RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> State of Texas >> Erath County >> Welcome Valley >> Genealogy HelperIndex...

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 Welcome 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 Welcome 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 Welcome 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.

For example, a typical abbreviation for Welcome Valley: Welcome Vly. (or less commonly used: Welcome Vally. or Welcome 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 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 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, we would have missed many valuable sources of information.

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

Welcome Valley is located in Erath 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 Erath County: Bosque, Comanche, Eastland, Hamilton, Hood, Palo Pinto & Somervell.

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

  • Erath County     (The home county of Welcome Valley)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Welcome Valley, with the one closest to Welcome Valley listed first.
    • Stephenville
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Harbin
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Harbin is located in Erath County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harbin
    • Alexander
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
      • Alexander is located in Erath County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alexander
    • Clairette
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
      • Clairette is located in Erath County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clairette
    • Duffau
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Duffau is located in Erath County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Duffau
    • Morgan Mill
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • Bluff Dale
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Bunyan
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
      • Bunyan is located in Erath County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bunyan
    • Dublin
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Lingleville
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
    • Chalk Mountain
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • Chalk Mountain is located in Erath County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chalk Mountain
    • Hannibal
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Hannibal is located in Erath County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hannibal
  • Bosque County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Welcome Valley, with the one closest to Welcome Valley listed first.
    • Iredell
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Walnut Springs
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Eulogy
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Eulogy is located in Bosque County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eulogy
  • Comanche County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Welcome Valley, with the one closest to Welcome Valley listed first.
    • Wilson
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
      • Wilson is located in Comanche County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilson
    • Comyn
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Comyn is located in Comanche County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Comyn
    • Ararat ‑ Historic
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Ararat is located in Comanche County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ararat
    • Proctor
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
    • De Leon
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
    • Rucker
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Rucker is located in Comanche County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rucker
    • Gustine
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
  • Eastland County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Welcome Valley, with the one closest to Welcome Valley listed first.
    • Desdemona
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
    • Gorman
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
  • Hamilton County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Welcome Valley, with the one closest to Welcome Valley listed first.
    • Hico
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Hico is located in Hamilton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hico
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,437 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hico <1>
    • Carlton
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
    • Spurlin ‑ Historic
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Spurlin is located in Hamilton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spurlin
    • Agee ‑ Historic
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Agee is located in Hamilton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Agee
  • Hood County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Welcome Valley, with the one closest to Welcome Valley listed first.
    • Paluxy
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
    • Tolar
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
    • Hill City
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Hill City is located in Hood County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hill City
    • Lipan
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
    • Granbury
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Oak Trail Shores
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Oak Trail Shores is located in Hood County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Trail Shores
    • Brazos Bend
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Brazos Bend is located in Hood County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brazos Bend
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 364 people
    • Pecan Plantation
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Pecan Plantation is located in Hood County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pecan Plantation
    • Fort Spunky
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Fort Spunky is located in Hood County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fort Spunky
  • Palo Pinto County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Welcome Valley, with the one closest to Welcome Valley listed first.
    • Gordon
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Santo
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
    • Mingus
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
  • Somervell County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Welcome Valley, with the one closest to Welcome Valley listed first.
    • Glass
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
      • Glass is located in Somervell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glass
    • Glen Rose
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
    • Rainbow
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
    • Nemo
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)

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

Cemeteries Near Welcome Valley ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Welcome 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.

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 Welcome Valley - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Valley Grove Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
  • Ogan Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
  • Allard Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
  • East Memorial Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
  • Mt. Olive Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
  • West End Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
  • Smith Springs Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
  • Johnson Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Indian Creek Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
  • Aycock Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
  • Knob Hill Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
  • Hatchett Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
  • Continue List   (145 more) ...
    • Humberson Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Erath Garden of Memory
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Wright Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)

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.<3>

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

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

  • Stephenville
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
  • Selden
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Selden is located in Erath County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Selden
  • Harbin
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Harbin is located in Erath County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harbin
  • Alexander
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Alexander is located in Erath County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alexander
  • Duffau
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Duffau is located in Erath County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Duffau
  • Bluff Dale
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Bunyan
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Bunyan is located in Erath County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bunyan
  • Dublin
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
  • Huckabay
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Huckabay is located in Erath County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Huckabay
  • Lingleville
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
  • Chalk Mountain
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
    • Chalk Mountain is located in Erath County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chalk Mountain
  • Paluxy
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
  • Continue List   (13 more) ...
    • Hico
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Hico is located in Hamilton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hico
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,437 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hico <1>
    • Hannibal
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Hannibal is located in Erath County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hannibal
    • Highland
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Highland is located in Erath County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Highland

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

Newspapers Published in Welcome 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 63 newspapers that have been published in the area around Welcome Valley.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Welcome Valley, there are papers which were published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Welcome Valley.

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 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 Welcome Valley:

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>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.
<3>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 Welcome Valley, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<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- Welcome Valley) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.