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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 Alcoa (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 Alcoa. 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 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.

Alcoa is located in Milam 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 Milam County: Bell, Burleson, Falls, Lee, Robertson & Williamson.

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

  • Milam County     (The home county of Alcoa)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Alcoa, with the one closest to Alcoa listed first.
    • Rockdale
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Thorndale
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Tracy
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Tracy is located in Milam County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tracy
    • Minerva
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Minerva is located in Milam County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Minerva
    • Milano
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Davilla
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Cameron
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
    • Buckholts
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
    • Marlow
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Marlow is located in Milam County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marlow
    • Val Verde
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Val Verde is located in Milam County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Val Verde
    • Silver City
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Silver City is located in Milam County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Silver City
    • Gause
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Maysfield
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Bastrop County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Alcoa, with the one closest to Alcoa listed first.
    • McDade
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Elgin
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Elgin is located in Bastrop County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elgin
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 10,756 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Elgin <1>
    • Paige
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
    • Camp Swift
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Camp Swift is located in Bastrop County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Camp Swift
  • Bell County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Alcoa, with the one closest to Alcoa listed first.
    • Vilas
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Vilas is located in Bell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vilas
    • Bartlett
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Edgeworth
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Edgeworth is located in Bell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edgeworth
    • Rogers
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • Meeks
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Meeks is located in Bell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meeks
    • Holland
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Sparks
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Sparks is located in Bell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sparks
  • Burleson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Alcoa, with the one closest to Alcoa listed first.
    • Chriesman
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
    • San Antonio Prairie
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
      • San Antonio Prairie is located in Burleson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for San Antonio Prairie
    • Deanville
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Caldwell
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
    • Birch
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Birch is located in Burleson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Birch
    • Cooks Point
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Cooks Point is located in Burleson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cooks Point
    • Frenstat
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Frenstat is located in Burleson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frenstat
  • Lee County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Alcoa, with the one closest to Alcoa listed first.
    • Hicks
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
      • Hicks is located in Lee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hicks
    • Tanglewood
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Tanglewood is located in Lee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tanglewood
    • Lexington
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Blue
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
      • Blue is located in Lee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blue
    • Knobbs Springs
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Knobbs Springs is located in Lee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Knobbs Springs
    • Fedor
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
      • Fedor is located in Lee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fedor
    • Old Dime Box
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Old Dime Box is located in Lee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Old Dime Box
    • Lincoln
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • Dime Box
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Loebau
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Loebau is located in Lee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loebau
    • Giddings
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
    • Serbin ‑ Historic
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Serbin is located in Lee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Serbin
  • Travis County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Alcoa, with the one closest to Alcoa listed first.
    • Manda ‑ Historic
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Manda is located in Travis County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manda
    • Littig
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Littig is located in Travis County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Littig
    • Cele
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Cele is located in Travis County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cele
    • New Sweden
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • New Sweden is located in Travis County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Sweden
  • Williamson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Alcoa, with the one closest to Alcoa listed first.
    • Thrall
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
      • Thrall is located in Williamson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thrall
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,014 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Thrall <1>
    • Laneport
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Laneport is located in Williamson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laneport
    • Beyersville
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
      • Beyersville is located in Williamson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beyersville
    • Hoxie
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Hoxie is located in Williamson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hoxie
    • Friendship ‑ Historic
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
      • Friendship is located in Williamson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Friendship
    • Coupland
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
    • Taylor
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
      • Taylor is located in Williamson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Taylor
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 17,921 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Taylor <1>
    • Granger
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Hutto
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Hutto is located in Williamson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hutto
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 29,987 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hutto <1>

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

Cemeteries Near Alcoa ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Alcoa.

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 Alcoa - one of the links might be able to help.

If not found below, our Cemetery List for Alcoa covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

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

  • Miller on Alcoa Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
  • Millerton Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
  • Bryant - Massinggill Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
  • Bingham Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
  • Barber Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
  • Waddle Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
  • Pleasant Hill Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
  • Simmons - Jones Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
  • Holliman Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
  • Keen Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
  • Oliver Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
  • Richards Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
  • Continue List   (286 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.<3>

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

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

  • Hicks
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Hicks is located in Lee County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hicks
  • Tanglewood
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Tanglewood is located in Lee County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tanglewood
  • Rockdale
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Thorndale
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
  • Lexington
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
  • San Gabriel
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
    • San Gabriel is located in Milam County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for San Gabriel
  • Minerva
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Minerva is located in Milam County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Minerva
  • Milano
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
  • Laneport
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Laneport is located in Williamson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laneport
  • Fedor
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
    • Fedor is located in Lee County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fedor
  • Chriesman
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
  • Davilla
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Coupland
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
    • Lincoln
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • Dime Box
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)

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

Newspapers Published in Alcoa ...

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 71 newspapers that have been published in the area around Alcoa.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Alcoa, there are papers which were published within 29 miles [46.7 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Alcoa.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first visit 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 Alcoa:

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 Alcoa, 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 obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Alcoa) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.