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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 Butler (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 Butler. 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 southeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals were in the next county to the east. 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 east 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.

Butler is located in Bastrop 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 Bastrop County: Caldwell, Fayette, Gonzales, Lee & Travis.

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

  • Bastrop County     (The home county of Butler)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Butler, with the one closest to Butler listed first.
    • Elgin
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
      • 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>
    • McDade
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Camp Swift
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
      • Camp Swift is located in Bastrop County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Camp Swift
    • Phelan
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
      • Phelan is located in Bastrop County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Phelan
    • Paige
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Bastrop
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
    • Wyldwood
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Wyldwood is located in Bastrop County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wyldwood
    • Alum Creek
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Alum Creek is located in Bastrop County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alum Creek
    • Hills Prairie
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Hills Prairie is located in Bastrop County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hills Prairie
    • Cedar Creek
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Upton
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Upton is located in Bastrop County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Upton
    • Smithville
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
  • Caldwell County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Butler, with the one closest to Butler listed first.
    • Lytton Springs
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Lytton Springs is located in Caldwell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lytton Springs
    • Saint Johns Colony
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Saint Johns Colony is located in Caldwell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Johns Colony
    • Pettytown
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Pettytown is located in Caldwell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pettytown
  • Fayette County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Butler, with the one closest to Butler listed first.
    • Kirtley
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Kirtley is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kirtley
    • Warda
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
    • West Point
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Lee County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Butler, with the one closest to Butler listed first.
    • Knobbs Springs
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Knobbs Springs is located in Lee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Knobbs Springs
    • Blue
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Blue is located in Lee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blue
    • Fedor
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • Fedor is located in Lee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fedor
    • Lexington
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
    • Lincoln
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
    • Tanglewood
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Tanglewood is located in Lee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tanglewood
    • Serbin ‑ Historic
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Serbin is located in Lee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Serbin
    • Loebau
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Loebau is located in Lee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loebau
    • Hicks
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Hicks is located in Lee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hicks
    • Giddings
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
    • Old Dime Box
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Old Dime Box is located in Lee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Old Dime Box
    • Dime Box
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
  • Milam County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Butler, with the one closest to Butler listed first.
    • Thorndale
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
    • Rockdale
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
  • Travis County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Butler, with the one closest to Butler listed first.
    • Littig
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
      • Littig is located in Travis County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Littig
    • Manda ‑ Historic
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Manda is located in Travis County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manda
    • New Sweden
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
      • New Sweden is located in Travis County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Sweden
    • Webberville
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Cele
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Cele is located in Travis County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cele
    • Manor
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
      • Manor is located in Travis County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manor
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 15,767 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Manor <1>
    • Garfield
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
      • Garfield is located in Travis County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garfield
    • Daffan
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • Daffan is located in Travis County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Daffan
    • Pflugerville
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Del Valle
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
    • Villa Siesta Retirement Village
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
    • Three Points
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Three Points is located in Travis County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Three Points
  • Williamson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Butler, with the one closest to Butler listed first.
    • Coupland
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Beyersville
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
      • Beyersville is located in Williamson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beyersville
    • Taylor
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • 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>
    • Thrall
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • 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>
    • Hutto
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • 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>
    • Hoxie
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Hoxie is located in Williamson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hoxie
    • Laneport
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Laneport is located in Williamson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laneport
    • Old Round Rock ‑ Historic
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Old Round Rock is located in Williamson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Old Round Rock
    • Round Rock
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Friendship ‑ Historic
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Friendship is located in Williamson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Friendship
    • Granger
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
    • Brushy Creek
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Brushy Creek is located in Williamson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brushy Creek

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

Cemeteries Near Butler ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Butler.

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

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

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

  • Morgan Chapel Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
  • Three Oaks Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
  • Pleasant Grove Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
  • Westbrook Memorial Gardens
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Hog Eye Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
  • Dube Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
  • Smith Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
  • Elgin Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elgin Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Elgin Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located in Elgin.
    • The Elgin Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Elgin City Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #512858 <2>
  • Youngs Prairie Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
  • Sayers Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sayers Cemetery
    • The Sayers Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Sayersville Cemetery
  • Old Knobbs Springs Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
  • New Knobbs Springs Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Continue List   (210 more) ...
    • Lawhon Springs Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Standifer Family Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Speir Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)

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

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

  • McDade
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Elgin
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • 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>
  • Sayersville
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Sayersville is located in Bastrop County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sayersville
  • Littig
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Littig is located in Travis County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Littig
  • Coupland
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Paige
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Webberville
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
  • Bastrop
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
  • Fedor
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
    • Fedor is located in Lee County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fedor
  • Rices Crossing
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Rices Crossing is located in Williamson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rices Crossing
  • New Sweden
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
    • New Sweden is located in Travis County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Sweden
  • Manor
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
    • Manor is located in Travis County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manor
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 15,767 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Manor <1>
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Dunlap
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
      • Dunlap is located in Travis County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dunlap
    • Garfield
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
      • Garfield is located in Travis County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garfield
    • Hills Prairie
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Hills Prairie is located in Bastrop County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hills Prairie

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

Newspapers Published in Butler ...

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 271 newspapers that have been published in the area around Butler.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Butler, there are papers which were published within 26 miles [41.8 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Butler.

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 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 Butler:

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