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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 Houston (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 Houston. 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 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.

Houston is located in Jackson County.

To see how the shape of Indiana's counties have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Jackson County: Bartholomew, Brown, Jennings, Lawrence, Scott & Washington.

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

  • Jackson County     (The home county of Houston)
  • Bartholomew County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Houston, with the one closest to Houston listed first.
    • North Ogilville
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Stony Lonesome
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Jonesville
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Jonesville have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jonesville
      • Jonesville is located in Bartholomew County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 195 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Jonesville <1>
    • Bethel Village
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bethel Village have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bethel Village
      • Bethel Village is located in Bartholomew County
    • Garden City
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Garden City have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garden City
      • Garden City is located in Bartholomew County
    • Columbus
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Corn Brook
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Elizabethtown
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Jewell Village
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Jewell Village have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jewell Village
      • Jewell Village is located in Bartholomew County
    • Taylorsville
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
    • Petersville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Pleasant View Village
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pleasant View Village have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant View Village
      • Pleasant View Village is located in Bartholomew County
  • Brown County
  • Decatur County
  • Greene County
  • Jennings County
  • Johnson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Houston, with the one closest to Houston listed first.
    • Peoga
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Peoga have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peoga
      • Peoga is located in Johnson County
    • Princes Lakes
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Princes Lakes have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Princes Lakes
      • Princes Lakes is located in Johnson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,342 people
    • Nineveh
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
    • Samaria
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
    • Edinburgh
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Trafalgar
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • Anita ‑ Historic
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Anita. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Anita
      • Anita is located in Johnson County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Anita
      • From Houston to Anita
    • Amity
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
  • Lawrence County
  • Martin County
    • Mount Olive
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Mount Olive. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Olive
      • Mount Olive is located in Martin County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Mount Olive
      • From Houston to Mount Olive
  • Monroe County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Houston, with the one closest to Houston listed first.
    • Smithville
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
    • Unionville
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Unionville have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Unionville
      • Unionville is located in Monroe County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Unionville <1>
    • Clear Creek
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Clear Creek. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clear Creek
      • Clear Creek is located in Monroe County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Clear Creek
      • From Houston to Clear Creek
    • Harrodsburg
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Harrodsburg have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harrodsburg
      • Harrodsburg is located in Monroe County
    • Bloomington
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Dolan
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Kirksville
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Kirksville. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kirksville
      • Kirksville is located in Monroe County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Kirksville
      • From Houston to Kirksville
    • Highland Village
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Highland Village have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Highland Village
      • Highland Village is located in Monroe County
    • Stanford
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
    • Ellettsville
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ellettsville have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ellettsville
      • Ellettsville is located in Monroe County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 6,706 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ellettsville <1>
  • Morgan County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Houston, with the one closest to Houston listed first.
    • Morgantown
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Morgantown have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morgantown
      • Morgantown is located in Morgan County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 992 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Morgantown <1>
    • Taggart Crossing ‑ Historic
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Martinsville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Orange County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Houston, with the one closest to Houston listed first.
    • Leipsic
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
    • Orleans
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Orleans have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orleans
      • Orleans is located in Orange County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,107 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Orleans <1>
    • Bromer
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
  • Scott County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Houston, with the one closest to Houston listed first.
    • Austin
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Albion
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Marshfield
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Marshfield. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marshfield
      • Marshfield is located in Scott County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Marshfield
      • From Houston to Marshfield
  • Shelby County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Houston, with the one closest to Houston listed first.
    • Flat Rock
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Flat Rock have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flat Rock
      • Flat Rock is located in Shelby County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Flat Rock <1>
    • Mount Auburn
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Washington County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Houston, with the one closest to Houston listed first.
    • Plattsburg
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
    • Kossuth
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Kossuth. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kossuth
      • Kossuth is located in Washington County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Kossuth
      • From Houston to Kossuth
    • Saltillo
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Saltillo have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saltillo
      • Saltillo is located in Washington County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 93 people
    • Campbellsburg
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
    • Smedley
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Smedley. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smedley
      • Smedley is located in Washington County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Smedley
      • From Houston to Smedley
    • Little York
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Little York have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little York
      • Little York is located in Washington County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 191 people
    • Claysville
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Claysville. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Claysville
      • Claysville is located in Washington County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Claysville
      • From Houston to Claysville
    • Salem
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
    • Harristown
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Harristown. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harristown
      • Harristown is located in Washington County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Harristown
      • From Houston to Harristown

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

Cemeteries Near Houston ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Houston.

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

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

  • Thompson Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Thompson Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Thompson Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Houston Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
  • Lutes Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
  • Cornett Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Cornett Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Cornett Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Hanner Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hanner Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hanner Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Cummings Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Cummings Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Cummings Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Waggoner Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Waggoner Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Waggoner Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • McKinney Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the McKinney Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the McKinney Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Callahan Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Callahan Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Callahan Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Bower Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bower Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bower Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Bagwell Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bagwell Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bagwell Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Lucas Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lucas Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lucas Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (308 more) ...

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.<5>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Houston had a population of 165 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service.

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

  • Kurtz
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
  • Maumee
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Maumee have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maumee
    • Maumee is located in Jackson County
  • Freetown
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Story
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • Spraytown
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Spraytown. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spraytown
    • Spraytown is located in Jackson County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Spraytown
    • From Houston to Spraytown
  • Becks Grove
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
  • Christiansburg
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Christiansburg have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Christiansburg
    • Christiansburg is located in Brown County
  • Elkinsville
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Elkinsville have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elkinsville
    • Elkinsville is located in Brown County
  • Norman
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Surprise
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Surprise have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Surprise
    • Surprise is located in Jackson County
  • Zelma
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
  • Waymansville
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Waymansville have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waymansville
    • Waymansville is located in Bartholomew County
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Pikes Peak
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Yellowstone
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Yellowstone have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yellowstone
      • Yellowstone is located in Monroe County
    • Stratford ‑ Historic
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Stratford have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stratford
      • Stratford is located in Marion County

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

Newspapers Published in Houston ...

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 33 newspapers that have been published in the area around Houston.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Houston, there are papers which were published within 20 miles [32.2 km]<6>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Houston.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we start with the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These 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 Houston:

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Houston. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.

The official website for State of Indiana: https://www.in.gov

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>An 'estimated' location is one where we have been given GPS coordinates, but are unable to verify the accuracy of those coordinates. That said, we have some confidence that we have placed the marker near the actual location. A typical reason for being unable to verify a location is that it might be on private property or maybe historic and gone without an obvious trace.
<3>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.
<4>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.
<5>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 Houston, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<6>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 from Point A (ie- Houston) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Houston. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 39.0166, Longitude: -86.1907       In this case, the coordinates for Houston have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 21 Apr 2025