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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 Vernon (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 Vernon. 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.

Vernon is located in Wilbarger 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 Wilbarger County: Jackson (OK), Tillman (OK), Baylor, Foard, Hardeman & Wichita.

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

  • Wilbarger County     (The home county of Vernon)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Vernon, with the one closest to Vernon listed first.
    • Lockett
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lockett
      • Lockett is located in Wilbarger County
    • Tolbert ‑ Historic
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tolbert have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tolbert
      • Tolbert is located in Wilbarger County
    • Oklaunion
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Fargo
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fargo
      • Fargo is located in Wilbarger County
    • White City
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for White City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White City
      • White City is located in Wilbarger County
    • Elliott
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elliott
      • Elliott is located in Wilbarger County
    • Harrold
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Harrold have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harrold
      • Harrold is located in Wilbarger County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Harrold <2>
    • Odell
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Odell have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Odell
      • Odell is located in Wilbarger County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Odell <2>
  • Foard County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Vernon, with the one closest to Vernon listed first.
    • Rayland
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rayland
      • Rayland is located in Foard County
    • Thalia
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thalia
      • Thalia is located in Foard County
    • Margaret
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Margaret
      • Margaret is located in Foard County
    • Crowell
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
  • Hardeman County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Vernon, with the one closest to Vernon listed first.
    • Chillicothe
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Medicine Mound ‑ Historic
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Medicine Mound have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Medicine Mound
      • Medicine Mound is located in Hardeman County
    • Quanah
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
  • Wichita County
    • Electra
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
  • Jackson County (OK)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Vernon, with the one closest to Vernon listed first.
    • Hess
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hess have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hess
      • Hess is located in Jackson County (OK)
    • Elmer
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Elmer have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elmer
      • Elmer is located in Jackson County (OK)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 88 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Elmer <2>
    • Humphreys
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Humphreys
      • Humphreys is located in Jackson County (OK)
    • Olustee
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Olustee
      • Olustee is located in Jackson County (OK)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 550 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Olustee <2>
    • Eldorado
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Tillman County (OK)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Vernon, with the one closest to Vernon listed first.
    • Davidson
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Davidson have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Davidson
      • Davidson is located in Tillman County (OK)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 289 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Davidson <2>
    • Frederick
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Tipton
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tipton
      • Tipton is located in Tillman County (OK)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 755 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Tipton <2>
    • Hollister
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Manitou
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Manitou have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manitou
      • Manitou is located in Tillman County (OK)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 163 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Manitou <2>

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Vernon ...

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 64 newspapers that have been published in the area around Vernon.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Vernon. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Vernon and those printed in the larger area surrounding Vernon.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 29 miles [46.7 km]<3> of Vernon.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first visit 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 Vernon:

Cemeteries Near Vernon ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Vernon.

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

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

  • Eastview Memorial Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Eastview Memorial Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Eastview Memorial Cemetery
  • Wilbarger Memorial Park
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Wilbarger Memorial Park have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Wilbarger Memorial Park
  • Fargo Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
  • Davidson Cemetery
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
  • Bell Cemetery
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bell Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bell Cemetery
  • Big Valley Cemetery
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Big Valley Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Big Valley Cemetery
  • Chillicothe Cemetery
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Chillicothe Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Chillicothe Cemetery
  • Thalia Cemetery
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Thalia Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Thalia Cemetery
  • Mack Cemetery
    (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mack Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mack Cemetery
  • Margaret Cemetery
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
  • Boggy Cemetery
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Boggy Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Boggy Cemetery
  • Hackberry Cemetery
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hackberry Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hackberry Cemetery
  • Continue List   (22 more) ...
    • Mt. Carmel Cemetery
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mt. Carmel Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mt. Carmel Cemetery
    • Frederick Memorial Cemetery
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Ronda Cemetery
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Ronda Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Ronda 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.<5>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Vernon had a population of 2,857 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Vernon had a population of 10,138 people.

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

  • Tolbert ‑ Historic
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tolbert have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tolbert
    • Tolbert is located in Wilbarger County
  • Oklaunion
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
  • Rayland
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rayland
    • Rayland is located in Foard County
  • Doans
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Doans have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Doans
    • Doans is located in Wilbarger County
  • Chillicothe
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
  • Harrold
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Harrold have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harrold
    • Harrold is located in Wilbarger County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Harrold <2>
  • Thalia
    (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thalia
    • Thalia is located in Foard County
  • Hess
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hess have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hess
    • Hess is located in Jackson County (OK)
  • Crowell
    (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
  • Quanah
    (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)

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

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

The official website for Wilbarger County: www.co.wilbarger.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>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Vernon) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Vernon. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 34.1528, Longitude: -99.2844    
<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 Vernon, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024