RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> State of Texas >> San Saba County >> Bowser >> Genealogy HelperIndex...










Learn About
The Commemorative
Quarter for
Texas

The Commemorative Quarter for Texas





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 Bowser (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 Bowser. 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.

Bowser is located in San Saba 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 San Saba County: Brown, Burnet, Lampasas, Llano, Mason, McCulloch & Mills.

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

  • San Saba County     (The home county of Bowser)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bowser, with the one closest to Bowser listed first.
    • Locker ‑ Historic
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Locker
      • Locker is located in San Saba County
    • Holt ‑ Historic
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holt
      • Holt is located in San Saba County
    • Richland Springs
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Richland Springs. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Richland Springs
      • Richland Springs is located in San Saba County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 310 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Richland Springs <2>
    • San Saba
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
  • Brown County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bowser, with the one closest to Bowser listed first.
    • Keys Crossing
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keys Crossing
      • Keys Crossing is located in Brown County
    • Indian Creek
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Indian Creek
      • Indian Creek is located in Brown County
    • Brookesmith
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Ricker ‑ Historic
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ricker have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ricker
      • Ricker is located in Brown County
    • Brownwood
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Brownwood have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brownwood
      • Brownwood is located in Brown County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 18,208 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Brownwood <2>
    • Zephyr
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Early
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
    • Bangs
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bangs have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bangs
      • Bangs is located in Brown County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,504 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bangs <2>
    • Lake Brownwood
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lake Brownwood have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Brownwood
      • Lake Brownwood is located in Brown County
    • Blanket
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
  • Coleman County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bowser, with the one closest to Bowser listed first.
    • Trickham
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trickham
      • Trickham is located in Coleman County
      • Former name for Trickham:
      • Trick'em
    • Whon ‑ Historic
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whon
      • Whon is located in Coleman County
    • Rockwood
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
  • McCulloch County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bowser, with the one closest to Bowser listed first.
    • Rochelle
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rochelle have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rochelle
      • Rochelle is located in McCulloch County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Rochelle <2>
    • Lohn
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lohn have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lohn
      • Lohn is located in McCulloch County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lohn <2>
    • Waldrip
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Waldrip. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waldrip
      • Waldrip is located in McCulloch County
    • Voca
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Mills County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bowser, with the one closest to Bowser listed first.
    • Regency ‑ Historic
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Regency have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Regency
      • Regency is located in Mills County
    • Buffalo
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Buffalo have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buffalo
      • Buffalo is located in Mills County
    • Ebony ‑ Historic
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Ebony. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ebony
      • Ebony is located in Mills County
    • Ridge
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ridge
      • Ridge is located in Mills County
    • Williams Ranch ‑ Historic
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Williams Ranch. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Williams Ranch
      • Williams Ranch is located in Mills County
    • Mullin
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Bozar
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bozar
      • Bozar is located in Mills County
    • Goldthwaite
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)

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

Cemeteries Near Bowser ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Bowser.

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

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

  • Bowser Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bowser Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bowser Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Vargy Chapel Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Vargy Chapel Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Vargy Chapel Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Locker Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Locker Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Locker Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Holt Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • Shiloh Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Shiloh Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Shiloh Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Adams Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Adams Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Adams Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Mesquite Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mesquite Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mesquite Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Ebony Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Ebony Cemetery
    • The Ebony Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Buffalo Ebony Cemetery
  • McCarty Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the McCarty Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the McCarty Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Regency Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Regency Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Regency Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Neal Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Richland Springs Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Richland Springs Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Richland Springs Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (78 more) ...
    • Beasley Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Beasley Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Beasley Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Cowboy Cemetery
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Cowboy Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Cowboy Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Spring Creek Cemetery
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Spring Creek Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Spring Creek Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.

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 Bowser in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Bowser.

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

  • Regency ‑ Historic
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Regency have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Regency
    • Regency is located in Mills County
  • Milburn
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Milburn have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milburn
    • Milburn is located in McCulloch County
  • Indian Creek
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Indian Creek
    • Indian Creek is located in Brown County
  • Richland Springs
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Richland Springs. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Richland Springs
    • Richland Springs is located in San Saba County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 310 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Richland Springs <2>
  • Big Valley
    (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Big Valley have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Valley
    • Big Valley is located in Mills County
  • Rochelle
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rochelle have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rochelle
    • Rochelle is located in McCulloch County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Rochelle <2>
  • San Saba
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
  • Williams Ranch ‑ Historic
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Williams Ranch. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Williams Ranch
    • Williams Ranch is located in Mills County
  • Mullin
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
  • Ricker ‑ Historic
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ricker have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ricker
    • Ricker is located in Brown County
  • Trickham
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trickham
    • Trickham is located in Coleman County
    • Former name for Trickham:
    • Trick'em
  • Brownwood
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Brownwood have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brownwood
    • Brownwood is located in Brown County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 18,208 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Brownwood <2>
  • Continue List   (6 more) ...
    • Zephyr
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Bangs
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bangs have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bangs
      • Bangs is located in Brown County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,504 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bangs <2>
    • Goldthwaite
      (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 Bowser. See our List of 1890's Communities around Bowser.

Newspapers Published in Bowser ...

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 15 newspapers that have been published in the area around Bowser.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Bowser, there are papers which were published within 23 miles [37 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Bowser.

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 websites either 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 Bowser:

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

The official website for San Saba County: www.sansabacounty.org/

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

Footnotes ...

<1>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.
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<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>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- Bowser) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Bowser. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 31.4057, Longitude: -98.9623       In this case, the coordinates for Bowser have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<5>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.
<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 Bowser, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

Copyright 2025
All Rights Reserved

Thank you for visiting our website.

In closing, please keep in mind that we can not guarantee the accuracy or timeliness of the information on this website, so use with care. We encourage you to double-check the information that is critical to you.

If you've found an error or have additional information that you would like to share, please don't hesitate to write: Click here to contact us.

This page was last modified/updated: 29 Apr 2025