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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 Westminster (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 Westminster. 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 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.

Westminster is located in Collin 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 Collin County: Dallas, Denton, Fannin, Grayson, Hunt & Rockwall.

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

  • Collin County     (The home county of Westminster)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Westminster, with the one closest to Westminster listed first.
    • Sedalia
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
      • Sedalia is located in Collin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sedalia
    • Valdasta
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
      • Valdasta is located in Collin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Valdasta
    • Blue Ridge
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Anna
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
      • Anna is located in Collin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Anna
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 16,945 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Anna <1>
    • Frognot
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Frognot is located in Collin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frognot
    • Altoga
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
      • Altoga is located in Collin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Altoga
    • Mantua ‑ Historic
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
      • Mantua is located in Collin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mantua
    • Van Alstyne
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Melissa
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • New Hope
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • New Hope is located in Collin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Hope
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 641 people
    • Parris
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Parris is located in Collin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parris
    • Biggers ‑ Historic
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Biggers is located in Collin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Biggers
  • Denton County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Westminster, with the one closest to Westminster listed first.
    • Pilot Point
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
    • Little Elm
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Hackberry
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Hackberry is located in Denton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hackberry
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,094 people
    • Aubrey
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
    • Providence Village
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Providence Village is located in Denton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Providence Village
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 7,564 people
  • Fannin County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Westminster, with the one closest to Westminster listed first.
    • Trenton
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Orangeville
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Orangeville is located in Fannin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orangeville
    • Whitewright
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Leonard
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
    • Randolph
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Bailey
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
    • Savoy
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
    • Ector
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
    • Edhube
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
      • Edhube is located in Fannin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edhube
    • Gober
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
    • Bonham
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Boyd
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Boyd is located in Fannin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boyd
  • Grayson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Westminster, with the one closest to Westminster listed first.
    • Cannon
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
      • Cannon is located in Grayson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cannon
    • Pilot Grove
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
      • Pilot Grove is located in Grayson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pilot Grove
    • Kentucky Town
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
      • Kentucky Town is located in Grayson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kentucky Town
    • Tom Bean
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Howe
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Howe is located in Grayson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Howe
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,390 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Howe <1>
    • Whiterock
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Whiterock is located in Grayson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whiterock
    • Ida
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
      • Ida is located in Grayson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ida
    • Luella
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
      • Luella is located in Grayson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Luella
    • Bells
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
      • Bells is located in Grayson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bells
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,516 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bells <1>
    • Gunter
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
    • Dorchester
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
      • Dorchester is located in Grayson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dorchester
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 96 people
    • Tribune
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
      • Tribune is located in Grayson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tribune
  • Hunt County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Westminster, with the one closest to Westminster listed first.
    • Merit
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Celeste
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
    • Kingston
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Kingston is located in Hunt County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kingston
    • White Rock
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • White Rock is located in Hunt County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Rock
    • Clinton
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Clinton is located in Hunt County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clinton
    • Wolfe City
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
    • Jacobia
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Jacobia is located in Hunt County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jacobia
    • Aberfoyle
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Aberfoyle is located in Hunt County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aberfoyle
    • Caddo Mills
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Greenville
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
    • South Sulphur
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • South Sulphur is located in Hunt County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Sulphur
    • Hendrix
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Hendrix is located in Hunt County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hendrix
  • Rockwall County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Westminster, with the one closest to Westminster listed first.
    • Fate
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Fate is located in Rockwall County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fate
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 17,434 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Fate <1>
    • Mobile City
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Mobile City is located in Rockwall County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mobile City
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 208 people
    • Rockwall
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
  • Bryan County (OK)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Westminster, with the one closest to Westminster listed first.
    • Hendrix
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
    • Kemp
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Kemp is located in Bryan County (OK)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kemp
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 156 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Kemp <1>

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

Cemeteries Near Westminster ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Westminster.

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 Westminster - one of the links might be able to help.

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

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Westminster, with the one closest to Westminster 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.<3>

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

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

  • Sedalia
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
    • Sedalia is located in Collin County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sedalia
  • Cannon
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Cannon is located in Grayson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cannon
  • Blue Ridge
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
  • Nobility
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Nobility is located in Fannin County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nobility
  • Pilot Grove
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Pilot Grove is located in Grayson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pilot Grove
  • Anna
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Anna is located in Collin County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Anna
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 16,945 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Anna <1>
  • Altoga
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Altoga is located in Collin County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Altoga
  • Verona
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Verona is located in Collin County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Verona
  • Fayburg
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Fayburg is located in Collin County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fayburg
  • Delba
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Delba is located in Fannin County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Delba
  • Melissa
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
  • Trenton
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
  • Continue List   (13 more) ...
    • Van Alstyne
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Pike
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
      • Pike is located in Collin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pike
    • Orangeville
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Orangeville is located in Fannin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orangeville

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

Newspapers Published in Westminster ...

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 78 newspapers that have been published in the area around Westminster.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Westminster, there are papers which were published within 25 miles [40.2 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Westminster.

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 Westminster:

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 Westminster, 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 drawn from Point A (ie- Westminster) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.