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 Valley Grove (and the surrounding area) during the time that our ancestors lived, we hope to have a better understanding of both their community and its relationship to their lifes. We hope that this tool helps to give us an insight into their world.
As we add data and organize our Gazetteer to help with our family research, we will be adding to this our Genealogical Helper for Valley Grove. While we don't have information that is specific to any given person or family, we intend to expand our understanding about where and how people lived.
Name Variations for Valley Grove ...
When searching records, keep in mind that names and their spelling can change over time. Our sources include documents like maps, railroad schedules, Travel, Express and Shipping Guides. Many of these documents date from the 1800's and it's common to find spelling differences.
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 Valley Grove: Valley Grv.
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 southeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors 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.
Valley Grove is located in Rusk 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 Rusk County: Cherokee, Gregg, Harrison, Nacogdoches, Panola, Shelby & Smith.
Below are the counties that are near Valley Grove. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Valley Grove:
- Rusk County (The home county of Valley Grove)
- The following are listed by their distance from Valley Grove, with the one closest to Valley Grove listed first.
- Sulphur Springs
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sulphur Springs have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sulphur Springs
- Sulphur Springs is located in Rusk County
- Oak Flats
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Flats
- Oak Flats is located in Rusk County
- Laneville
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Mount Enterprise
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- New Salem
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Salem
- New Salem is located in Rusk County
- Minden
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Minden have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Minden
- Minden is located in Rusk County
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Minden <2>
- Concord
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Concord
- Concord is located in Rusk County
- Brachfield
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brachfield
- Brachfield is located in Rusk County
- Caledonia
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Caledonia
- Caledonia is located in Rusk County
- Henderson
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Pinehill
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pinehill
- Pinehill is located in Rusk County
- Price
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Price have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Price
- Price is located in Rusk County
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Price <2>
- Joinerville
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Angelina County
- Pollok
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Cherokee County
- The following are listed by their distance from Valley Grove, with the one closest to Valley Grove listed first.
- Reklaw
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Ponta
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ponta
- Ponta is located in Cherokee County
- Griffin
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Griffin. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Griffin
- Griffin is located in Cherokee County
- Gallatin
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Gallatin. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gallatin
- Gallatin is located in Cherokee County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 435 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Gallatin <2>
- New Birmingham ‑ Historic
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for New Birmingham. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Birmingham
- New Birmingham is located in Cherokee County
- New Summerfield
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for New Summerfield have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Summerfield
- New Summerfield is located in Cherokee County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,187 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for New Summerfield <2>
- Rusk
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Blackjack
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blackjack
- Blackjack is located in Cherokee County
- Henrys Chapel
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Henrys Chapel
- Henrys Chapel is located in Cherokee County
- Alto
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Turney
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Turney
- Turney is located in Cherokee County
- Gould
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gould
- Gould is located in Cherokee County
- Dialville
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dialville
- Dialville is located in Cherokee County
- Houston County
- Bluff City ‑ Historic
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bluff City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bluff City
- Bluff City is located in Houston County
- Nacogdoches County
- The following are listed by their distance from Valley Grove, with the one closest to Valley Grove listed first.
- Cushing
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cushing have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cushing
- Cushing is located in Nacogdoches County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 614 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cushing <2>
- Sacul
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sacul have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sacul
- Sacul is located in Nacogdoches County
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sacul <2>
- Looneyville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Looneyville
- Looneyville is located in Nacogdoches County
- Trawick
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Trawick. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trawick
- Trawick is located in Nacogdoches County
- Dextra
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Dextra. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dextra
- Dextra is located in Nacogdoches County
- Nat
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nat
- Nat is located in Nacogdoches County
- Douglass
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Appleby
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Appleby
- Appleby is located in Nacogdoches County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 444 people
- Redfield
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Redfield
- Redfield is located in Nacogdoches County
- Fitze
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Fitze. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fitze
- Fitze is located in Nacogdoches County
- Whispering Pines
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whispering Pines
- Whispering Pines is located in Nacogdoches County
- Garrison
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Alazan
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alazan
- Alazan is located in Nacogdoches County
- Panola County
- The following are listed by their distance from Valley Grove, with the one closest to Valley Grove listed first.
- Dotson
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dotson
- Dotson is located in Panola County
- Long Branch
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Clayton
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Clayton. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clayton
- Clayton is located in Panola County
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Clayton <2>
- Buncome
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buncome
- Buncome is located in Panola County
- Delray
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Delray. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Delray
- Delray is located in Panola County
- Gary City
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Murvaul
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Murvaul. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Murvaul
- Murvaul is located in Panola County
- Shelby County
- The following are listed by their distance from Valley Grove, with the one closest to Valley Grove listed first.
- Timpson
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Timpson have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Timpson
- Timpson is located in Shelby County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,130 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Timpson <2>
- Arcadia
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arcadia
- Arcadia is located in Shelby County
- Smith County
- The following are listed by their distance from Valley Grove, with the one closest to Valley Grove listed first.
- Wright City
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wright City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wright City
- Wright City is located in Smith County
- Sinclair City
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sinclair City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sinclair City
- Sinclair City is located in Smith County
- Arp
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Omen
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Omen
- Omen is located in Smith County
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Valley Grove, see our County-by-County Page for Valley Grove.
Cemeteries Near Valley Grove ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Valley Grove.
This is a new section and is likely to have errors. If you find an error, such as a missing cemetery or we have the wrong name, please let us know. If you know of them, we would also appreciate learning about previous or alternate names.
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 Valley Grove covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Valley Grove, with the one closest to Valley Grove listed first.
- Kipp Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Kipp Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Kipp Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Shiloh Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Simon Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Simon Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Simon Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Dansby Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Dansby Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Dansby Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Fuller Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Fuller Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Fuller Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Blackburn Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Blackburn Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Blackburn Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Bagley Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bagley Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bagley Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Pine Grove Baptist Church Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Lyles - Sanders Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lyles - Sanders Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lyles - Sanders Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Blanton Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Blanton Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Blanton Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Gould Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Gould Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Gould Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jones - Seagroves Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Jones - Seagroves Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Jones - Seagroves Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Continue List (252 more) ...
- Glenfawn Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Glenfawn Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Glenfawn Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Blanton Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Blanton Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Blanton Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Fenton Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Fenton Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Fenton Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
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.<5>
While we didn't find Valley Grove in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Valley Grove.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Valley Grove, with the one closest to Valley Grove listed first.
- Glenfawn
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Glenfawn have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glenfawn
- Glenfawn is located in Rusk County
- Laneville
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Linn Flat
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Linn Flat have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Linn Flat
- Linn Flat is located in Nacogdoches County
- Mount Enterprise
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Looneyville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Looneyville
- Looneyville is located in Nacogdoches County
- New Salem
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Salem
- New Salem is located in Rusk County
- Minden
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Minden have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Minden
- Minden is located in Rusk County
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Minden <2>
- Lawsonville
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lawsonville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lawsonville
- Lawsonville is located in Rusk County
- Lone Star
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lone Star have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lone Star
- Lone Star is located in Cherokee County
- Douglass
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Redfield
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Redfield
- Redfield is located in Nacogdoches County
- Appleby
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Appleby
- Appleby is located in Nacogdoches County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 444 people
- Continue List (14 more) ...
- Caledonia
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Caledonia
- Caledonia is located in Rusk County
- Fitze
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Fitze. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fitze
- Fitze is located in Nacogdoches County
- Linwood
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Linwood have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Linwood
- Linwood is located in Cherokee County
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Valley Grove. See our List of 1890's Communities around Valley Grove.
Newspapers Published in Valley Grove ...
An ongoing effort between the Library of Congress and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) has resulted in the National Digital Newspaper Program (NDNP).
To share their results, the partnership has created the Chronicling America website. The goal of this partnership is to assemble a database about the current and historic newspapers of the United States. This includes a growing collection of scanned images from selected papers. All of it available to the public on their website.
Using information that we've taken from the Chronicling America website, we've identified 80 newspapers that have been published in the area around Valley Grove.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Valley Grove, there are papers which were published within 28 miles [45.1 km]<6>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Valley Grove.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we like to start with 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 Valley Grove:
- Websites specific to Texas
- Pages specific to Rusk County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Angelina County
- Cherokee County
- Houston County
- Nacogdoches County
- Panola County
- Shelby County
- Smith County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Texas
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Valley Grove. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
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> | 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. |
<5> | 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 Valley Grove, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
<6> | 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- Valley Grove) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Valley Grove. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 31.8791, Longitude: -94.8085 In this case, the coordinates for Valley Grove have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). |