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Our Genealogy Helper

Introduction ...

So far, we found very little information about Williams Ranch. The little that we've found leads us believe that the community is historic.<1>

We've added Williams Ranch to our Gazetteer with the hope that we can develop more information. If you can help us with Williams Ranch, please Contact Us.

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 Williams Ranch (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 Williams Ranch. 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 Williams Ranch ...

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.

Although we can't give a definitive list, hopefully the following will give you a feel for the variations that might have occurred.

Another variation: Williams Ranche.

  • A typical abbreviation for Williams Ranch: Williams Rnch.
  • While the name of this community is Williams Ranch, be aware that it's the common practice of mapmakers to remove the apostrophe from possessive names<2>. So Williams Ranch may originally have been William's Ranch.

    Sometimes the trailing 's' might be dropped altogether, in which case Williams Ranch might be written as William Ranch.

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 doctors 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.

Although our information shows that the community of Williams Ranch is historic, it would have been located within present day Mills County.

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 Mills County: Brown, Comanche, Hamilton, Lampasas & San Saba.

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

  • Mills County     (The home county of Williams Ranch)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Williams Ranch, with the one closest to Williams Ranch listed first.
    • Bozar
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bozar
      • Bozar is located in Mills County
    • Mullin
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Goldthwaite
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Ridge
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ridge
      • Ridge is located in Mills County
    • Center City
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Center City have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Center City
      • Center City is located in Mills County
    • Regency ‑ Historic
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Regency have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Regency
      • Regency is located in Mills County
    • Priddy
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Buffalo
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Buffalo have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buffalo
      • Buffalo is located in Mills County
    • Ebony ‑ Historic
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ebony have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ebony
      • Ebony is located in Mills County
    • Star
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Star have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Star
      • Star is located in Mills County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Star <3>
  • Brown County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Williams Ranch, with the one closest to Williams Ranch listed first.
    • Zephyr
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Indian Creek
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Indian Creek
      • Indian Creek is located in Brown County
    • Keys Crossing
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keys Crossing
      • Keys Crossing is located in Brown County
    • Blanket
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
    • Brownwood
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Brownwood have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brownwood
      • Brownwood is located in Brown County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 18,208 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Brownwood <3>
    • Early
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Brookesmith
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
  • Comanche County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Williams Ranch, with the one closest to Williams Ranch listed first.
    • Energy
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Comanche
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • Gustine
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gustine have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gustine
      • Gustine is located in Comanche County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 474 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Gustine <3>
  • Coryell County
    • Evant
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Evant have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Evant
      • Evant is located in Coryell County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 412 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Evant <3>
  • Hamilton County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Williams Ranch, with the one closest to Williams Ranch listed first.
    • McGirk ‑ Historic
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for McGirk have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McGirk
      • McGirk is located in Hamilton County
    • Pottsville
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pottsville have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pottsville
      • Pottsville is located in Hamilton County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Pottsville <3>
  • Lampasas County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Williams Ranch, with the one closest to Williams Ranch listed first.
    • Senterfitt ‑ Historic
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Senterfitt have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Senterfitt
      • Senterfitt is located in Lampasas County
    • Lometa
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
  • San Saba County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Williams Ranch, with the one closest to Williams Ranch listed first.
    • Locker ‑ Historic
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Locker
      • Locker is located in San Saba County
    • San Saba
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
    • Richland Springs
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Richland Springs have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Richland Springs
      • Richland Springs is located in San Saba County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 310 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Richland Springs <3>
    • Holt ‑ Historic
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holt
      • Holt is located in San Saba County
    • Bend
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Williams Ranch ...

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 27 newspapers that have been published in the area around Williams Ranch.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Williams Ranch. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Williams Ranch and those printed in the larger area surrounding Williams Ranch.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 28 miles [45.1 km]<5> of Williams Ranch.

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 helpful 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 Williams Ranch:

Cemeteries Near Williams Ranch ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Williams Ranch.

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

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

  • Williams Ranch Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Williams Ranch Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Williams Ranch Cemetery
  • Rock Spring Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Rock Spring Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Rock Spring Cemetery
  • Traylor Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Traylor Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Traylor Cemetery
  • Goldthwaite Memorial Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Oakview Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Trigger Mtn. Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
  • North Browns Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the North Browns Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the North Browns Cemetery
  • Mohler Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mohler Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mohler Cemetery
  • Fisher Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Fisher Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Fisher Cemetery
  • Catclaw Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Catclaw Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Catclaw Cemetery
  • Estep Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Estep Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Estep Cemetery
  • Big Valley Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Big Valley Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Big Valley Cemetery
  • Continue List   (101 more) ...
    • Duren Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Duren Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Duren Cemetery
    • Lower Valley Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lower Valley Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lower Valley Cemetery
    • Hollis Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)

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.

Williams Ranch itself is historic and was described in the Rand McNally Atlas as having a population of 236 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service.

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

  • Mullin
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
  • Goldthwaite
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
  • Big Valley
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Big Valley have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Valley
    • Big Valley is located in Mills County
  • Regency ‑ Historic
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Regency have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Regency
    • Regency is located in Mills County
  • Priddy
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
  • Zephyr
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
  • Indian Gap
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Indian Gap have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Indian Gap
    • Indian Gap is located in Hamilton County
  • McGirk ‑ Historic
    (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for McGirk have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McGirk
    • McGirk is located in Hamilton County
  • Indian Creek
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Indian Creek
    • Indian Creek is located in Brown County
  • San Saba
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
  • Newburg
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Newburg have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newburg
    • Newburg is located in Comanche County
  • Ricker ‑ Historic
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ricker have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ricker
    • Ricker is located in Brown County
  • Continue List   (13 more) ...
    • Pottsville
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pottsville have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pottsville
      • Pottsville is located in Hamilton County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Pottsville <3>
    • Richland Springs
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Richland Springs have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Richland Springs
      • Richland Springs is located in San Saba County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 310 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Richland Springs <3>
    • Fleming
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fleming have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fleming
      • Fleming is located in Comanche County

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

The official website for State of Texas: https://texas.gov/

Footnotes ...

<1>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 Williams Ranch, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<2>It's generally believed that possessive apostrophes are removed to prevent confusion on maps where the apostrophe may be confused with a cartographic symbol. While this is generally true, it's not uncommon to find possessive apostrophes in administrative names (such as towns or counties).
<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 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.
<5>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or 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- Williams Ranch) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Williams Ranch. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 31.4969, Longitude: -98.6390    
<6>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.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024