

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 helpful 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 Sun Valley:

Cemeteries Near Sun Valley ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Sun Valley.

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

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

  • Union Grove Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Union Grove Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Union Grove Cemetery
  • Moore Springs Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Moore Springs Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Moore Springs Cemetery
  • Meadowbrook Memorial Park
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Meadowbrook Memorial Park have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Meadowbrook Memorial Park
  • Knights of Honor Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Knights of Honor Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Knights of Honor Cemetery
  • Egypt Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Egypt Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Egypt Cemetery
  • Sikes Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Sikes Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Sikes Cemetery
  • Corn Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Corn Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Corn Cemetery
  • Neathery Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Neathery Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Neathery Cemetery
  • Holt Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Holt Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Holt Cemetery is located 3 miles [4.8 km]<4> to the northwest of Blossom.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Holt Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #4319 <5>
  • Red Oak Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Red Oak Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Red Oak Cemetery
  • Evergreen Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
  • Newbether Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Newbether Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Newbether Cemetery
  • Continue List   (165 more) ...
    • Restlawn Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Restlawn Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Restlawn Cemetery
    • Old City Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Long Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Long Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Long 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>

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

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

  • Sylvan
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sylvan have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sylvan
    • Sylvan is located in Lamar County
  • Blossom
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
  • Reno
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Reno have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reno
    • Reno is located in Lamar County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,349 people
  • Givens
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Givens have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Givens
    • Givens is located in Lamar County
  • Jennings
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Jennings have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jennings
    • Jennings is located in Lamar County
  • Pattonville
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • Paris
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
  • Hinckley
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hinckley have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hinckley
    • Hinckley is located in Lamar County
  • Detroit
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Detroit have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Detroit
    • Detroit is located in Red River County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 684 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Detroit <2>
  • Biardstown
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Biardstown
    • Biardstown is located in Lamar County
  • Glory
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glory
    • Glory is located in Lamar County
  • Milton
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Milton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milton
    • Milton is located in Lamar County
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Deport
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Powderly
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Atlas
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Atlas have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Atlas
      • Atlas is located in Lamar County

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

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

The official website for Lamar County: www.co.lamar.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 obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Sun Valley) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Sun Valley. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 33.6711, Longitude: -95.4288       In this case, the coordinates for Sun Valley have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<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 Sun Valley, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024