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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 Waco (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 Waco. 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 doctors and 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.

Waco is located in McLennan 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 McLennan County: Bell, Bosque, Coryell, Falls, Hill & Limestone.

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

  • McLennan County     (The home county of Waco)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Waco, with the one closest to Waco listed first.
    • Beverly Hills
      (Less than 2 miles to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Beverly Hills have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beverly Hills
      • Beverly Hills is located in McLennan County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,980 people
    • East Waco
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for East Waco. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Waco
      • East Waco is located in McLennan County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to East Waco
      • From Waco to East Waco
    • Bellmead
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bellmead have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bellmead
      • Bellmead is located in McLennan County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 10,835 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bellmead <3>
    • Lacy - Lakeview
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lacy - Lakeview have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lacy - Lakeview
      • Lacy - Lakeview is located in McLennan County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 6,803 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lacy - Lakeview <3>
    • Bosqueville
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Robinson
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Northcrest
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Northcrest have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Northcrest
      • Northcrest is located in McLennan County
    • Hewitt
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Woodway
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Woodway have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodway
      • Woodway is located in McLennan County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 9,077 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Woodway <3>
    • Speegleville
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Speegleville. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Speegleville
      • Speegleville is located in McLennan County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Speegleville
      • From Waco to Speegleville
    • Harrison
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Harrison. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harrison
      • Harrison is located in McLennan County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Harrison
      • From Waco to Harrison
    • Elm Mott
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Downsville
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Downsville. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Downsville
      • Downsville is located in McLennan County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Downsville
      • From Waco to Downsville
  • Bell County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Waco, with the one closest to Waco listed first.
    • Troy
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Troy have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Troy
      • Troy is located in Bell County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,191 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Troy <3>
    • Pendleton
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pendleton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pendleton
      • Pendleton is located in Bell County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Pendleton <3>
    • Oenaville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Oenaville. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oenaville
      • Oenaville is located in Bell County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Oenaville
      • From Waco to Oenaville
    • Moffat
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Moffat. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moffat
      • Moffat is located in Bell County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Moffat
      • From Waco to Moffat
  • Bosque County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Waco, with the one closest to Waco listed first.
    • Greenock
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Greenock. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenock
      • Greenock is located in Bosque County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Greenock
      • From Waco to Greenock
    • Valley Mills
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
    • Laguna Park
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Womack
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Clifton
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Clifton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clifton
      • Clifton is located in Bosque County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,410 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Clifton <3>
  • Coryell County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Waco, with the one closest to Waco listed first.
    • McGregor
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Oglesby
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Oglesby have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oglesby
      • Oglesby is located in Coryell County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 464 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Oglesby <3>
    • Lime City
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lime City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lime City
      • Lime City is located in Coryell County
    • The Grove
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Leon Junction
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Falls County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Waco, with the one closest to Waco listed first.
    • Golinda
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Golinda have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Golinda
      • Golinda is located in Falls County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 610 people
    • Satin
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Satin have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Satin
      • Satin is located in Falls County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Satin <3>
    • Perry
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Bruceville - Eddy
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bruceville - Eddy have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bruceville - Eddy
      • Bruceville - Eddy is located in Falls County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,704 people
    • Mooreville
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
    • Chilton
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
    • Otto
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Otto have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Otto
      • Otto is located in Falls County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Otto <3>
    • Marlin
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Durango
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Durango. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Durango
      • Durango is located in Falls County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Durango
      • From Waco to Durango
    • Lott
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lott have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lott
      • Lott is located in Falls County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 744 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lott <3>
    • Westphalia
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Westphalia. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westphalia
      • Westphalia is located in Falls County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Westphalia
      • From Waco to Westphalia
    • Stranger
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Hill County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Waco, with the one closest to Waco listed first.
    • Tyson
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Tyson. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tyson
      • Tyson is located in Hill County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Tyson
      • From Waco to Tyson
    • Aquilla
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
    • Mount Calm
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mount Calm have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Calm
      • Mount Calm is located in Hill County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 340 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mount Calm <3>
    • Abbott
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
    • Penelope
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Chatt
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • Hubbard
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hubbard have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hubbard
      • Hubbard is located in Hill County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,418 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hubbard <3>
    • Peoria
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
    • Whitney
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Whitney. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whitney
      • Whitney is located in Hill County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,145 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Whitney <3>
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Whitney
      • From Waco to Whitney
    • Malone
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Malone have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Malone
      • Malone is located in Hill County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 285 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Malone <3>
    • Bynum
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bynum have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bynum
      • Bynum is located in Hill County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 208 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bynum <3>
  • Limestone County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Waco, with the one closest to Waco listed first.
    • Watt
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
    • Prairie Hill
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Prairie Hill have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prairie Hill
      • Prairie Hill is located in Limestone County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Prairie Hill <3>
    • Delia ‑ Historic
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Delia. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Delia
      • Delia is located in Limestone County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Delia
      • From Waco to Delia
    • Frosa
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)

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

Cemeteries Near Waco ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Waco.

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

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

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 Waco had a population of 14,445 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Waco had a population of 141,377 people.

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

  • East Waco
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for East Waco. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Waco
    • East Waco is located in McLennan County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to East Waco
    • From Waco to East Waco
  • Robinson
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • Bosqueville
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
  • Ritchie
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ritchie have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ritchie
    • Ritchie is located in McLennan County
  • Hewitt
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Speegleville
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Speegleville. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Speegleville
    • Speegleville is located in McLennan County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Speegleville
    • From Waco to Speegleville
  • Downs
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Downs have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Downs
    • Downs is located in McLennan County
  • Downsville
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Downsville. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Downsville
    • Downsville is located in McLennan County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Downsville
    • From Waco to Downsville
  • Harrison
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Harrison. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harrison
    • Harrison is located in McLennan County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Harrison
    • From Waco to Harrison
  • Elm Mott
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
  • South Bosque
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for South Bosque have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Bosque
    • South Bosque is located in McLennan County
  • Rosenthal
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Gholson
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Gholson. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gholson
      • Gholson is located in McLennan County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,127 people
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Gholson
      • From Waco to Gholson
    • Patrick
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Patrick. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Patrick
      • Patrick is located in McLennan County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Patrick
      • From Waco to Patrick
    • China Spring
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Waco ...

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 159 newspapers that have been published in the area around Waco.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Waco. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Waco and those printed in the larger area surrounding Waco.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<6> of Waco.

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 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 Waco:

The official website for Waco: www.waco-texas.com/

The official website for McLennan County: www.co.mclennan.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>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.
<3>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<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 Waco, 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 things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Waco) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Waco. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 31.5494, Longitude: -97.1471    









 

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This page was last modified/updated: 29 Apr 2025