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 Wilson (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 Wilson. 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 southwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors and hospitals were in the next county to the west. 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 west 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.
Wilson is located in Dickens 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 Dickens County: Cottle, Crosby, Floyd, Garza, Kent, King, Motley & Stonewall.
Below are the counties that are near Wilson. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Wilson:
- Bell County
- The following are listed by their distance from Wilson, with the one closest to Wilson listed first.
- Meeks
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Meeks is located in Bell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meeks
- Ocker
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Ocker is located in Bell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ocker
- Cyclone
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Cyclone is located in Bell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cyclone
- Edgeworth
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Edgeworth is located in Bell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edgeworth
- Rogers
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Oenaville
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Oenaville is located in Bell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oenaville
- Heidenheimer
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Academy
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Academy is located in Bell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Academy
- Little River Academy
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- Little River Academy is located in Bell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little River Academy
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,048 people
- Little River
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- Temple
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- Sparks
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Sparks is located in Bell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sparks
- Falls County
- The following are listed by their distance from Wilson, with the one closest to Wilson listed first.
- Zipperlandville ‑ Historic
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Zipperlandville is located in Falls County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zipperlandville
- Zipperlandville has also been known as:
- Zipperlen
- Zipperlenville
- Barclay
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Barclay is located in Falls County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barclay
- Rosebud
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Westphalia
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Westphalia is located in Falls County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westphalia
- Wilderville
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Wilderville is located in Falls County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilderville
- Durango
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Durango is located in Falls County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Durango
- Lott
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Blevins
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Blevins is located in Falls County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blevins
- Highbank
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
- Highbank is located in Falls County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Highbank
- Chilton
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Mooreville
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Mooreville is located in Falls County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mooreville
- Reagan
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- McLennan County
- The following are listed by their distance from Wilson, with the one closest to Wilson listed first.
- Eddy
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Bruceville
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Lorena
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Lorena is located in McLennan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lorena
- Moody
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Rosenthal
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Rosenthal is located in McLennan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rosenthal
- Downsville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Downsville is located in McLennan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Downsville
- Milam County
- The following are listed by their distance from Wilson, with the one closest to Wilson listed first.
- Burlington
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Buckholts
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Silver City
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Silver City is located in Milam County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Silver City
- Cameron
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Baileyville
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Baileyville is located in Milam County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baileyville
- Jones Prairie
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Jones Prairie is located in Milam County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jones Prairie
- Marlow
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- Marlow is located in Milam County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marlow
- Maysfield
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Crossroads
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
- Crossroads is located in Milam County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crossroads
- Val Verde
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Val Verde is located in Milam County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Val Verde
- Minerva
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Minerva is located in Milam County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Minerva
- Tracy
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Tracy is located in Milam County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tracy
- Robertson County
- The following are listed by their distance from Wilson, with the one closest to Wilson listed first.
- Hammond
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Hammond is located in Robertson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hammond
- Calvert
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Bremond
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Elliot
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Elliot is located in Robertson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elliot
- Hearne
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Williamson County
- The following are listed by their distance from Wilson, with the one closest to Wilson listed first.
- Laneport
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Laneport is located in Williamson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laneport
- Friendship ‑ Historic
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Friendship is located in Williamson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Friendship
- Granger
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Hoxie
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Hoxie is located in Williamson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hoxie
- Schwertner
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Wilson, see our County-by-County Page for Wilson.
Cemeteries Near Wilson ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Wilson.
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 Wilson - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Wilson covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Wilson, with the one closest to Wilson listed first.
- Burlington - Black Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- St. Joseph Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Burlington Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- St. Michaels Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Bluebonnet Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Barclay Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Woodland Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Elm Grove Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Marak Catholic & Methodius Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- St. Marys Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for St. Marys Cemetery
- The St. Marys Cemetery has also been known as:
- Church of Vistation Catholic Cemetery
- St.s Cyril & Methodius Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Vogel - Sang Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Continue List (296 more) ...
- Clarkson Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Walkers Creek Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Bentsch Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
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 Wilson in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Wilson.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Wilson, with the one closest to Wilson listed first.
- Burlington
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Barclay
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Barclay is located in Falls County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barclay
- Ben Arnold
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Ben Arnold is located in Milam County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ben Arnold
- Ocker
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Ocker is located in Bell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ocker
- Cyclone
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Cyclone is located in Bell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cyclone
- Rosebud
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Westphalia
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Westphalia is located in Falls County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westphalia
- Clarkson
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Clarkson is located in Milam County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clarkson
- Travis
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Travis is located in Falls County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Travis
- Seaton
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Seaton is located in Bell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seaton
- Buckholts
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Rogers
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Continue List (13 more) ...
- Cameron
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Wilderville
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Wilderville is located in Falls County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilderville
- Oenaville
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Oenaville is located in Bell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oenaville
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Wilson. See our List of 1890's Communities around Wilson.
Newspapers Published in Wilson ...
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 55 newspapers that have been published in the area around Wilson.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Wilson, there are papers which were published within 28 miles [45.1 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Wilson.
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 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 Wilson:
- Websites specific to Texas
- Pages specific to Dickens County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Bell County
- Falls County
- McLennan County
- Milam County
- Robertson County
- Williamson 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> | 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 Wilson, 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' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Wilson) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |