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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 China Creek (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 China Creek. 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.

Name Variations for China Creek ...

When searching records, keep in mind that names and their spelling can change over time. Our sources include documents like maps, railroad schedules, Travel, Express and Shipping Guides. Many of these documents date from the 1800's and it's common to find spelling differences.

Although we can't give a definitive list, hopefully the following will give you a feel for the variations that might have occurred.

For example, a typical abbreviation for China Creek: China Crk. (or less commonly used: China Ck. or China Cr.)

If you have information about these names (such as the reason for the change, date of change, the origin of the name), please Contact Us.

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 doctors and 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.

China Creek 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 China Creek. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to China Creek:

  • San Saba County     (The home county of China Creek)
    • The following are listed by their distance from China Creek, with the one closest to China Creek listed first.
    • San Saba
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Richland Springs
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
      • 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.<2>
      • 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>
    • Locker ‑ Historic
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Locker
      • Locker is located in San Saba County
    • Holt ‑ Historic
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holt
      • Holt is located in San Saba County
    • Cherokee
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
    • Bend
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
  • Brown County
    • The following are listed by their distance from China Creek, with the one closest to China Creek listed first.
    • Keys Crossing
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keys Crossing
      • Keys Crossing is located in Brown County
    • Indian Creek
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Indian Creek
      • Indian Creek is located in Brown County
    • Brookesmith
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Zephyr
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
  • Lampasas County
    • The following are listed by their distance from China Creek, with the one closest to China Creek listed first.
    • Senterfitt ‑ Historic
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Senterfitt have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Senterfitt
      • Senterfitt is located in Lampasas County
    • Lometa
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
    • Nix
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nix
      • Nix is located in Lampasas County
  • Llano County
    • The following are listed by their distance from China Creek, with the one closest to China Creek listed first.
    • Baby Head ‑ Historic
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Baby Head. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baby Head
      • Baby Head is located in Llano County
    • Valley Spring
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
  • Mason County
    • The following are listed by their distance from China Creek, with the one closest to China Creek listed first.
    • Pontotoc
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Fredonia
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
  • McCulloch County
    • The following are listed by their distance from China Creek, with the one closest to China Creek listed first.
    • Rochelle
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • 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 <1>
    • Voca
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Mills County
    • The following are listed by their distance from China Creek, with the one closest to China Creek listed first.
    • Regency ‑ Historic
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
      • 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
    • Ridge
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ridge
      • Ridge is located in Mills County
    • Buffalo
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
      • 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
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
      • 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.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ebony
      • Ebony is located in Mills County
    • Goldthwaite
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
    • Williams Ranch ‑ Historic
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
      • 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.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Williams Ranch
      • Williams Ranch is located in Mills County
    • Mullin
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
    • Bozar
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bozar
      • Bozar is located in Mills County
    • Center City
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Center City have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Center City
      • Center City is located in Mills County

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

Cemeteries Near China Creek ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of China Creek.

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

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

  • China Creek Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the China Creek Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the China Creek Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Old Algerita Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Old Algerita Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Old Algerita Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Davidson Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Davidson Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Davidson Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • San Saba City Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the San Saba City Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the San Saba City Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located outside and to the north of San Saba.
    • The San Saba City Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Odd Fellow Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #1959726 <4>
  • Wallace Creek Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Wallace Creek Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Wallace Creek Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Neal Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
  • Hillcrest Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hillcrest Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Hillcrest Cemetery is located less than 2 miles<5> to the north of San Saba.
    • The Hillcrest Cemetery has also been known as:
    • San Saba County Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #1974126 <4>
  • J.H. Shorty Brown Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Linn Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Linn Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Linn Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Crawford Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Terry Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Terry Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Terry Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Spring Creek Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • 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.
  • Continue List   (77 more) ...
    • Ellis Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Ellis Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Ellis Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Farr Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Farr Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Farr Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Ratler Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Ratler Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Ratler 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 China Creek in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of China Creek.

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

  • San Saba
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Richland Springs
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • 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.<2>
    • 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>
  • Regency ‑ Historic
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • 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
  • Big Valley
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • 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
  • Goldthwaite
    (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
  • Williams Ranch ‑ Historic
    (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
    • 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.<2>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Williams Ranch
    • Williams Ranch is located in Mills County
  • Bend
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
  • Indian Creek
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Indian Creek
    • Indian Creek is located in Brown County
  • Mullin
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
  • Milburn
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
    • 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
  • Lometa
    (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
  • Rochelle
    (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
    • 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 <1>
  • Continue List   (8 more) ...
    • Pontotoc
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Field Creek
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Field Creek have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Field Creek
      • Field Creek is located in Llano County
    • Baby Head ‑ Historic
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Baby Head. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baby Head
      • Baby Head is located in Llano County

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

Newspapers Published in China Creek ...

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 14 newspapers that have been published in the area around China Creek.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of China Creek, there are papers which were published within 23 miles [37 km]<5>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for China Creek.

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 China Creek:

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for China Creek. 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>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<2>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.
<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>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.
<5>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a '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- China Creek) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in China Creek. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 31.2591, Longitude: -98.7898       In this case, the coordinates for China Creek have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<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 China Creek, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 29 Apr 2025