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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 Academy (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 Academy. 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.

Academy is located in Bell 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 Bell County: Burnet, Coryell, Falls, Lampasas, McLennan, Milam & Williamson.

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

  • Bell County     (The home county of Academy)
  • Coryell County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Academy, with the one closest to Academy listed first.
    • The Grove
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Mason Crossing ‑ Historic
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Flat
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Flat have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flat
      • Flat is located in Coryell County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Flat <1>
    • Leon Junction
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Comanche Village I
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Comanche Village I have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Comanche Village I
      • Comanche Village I is located in Coryell County
    • Comanche Village II
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Comanche Village II have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Comanche Village II
      • Comanche Village II is located in Coryell County
    • Lime City
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lime City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lime City
      • Lime City is located in Coryell County
    • Comanche Village III
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Comanche Village III have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Comanche Village III
      • Comanche Village III is located in Coryell County
    • Montague Village
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Montague Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montague Village
      • Montague Village is located in Coryell County
  • Falls County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Academy, with the one closest to Academy listed first.
    • Westphalia
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Westphalia. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westphalia
      • Westphalia is located in Falls County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Westphalia
      • From Academy to Westphalia
    • Zipperlandville ‑ Historic
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Zipperlandville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zipperlandville
      • Zipperlandville is located in Falls County
      • Zipperlandville has also been known as:
      • Zipperlen
      • Zipperlenville
    • Durango
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Durango. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Durango
      • Durango is located in Falls County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Durango
      • From Academy to Durango
    • Rosebud
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
    • Bruceville - Eddy
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bruceville - Eddy have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bruceville - Eddy
      • Bruceville - Eddy is located in Falls County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,704 people
    • Lott
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lott have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lott
      • Lott is located in Falls County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 744 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lott <1>
    • Mooreville
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Chilton
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Wilderville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Wilderville. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilderville
      • Wilderville is located in Falls County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Wilderville
      • From Academy to Wilderville
  • McLennan County
  • Milam County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Academy, with the one closest to Academy listed first.
    • Val Verde
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Davilla
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Davilla have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Davilla
      • Davilla is located in Milam County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Davilla <1>
    • Buckholts
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Buckholts have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buckholts
      • Buckholts is located in Milam County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 518 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Buckholts <1>
    • Burlington
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
    • Tracy
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Cameron
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
    • Silver City
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Silver City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Silver City
      • Silver City is located in Milam County
    • Minerva
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Marlow
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
    • Thorndale
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Thorndale have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thorndale
      • Thorndale is located in Milam County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,302 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Thorndale <1>
    • Maysfield
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
    • Rockdale
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Baileyville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
  • Williamson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Academy, with the one closest to Academy listed first.
    • Schwertner
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Schwertner have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Schwertner
      • Schwertner is located in Williamson County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Schwertner <1>
    • Friendship ‑ Historic
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Friendship. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Friendship
      • Friendship is located in Williamson County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Friendship
      • From Academy to Friendship
    • Granger
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
    • Jarrell
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Jarrell have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jarrell
      • Jarrell is located in Williamson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,077 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Jarrell <1>
    • Laneport
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Laneport. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laneport
      • Laneport is located in Williamson County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Laneport
      • From Academy to Laneport
    • Walburg
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Walburg have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walburg
      • Walburg is located in Williamson County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Walburg <1>
    • Hoxie
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
    • Weir
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Weir have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weir
      • Weir is located in Williamson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 549 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Weir <1>
    • Thrall
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Thrall have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thrall
      • Thrall is located in Williamson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,014 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Thrall <1>
    • Taylor
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
    • Serenada
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Sun City
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sun City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sun City
      • Sun City is located in Williamson County
    • Florence
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Florence have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Florence
      • Florence is located in Williamson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,304 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Florence <1>

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

Cemeteries Near Academy ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Academy.

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

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

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.<6>

While we didn't find Academy in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Academy.

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

  • Little River
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
  • Heidenheimer
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Heidenheimer have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Heidenheimer
    • Heidenheimer is located in Bell County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Heidenheimer <1>
  • Holland
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Rogers
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Temple
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
  • Belton
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
  • Vilas
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
  • Seaton
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Seaton have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seaton
    • Seaton is located in Bell County
  • Salado
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
  • Donahoe
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Donahoe have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Donahoe
    • Donahoe is located in Bell County
  • Cyclone
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Cyclone. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cyclone
    • Cyclone is located in Bell County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Cyclone
    • From Academy to Cyclone
  • Oenaville
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Oenaville. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oenaville
    • Oenaville is located in Bell County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Oenaville
    • From Academy to Oenaville
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Bartlett
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bartlett have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bartlett
      • Bartlett is located in Bell County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,766 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bartlett <1>
    • Ocker
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Ocker. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ocker
      • Ocker is located in Bell County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Ocker
      • From Academy to Ocker
    • Davilla
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Davilla have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Davilla
      • Davilla is located in Milam County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Davilla <1>

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

Newspapers Published in Academy ...

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 108 newspapers that have been published in the area around Academy.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Academy, there are papers which were published within 28 miles [45.1 km]<5>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Academy.

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 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 Academy:

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

The official website for Bell County: www.bellcountytx.com/

The official website for State of Texas: https://texas.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>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.
<3>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.
<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>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- Academy) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Academy. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 30.9806, Longitude: -97.3416    
<6>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 Academy, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 29 Apr 2025