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 Wise (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 Wise. 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 northwest 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 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 west 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.
Wise is located in Van Zandt 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 Van Zandt County: Henderson, Hunt, Kaufman, Rains, Smith & Wood.
Below are the counties that are near Wise. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Wise:
- Van Zandt County (The home county of Wise)
- The following are listed by their distance from Wise, with the one closest to Wise listed first.
- Tundra
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Tundra is located in Van Zandt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tundra
- Myrtle Springs
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Myrtle Springs is located in Van Zandt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Myrtle Springs
- Canton
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Wills Point
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Edgewood
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Fruitvale
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
- Ben Wheeler
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Grand Saline
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Van
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- 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>
- Edom
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Dallas County
- The following are listed by their distance from Wise, with the one closest to Wise listed first.
- Combine
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Combine is located in Dallas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Combine
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,537 people
- Seagoville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Ellis County
- The following are listed by their distance from Wise, with the one closest to Wise listed first.
- Telico
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Telico is located in Ellis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Telico
- Walnut Springs
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Walnut Springs is located in Ellis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walnut Springs
- Henderson County
- The following are listed by their distance from Wise, with the one closest to Wise listed first.
- Gun Barrel City
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Eustace
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Payne Springs
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Payne Springs is located in Henderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Payne Springs
- Population from the 2020 Census: 756 people
- Seven Points
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Enchanted Oaks
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Enchanted Oaks is located in Henderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Enchanted Oaks
- Population from the 2020 Census: 343 people
- Tool
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Caney City
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Caney City is located in Henderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Caney City
- Population from the 2020 Census: 223 people
- Log Cabin
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Log Cabin is located in Henderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Log Cabin
- Population from the 2020 Census: 785 people
- Star Harbor
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Star Harbor is located in Henderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Star Harbor
- Population from the 2020 Census: 487 people
- Malakoff
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Athens
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Murchison
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Hunt County
- The following are listed by their distance from Wise, with the one closest to Wise listed first.
- Hawk Cove
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Hawk Cove is located in Hunt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hawk Cove
- Population from the 2020 Census: 562 people
- West Tawakoni
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- West Tawakoni is located in Hunt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Tawakoni
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,994 people
- Quinlan
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Boles Home
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Boles Home is located in Hunt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boles Home
- Kaufman County
- The following are listed by their distance from Wise, with the one closest to Wise listed first.
- Prairieville
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Prairieville is located in Kaufman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prairieville
- Ola
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Ola is located in Kaufman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ola
- Becker
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Becker is located in Kaufman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Becker
- Mabank
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Abner
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Abner is located in Kaufman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Abner
- Kemp
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- College Mound
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- College Mound is located in Kaufman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for College Mound
- Oak Ridge
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Oak Ridge is located in Kaufman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Ridge
- Population from the 2020 Census: 806 people
- Tolosa
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Tolosa is located in Kaufman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tolosa
- Elmo
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Kaufman
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Oak Grove
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Oak Grove is located in Kaufman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Grove
- Population from the 2020 Census: 704 people
- Navarro County
- The following are listed by their distance from Wise, with the one closest to Wise listed first.
- Bazette
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Bazette is located in Navarro County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bazette
- Chatfield
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Kerens
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Goodlow
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Goodlow is located in Navarro County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goodlow
- Population from the 2020 Census: 197 people
- Goodlow has also been known as:
- Goodlow Park
- Roane
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Roane is located in Navarro County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roane
- Rains County
- The following are listed by their distance from Wise, with the one closest to Wise listed first.
- Flats
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Flats is located in Rains County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flats
- East Tawakoni
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- East Tawakoni is located in Rains County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Tawakoni
- Population from the 2020 Census: 991 people
- Hooker Ridge
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Hooker Ridge is located in Rains County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hooker Ridge
- Emory
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Point
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Rockwall County
- McLendon - Chisholm
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- McLendon - Chisholm is located in Rockwall County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McLendon - Chisholm
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,815 people
- Smith County
- The following are listed by their distance from Wise, with the one closest to Wise listed first.
- Jamestown
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Jamestown is located in Smith County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jamestown
- Garden Valley
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Garden Valley is located in Smith County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garden Valley
- Carroll
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Carroll is located in Smith County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carroll
- Wood County
- Alba
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Wise, see our County-by-County Page for Wise.
Cemeteries Near Wise ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Wise.
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 Wise - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Wise covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Wise, with the one closest to Wise listed first.
- Aanonsen Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Traver Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Field Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Brewer Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Wesley Chapel Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Kayser Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Cedarvale Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- High Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Fairview Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Rader Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Fox Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Lone Oak Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Continue List (163 more) ...
- Beard Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Locust Grove Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Haven of Memories Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
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>
The Rand McNally Atlas shows that in 1895, Wise had a post office and no railroad service.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Wise, with the one closest to Wise listed first.
- Prairieville
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Prairieville is located in Kaufman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prairieville
- Roddy
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Roddy is located in Van Zandt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roddy
- Jackson
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Jackson is located in Van Zandt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jackson
- Myrtle Springs
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Myrtle Springs is located in Van Zandt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Myrtle Springs
- Canton
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Kemp
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Abner
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Abner is located in Kaufman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Abner
- Wills Point
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Tolosa
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Tolosa is located in Kaufman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tolosa
- Walton
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Walton is located in Van Zandt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walton
- Martins Mill
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Martins Mill is located in Van Zandt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Martins Mill
- Edgewood
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Continue List (16 more) ...
- Stubbs
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Stubbs is located in Kaufman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stubbs
- Payne Springs
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Payne Springs is located in Henderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Payne Springs
- Population from the 2020 Census: 756 people
- Elmo
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Wise. See our List of 1890's Communities around Wise.
Newspapers Published in Wise ...
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 72 newspapers that have been published in the area around Wise.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Wise, there are papers which were published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Wise.
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 Wise:
- Websites specific to Texas
- Pages specific to Van Zandt County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Dallas County
- Ellis County
- Henderson County
- Hunt County
- Kaufman County
- Navarro County
- Rains County
- Rockwall County
- Smith 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- Wise) 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 Wise, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |