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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 Altair (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 Altair. 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 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.

Altair is located in Colorado 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 Colorado County: Austin, Fayette, Lavaca & Wharton.

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

  • Colorado County     (The home county of Altair)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Altair, with the one closest to Altair listed first.
    • Ramsey
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ramsey have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ramsey
      • Ramsey is located in Colorado County
    • Eagle Lake
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Rock Island
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rock Island have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock Island
      • Rock Island is located in Colorado County
    • Boedecker Junction
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Boedecker Junction have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boedecker Junction
      • Boedecker Junction is located in Colorado County
    • Alleyton
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Garwood
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Garwood have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garwood
      • Garwood is located in Colorado County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Garwood <2>
    • Matthews
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Matthews
      • Matthews is located in Colorado County
    • Columbus
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Glidden
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Glidden have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glidden
      • Glidden is located in Colorado County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Glidden <2>
    • Nada
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • Sheridan
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Hillcrest
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hillcrest
      • Hillcrest is located in Colorado County
  • Austin County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Altair, with the one closest to Altair listed first.
    • Rexville ‑ Historic
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rexville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rexville
      • Rexville is located in Austin County
    • Cat Spring
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cat Spring have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cat Spring
      • Cat Spring is located in Austin County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cat Spring <2>
    • New Ulm
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
    • Sealy
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sealy have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sealy
      • Sealy is located in Austin County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 6,443 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sealy <2>
    • Wallis
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
    • Millheim
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Millheim have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millheim
      • Millheim is located in Austin County
    • Frydek
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frydek
      • Frydek is located in Austin County
    • San Felipe
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Industry
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Industry have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Industry
      • Industry is located in Austin County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 326 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Industry <2>
    • Brazos Country
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Brazos Country have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brazos Country
      • Brazos Country is located in Austin County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 472 people
    • Bellville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Bleiblerville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bleiblerville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bleiblerville
      • Bleiblerville is located in Austin County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bleiblerville <2>
  • Fayette County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Altair, with the one closest to Altair listed first.
    • Ellinger
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
    • Dubina ‑ Historic
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dubina have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dubina
      • Dubina is located in Fayette County
    • Fayetteville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fayetteville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fayetteville
      • Fayetteville is located in Fayette County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 257 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Fayetteville <2>
    • Schulenburg
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
    • Joiner
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Joiner have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Joiner
      • Joiner is located in Fayette County
    • Halsted
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Halsted
      • Halsted is located in Fayette County
  • Fort Bend County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Altair, with the one closest to Altair listed first.
    • Powell Point
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Powell Point
      • Powell Point is located in Fort Bend County
    • Simonton
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Simonton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Simonton
      • Simonton is located in Fort Bend County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 884 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Simonton <2>
    • Kendleton
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kendleton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kendleton
      • Kendleton is located in Fort Bend County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 458 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Kendleton <2>
    • Orchard
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Orchard have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orchard
      • Orchard is located in Fort Bend County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 412 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Orchard <2>
  • Lavaca County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Altair, with the one closest to Altair listed first.
    • Sublime
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sublime have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sublime
      • Sublime is located in Lavaca County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sublime <2>
    • Speaks
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Hackberry ‑ Historic
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hackberry have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hackberry
      • Hackberry is located in Lavaca County
    • Hallettsville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
  • Wharton County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Altair, with the one closest to Altair listed first.
    • Lissie
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • Bonus
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bonus
      • Bonus is located in Wharton County
    • Egypt
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Nottawa
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nottawa
      • Nottawa is located in Wharton County
    • Hahn
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hahn
      • Hahn is located in Wharton County
    • Glen Flora
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
    • East Bernard
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
    • Hungerford
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Pierce
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pierce have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pierce
      • Pierce is located in Wharton County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Pierce <2>
    • Wharton
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
    • El Campo
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for El Campo have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for El Campo
      • El Campo is located in Wharton County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 11,502 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for El Campo <2>
    • Hillje
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hillje
      • Hillje is located in Wharton County

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

Newspapers Published in Altair ...

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 54 newspapers that have been published in the area around Altair.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Altair, 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 Altair.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first turn to 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 Altair:

Cemeteries Near Altair ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Altair.

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

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

  • Adams Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Adams Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Adams Cemetery
  • Garwood Methodist Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Garwood Methodist Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Garwood Methodist Cemetery
  • Pinchback Obenchain Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pinchback Obenchain Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pinchback Obenchain Cemetery
  • Lakeside Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lakeside Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lakeside Cemetery
  • Mexican Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mexican Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mexican Cemetery
  • Alley Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Alley Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Alley Cemetery
  • Allen Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Allen Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Allen Cemetery
  • Myrtle Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Myrtle Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Myrtle Cemetery
  • Mt. Zion Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mt. Zion Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mt. Zion Cemetery
  • Garwood Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Garwood Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Garwood Cemetery
  • Union Hill Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Union Hill Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Union Hill Cemetery
  • Grewe Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Grewe Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Grewe Cemetery
  • Continue List   (171 more) ...
    • Frazer Cemetery
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Frazer Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Frazer Cemetery
    • Columbus City Cemetery
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Odd Fellows Rest Cemetery
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)

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, Altair had a post office and railroad service.

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

  • Ramsey
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ramsey have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ramsey
    • Ramsey is located in Colorado County
  • Eagle Lake
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
  • Alleyton
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
  • Columbus
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
  • Glidden
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Glidden have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glidden
    • Glidden is located in Colorado County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Glidden <2>
  • Mentz
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mentz have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mentz
    • Mentz is located in Colorado County
  • Borden
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Borden have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Borden
    • Borden is located in Colorado County
  • Nottawa
    (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nottawa
    • Nottawa is located in Wharton County
  • Cat Spring
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cat Spring have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cat Spring
    • Cat Spring is located in Austin County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cat Spring <2>
  • Sublime
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sublime have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sublime
    • Sublime is located in Lavaca County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sublime <2>
  • Frelsburg
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frelsburg
    • Frelsburg is located in Colorado County
  • Sealy
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sealy have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sealy
    • Sealy is located in Austin County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 6,443 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sealy <2>
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • New Ulm
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
    • Oakland
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
    • East Bernard
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)

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

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

The official website for State of Texas: https://texas.gov/

Footnotes ...

<1>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.
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<3>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 from Point A (ie- Altair) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Altair. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 29.5714, Longitude: -96.4541       In this case, the coordinates for Altair have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<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 Altair, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024