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 Willow Springs (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 Willow Springs. 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 Willow Springs ...
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 Willow Springs: Willow Spgs. (or less commonly used: Willow Spngs. or Willow Sprngs.)
You might be interested in other communities that are also named Willow Springs. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Willow Springs.
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 southeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals and doctors 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.
Willow Springs is located in Rains 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 Rains County: Hopkins, Hunt, Van Zandt & Wood.
Below are the counties that are near Willow Springs. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Willow Springs:
- Rains County (The home county of Willow Springs)
- The following are listed by their distance from Willow Springs, with the one closest to Willow Springs listed first.
- Emory
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Flats
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Flats is located in Rains County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flats
- Point
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- East Tawakoni
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- East Tawakoni is located in Rains County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Tawakoni
- Population from the 2020 Census: 991 people
- Hooker Ridge
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Hooker Ridge is located in Rains County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hooker Ridge
- Franklin County
- Winnsboro
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Hopkins County
- The following are listed by their distance from Willow Springs, with the one closest to Willow Springs listed first.
- Bonanza
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Miller Grove
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Divide
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Divide is located in Hopkins County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Divide
- Palestine
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Palestine is located in Hopkins County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Palestine
- Tazewell
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- Tazewell is located in Hopkins County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tazewell
- Brashear
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Rockdale
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Rockdale is located in Hopkins County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rockdale
- Black Oak
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Black Oak is located in Hopkins County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Black Oak
- Cumby
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Sulphur Springs
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Como
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Pickton
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Hunt County
- The following are listed by their distance from Willow Springs, with the one closest to Willow Springs listed first.
- Lone Oak
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- West Tawakoni
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- West Tawakoni is located in Hunt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Tawakoni
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,994 people
- Hawk Cove
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Hawk Cove is located in Hunt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hawk Cove
- Population from the 2020 Census: 562 people
- Boles Home
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Boles Home is located in Hunt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boles Home
- Weiland
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Weiland is located in Hunt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weiland
- Dixon
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Dixon is located in Hunt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dixon
- Quinlan
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Campbell
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Greenville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Neylandville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Neylandville is located in Hunt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Neylandville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 100 people
- Union Valley
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Union Valley is located in Hunt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union Valley
- Population from the 2020 Census: 461 people
- Kaufman County
- The following are listed by their distance from Willow Springs, with the one closest to Willow Springs listed first.
- Ables Springs
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Ables Springs is located in Kaufman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ables Springs
- Elmo
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- College Mound
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- College Mound is located in Kaufman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for College Mound
- Abner
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Abner is located in Kaufman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Abner
- Poetry
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Poetry is located in Kaufman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Poetry
- Ola
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Ola is located in Kaufman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ola
- Terrell
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Smith County
- The following are listed by their distance from Willow Springs, with the one closest to Willow Springs listed first.
- Jamestown
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Jamestown is located in Smith County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jamestown
- Garden Valley
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Garden Valley is located in Smith County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garden Valley
- Carroll
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Carroll is located in Smith County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carroll
- Hideaway
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Hideaway is located in Smith County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hideaway
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,208 people
- Van Zandt County
- The following are listed by their distance from Willow Springs, with the one closest to Willow Springs listed first.
- Fruitvale
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Grand Saline
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Edgewood
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Wills Point
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Myrtle Springs
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Myrtle Springs is located in Van Zandt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Myrtle Springs
- Canton
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Van
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Van is located in Van Zandt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Van
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,778 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Van <1>
- Ben Wheeler
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Tundra
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Tundra is located in Van Zandt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tundra
- Wood County
- The following are listed by their distance from Willow Springs, with the one closest to Willow Springs listed first.
- Alba
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Gunter
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Gunter is located in Wood County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gunter
- Yantis
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Golden
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Quitman
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Mineola
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Forest Hill
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Forest Hill is located in Wood County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forest Hill
- Coke
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Coke is located in Wood County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coke
- Cartwright
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Cartwright is located in Wood County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cartwright
- Hainesville
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Hainesville is located in Wood County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hainesville
- Stout
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Stout is located in Wood County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stout
- Pine Mills
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Pine Mills is located in Wood County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Mills
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Willow Springs, see our County-by-County Page for Willow Springs.
Cemeteries Near Willow Springs ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Willow Springs.
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 Willow Springs - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Willow Springs covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Willow Springs, with the one closest to Willow Springs listed first.
- Turner Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Clewis Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Campbell Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Rocky Point Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Danley Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- MaGee - McCord Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Bishop Family Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Pilgrim Rest Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pilgrim Rest Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Pilgrim Rest Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located 4 miles [6.4 km]<3> to the east of Emory.
- The Pilgrim Rest Cemetery has also been known as:
- Pilgrim's Rest Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #271442 <2>
- Forbis Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Smyrna Church Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Tooms Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Robertson / Henrys Chapel Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Continue List (190 more) ...
- Prospect Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Trumble Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Prairie Grove Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 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>
While we didn't find Willow Springs in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Willow Springs.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Willow Springs, with the one closest to Willow Springs listed first.
- Emory
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Alba
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Grand Saline
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Point
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Edgewood
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Golden
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Yantis
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Silver Lake
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Silver Lake is located in Van Zandt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Silver Lake
- Miller Grove
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Wills Point
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Divide
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Divide is located in Hopkins County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Divide
- Lone Oak
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Continue List (13 more) ...
- Myrtle Springs
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Myrtle Springs is located in Van Zandt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Myrtle Springs
- Quitman
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Reilly Springs
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
- Reilly Springs is located in Hopkins County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reilly Springs
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Willow Springs. See our List of 1890's Communities around Willow Springs.
Newspapers Published in Willow Springs ...
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 51 newspapers that have been published in the area around Willow Springs.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Willow Springs, there are papers which were published within 24 miles [38.6 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Willow Springs.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we begin 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 Willow Springs:
- Websites specific to Texas
- Pages specific to Rains County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Franklin County
- Hopkins County
- Hunt County
- Kaufman County
- Smith County
- Van Zandt County
- Wood County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Texas
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> | 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- Willow Springs) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |
| <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 Willow Springs, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |