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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 Brownwood (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 Brownwood. 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 and 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.

Brownwood is located in Brown County and is the County Seat.

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 Brown County: Callahan, Coleman, Comanche, Eastland, McCulloch, Mills & San Saba.

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

  • Brown County     (The home county of Brownwood)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Brownwood, with the one closest to Brownwood listed first.
    • Early
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Lake Brownwood
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lake Brownwood have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Brownwood
      • Lake Brownwood is located in Brown County
    • Bangs
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bangs have been provided by the GNIS.<2> 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 <1>
    • Zephyr
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Indian Creek
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Indian Creek
      • Indian Creek is located in Brown County
    • Blanket
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Fry ‑ Historic
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fry have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fry
      • Fry is located in Brown County
    • Brookesmith
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Keys Crossing
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keys Crossing
      • Keys Crossing is located in Brown County
    • May
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for May have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for May
      • May is located in Brown County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for May <1>
    • Cross Cut
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cross Cut
      • Cross Cut is located in Brown County
  • Callahan County
    • Cross Plains
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
  • Coleman County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Brownwood, with the one closest to Brownwood listed first.
    • Trickham
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trickham
      • Trickham is located in Coleman County
      • Former name for Trickham:
      • Trick'em
    • Santa Anna
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
    • Burkett
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Whon ‑ Historic
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whon
      • Whon is located in Coleman County
    • Rockwood
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Coleman
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
  • Comanche County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Brownwood, with the one closest to Brownwood listed first.
    • Sidney
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sidney have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sidney
      • Sidney is located in Comanche County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sidney <1>
    • Comanche
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Sipe Springs
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sipe Springs
      • Sipe Springs is located in Comanche County
  • Eastland County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Brownwood, with the one closest to Brownwood listed first.
    • Rising Star
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
    • Okra
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Okra have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Okra
      • Okra is located in Eastland County
  • Mills County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Brownwood, with the one closest to Brownwood listed first.
    • Ebony ‑ Historic
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ebony have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ebony
      • Ebony is located in Mills County
    • Buffalo
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Buffalo have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buffalo
      • Buffalo is located in Mills County
    • Ridge
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ridge
      • Ridge is located in Mills County
    • Regency ‑ Historic
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Regency have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Regency
      • Regency is located in Mills County
    • Mullin
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Williams Ranch ‑ Historic
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • 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.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Williams Ranch
      • Williams Ranch is located in Mills County
    • Bozar
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bozar
      • Bozar is located in Mills County
    • Priddy
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
    • Goldthwaite
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
  • San Saba County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Brownwood, with the one closest to Brownwood listed first.
    • Holt ‑ Historic
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holt
      • Holt is located in San Saba County
    • Locker ‑ Historic
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Locker
      • Locker is located in San Saba County
    • Richland Springs
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Richland Springs have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • 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 <1>

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

Newspapers Published in Brownwood ...

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 25 newspapers that have been published in the area around Brownwood.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Brownwood, there are papers which were published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Brownwood.

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 professional and volunteer 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 Brownwood:

Cemeteries Near Brownwood ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Brownwood.

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

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

  • Greenleaf Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
  • Connell Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Connell Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Connell Cemetery
  • Beairds Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Beairds Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Beairds Cemetery
  • Staley Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Staley Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Staley Cemetery
  • Cedar Point Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Cedar Point Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Cedar Point Cemetery
  • Eastlawn Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Eastlawn Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Eastlawn Cemetery
  • Jones Chapel Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Jones Chapel Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Jones Chapel Cemetery
  • Jordan Springs Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Jordan Springs Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Jordan Springs Cemetery
  • Clear Creek Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Clear Creek Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Clear Creek Cemetery
  • Roberts Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Roberts Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Roberts Cemetery
  • Jenkins Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Jenkins Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Jenkins Cemetery
  • McDaniel Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the McDaniel Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the McDaniel Cemetery
  • Continue List   (83 more) ...
    • Elkins Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Elkins Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Elkins Cemetery
    • Indian Creek Cemetery
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Indian Creek Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Indian Creek Cemetery
    • Macedonia Cemetery
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Macedonia Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Macedonia Cemetery

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>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Brownwood had a population of 2,176 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Brownwood had a population of 18,208 people.

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

  • Ricker ‑ Historic
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ricker have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ricker
    • Ricker is located in Brown County
  • Bangs
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bangs have been provided by the GNIS.<2> 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 <1>
  • Zephyr
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
  • Thrifty
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Thrifty have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thrifty
    • Thrifty is located in Brown County
  • Indian Creek
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Indian Creek
    • Indian Creek is located in Brown County
  • Blanket
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
  • Trickham
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trickham
    • Trickham is located in Coleman County
    • Former name for Trickham:
    • Trick'em
  • May
    (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for May have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for May
    • May is located in Brown County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for May <1>
  • Milburn
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Milburn have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milburn
    • Milburn is located in McCulloch County
  • Santa Anna
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
  • Regency ‑ Historic
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Regency have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Regency
    • Regency is located in Mills County
  • Mullin
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Sidney
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sidney have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sidney
      • Sidney is located in Comanche County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sidney <1>
    • Cross Cut
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cross Cut
      • Cross Cut is located in Brown County
    • Williams Ranch ‑ Historic
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • 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.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Williams Ranch
      • Williams Ranch is located in Mills County

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

The official website for Brownwood: www.ci.brownwood.tx.us/

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>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- Brownwood) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Brownwood. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 31.7124, Longitude: -98.9766       In this case, the coordinates for Brownwood 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 Brownwood, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024