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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 Waskom (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 Waskom. 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/Parishes ...

When searching for family records, we have frequently made the mistake of not checking the neighboring counties/parishes.

For example, we have great-grandparents who lived in the northeast 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 north.

So when searching for records, we had our best success by looking in neighboring counties/parishes 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 north contained their burial records. If we hadn't included the neighboring counties/parishes, we would have missed many valuable sources of information.

If you're in a similar situation, we hope that the following information helps.

Waskom is located in Harrison County.

To see how the shape of Texas' counties may have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Harrison County: Caddo (LA), Gregg, Marion, Panola, Rusk & Upshur.

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

  • Harrison County     (The home county of Waskom)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Waskom, with the one closest to Waskom listed first.
    • Jonesville
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Elysian Fields
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Scottsville
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Karnack
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Uncertain
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
    • Baldwin
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
      • Baldwin is located in Harrison County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baldwin
    • Marshall
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
    • Pope City
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Pope City is located in Harrison County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pope City
    • Woodlawn
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Woodlawn is located in Harrison County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodlawn
    • Nesbitt
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Nesbitt is located in Harrison County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nesbitt
      • Population from the 2010 Census: 281 people
    • Hallsville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
    • Noonday
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Noonday is located in Harrison County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Noonday
  • Marion County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Waskom, with the one closest to Waskom listed first.
    • Jefferson
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Kellyville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Kellyville is located in Marion County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kellyville
    • Lodi
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Panola County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Waskom, with the one closest to Waskom listed first.
    • Panola
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • De Berry
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Midyett
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
      • Midyett is located in Panola County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Midyett
    • Center Point ‑ Historic
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Center Point is located in Panola County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Center Point
    • Beckville
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Carthage
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
  • Rusk County
    • Tatum
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
  • Bossier Parish (LA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Waskom, with the one closest to Waskom listed first.
    • Bossier City
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
    • Parkland Village
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • Parkland Village is located in Bossier Parish (LA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parkland Village
    • Benton
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Benton is located in Bossier Parish (LA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Benton
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,092 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Benton <1>
    • Espanita Village
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Espanita Village is located in Bossier Parish (LA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Espanita Village
    • Red Chute
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Red Chute is located in Bossier Parish (LA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Chute
    • Bodcau
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Bodcau is located in Bossier Parish (LA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bodcau
    • Alden Bridge
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Alden Bridge is located in Bossier Parish (LA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alden Bridge
    • Eastwood
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Eastwood is located in Bossier Parish (LA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eastwood
    • Elm Grove
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
  • Caddo Parish (LA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Waskom, with the one closest to Waskom listed first.
    • Greenwood
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Longwood
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Longwood is located in Caddo Parish (LA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Longwood
    • Bethany
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Longwood Village
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
      • Longwood Village is located in Caddo Parish (LA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Longwood Village
    • Western Hills Village
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
      • Western Hills Village is located in Caddo Parish (LA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Western Hills Village
    • Edgewood Village
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
      • Edgewood Village is located in Caddo Parish (LA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edgewood Village
    • Reisor
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
      • Reisor is located in Caddo Parish (LA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reisor
    • Blanchard
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Spring Ridge
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Spring Ridge is located in Caddo Parish (LA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Ridge
    • Silver Pine Village
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • Silver Pine Village is located in Caddo Parish (LA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Silver Pine Village
    • South Towne Heights
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • South Towne Heights is located in Caddo Parish (LA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Towne Heights
    • Chateau Village
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
      • Chateau Village is located in Caddo Parish (LA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chateau Village
  • De Soto Parish (LA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Waskom, with the one closest to Waskom listed first.
    • Stonewall
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Keachi
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Keachi is located in De Soto Parish (LA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keachi
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 300 people
    • Gloster
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Frierson
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Longstreet
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
    • Screamerville ‑ Historic
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Screamerville is located in De Soto Parish (LA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Screamerville
    • Grand Cane
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)

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

Cemeteries Near Waskom ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Waskom.

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.

Although we don't have the information ourselves, if you need information about a burial or interment, photos, transcripts, how to contact the cemetery or local authorities, please visit our list of websites on our Genealogy Helper Page for Waskom - one of the links might be able to help.

If not found below, our Cemetery List for Waskom covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

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

  • Restland Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
  • Forest Park Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forest Park Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Forest Park Cemetery is located 2 miles [3.2 km]<2> to the west of Greenwood (LA).
    • The Forest Park Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Walden Ferry Road Cemetery
    • Whitworth Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2141248 <3>
  • Concord Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
  • Pine Grove Church of God in Christ Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Lester Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Strickland Springs Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • Draper Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
  • Republican Baptist Church Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
  • Hightower Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • New Boggy Baptist Church Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • Motley Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Long Ridge Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
  • Continue List   (181 more) ...
    • Jernigan Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Mt. Olive Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Dean Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)

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.<4>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Waskom had a population of 207 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Waskom had a population of 2,150 people.

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

  • Jonesville
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
  • Greenwood
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
  • Bethany
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
  • Longwood
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Longwood is located in Caddo Parish (LA)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Longwood
  • Latex
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Latex is located in Caddo Parish (LA)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Latex
  • Flournoy
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
  • Elysian Fields
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
  • Scottsville
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
  • De Berry
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
  • Spring Ridge
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Spring Ridge is located in Caddo Parish (LA)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Ridge
  • Reisor
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • Reisor is located in Caddo Parish (LA)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reisor
  • Blanchard
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Jewella ‑ Historic
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
      • Jewella is located in Caddo Parish (LA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jewella
    • Mooringsport
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
    • Keithville
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Waskom ...

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 106 newspapers that have been published in the area around Waskom.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Waskom. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Waskom and those printed in the larger area surrounding Waskom.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 19 miles [30.6 km]<2> of Waskom.

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 either 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 Waskom:

Footnotes ...

<1>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<2>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- Waskom) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.
<3>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.
<4>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 Waskom, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.