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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 Comal (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 Comal. 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 doctors 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.

Comal is located in Comal 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 Comal County: Bexar, Blanco, Guadalupe, Hays & Kendall.

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

  • Comal County     (The home county of Comal)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Comal, with the one closest to Comal listed first.
    • Corbyn
      (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
      • Corbyn is located in Comal County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Corbyn
    • Ogden
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
      • Ogden is located in Comal County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ogden
    • Dittlinger
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Dittlinger is located in Comal County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dittlinger
    • Solms
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Solms is located in Comal County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Solms
    • Garden Ridge
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
      • Garden Ridge is located in Comal County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garden Ridge
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,266 people
    • Jentsch Acres
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
      • Jentsch Acres is located in Comal County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jentsch Acres
    • Bracken
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Bracken is located in Comal County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bracken
    • Landa Park Highlands
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Landa Park Highlands is located in Comal County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Landa Park Highlands
    • New Braunfels
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • First Crossing
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
      • First Crossing is located in Comal County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for First Crossing
    • Gruene
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Preiss Heights
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Preiss Heights is located in Comal County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Preiss Heights
  • Bexar County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Comal, with the one closest to Comal listed first.
    • Cibolo
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Schertz
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Selma
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Universal City
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Airport City
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Airport City is located in Bexar County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Airport City
    • Live Oak
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Converse
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Wetmore
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Windcrest
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Windcrest is located in Bexar County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Windcrest
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,854 people
    • Fratt ‑ Historic
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Fratt is located in Bexar County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fratt
    • Saint Hedwig
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
    • Hollywood Park
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
  • Blanco County
    • Twin Sisters
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Twin Sisters is located in Blanco County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Twin Sisters
  • Caldwell County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Comal, with the one closest to Comal listed first.
    • Martindale
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Fentress
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
    • Reedville
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Reedville is located in Caldwell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reedville
    • Prairie Lea
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
    • Stairtown
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Stairtown is located in Caldwell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stairtown
    • Maxwell
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Gonzales County
    • Dewville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Dewville is located in Gonzales County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dewville
  • Guadalupe County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Comal, with the one closest to Comal listed first.
    • Northcliff
      (Less than 2 miles to the south)
      • Northcliff is located in Guadalupe County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Northcliff
    • Haeckerville
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
      • Haeckerville is located in Guadalupe County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Haeckerville
    • Santa Clara
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
      • Santa Clara is located in Guadalupe County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Santa Clara
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 745 people
    • Marion
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Marion is located in Guadalupe County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marion
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,281 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Marion <1>
    • Schumannsville
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
      • Schumannsville is located in Guadalupe County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Schumannsville
    • Camp Willow
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
      • Camp Willow is located in Guadalupe County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Camp Willow
    • Lake Dunlap
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
      • Lake Dunlap is located in Guadalupe County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Dunlap
    • Hilda Siding
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Hilda Siding is located in Guadalupe County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hilda Siding
    • Clear Springs
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
      • Clear Springs is located in Guadalupe County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clear Springs
    • Zuehl
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
      • Zuehl is located in Guadalupe County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zuehl
    • McQueeney
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
    • Muehlsville
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Muehlsville is located in Guadalupe County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Muehlsville
  • Hays County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Comal, with the one closest to Comal listed first.
    • San Marcos
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
    • Cloptins Crossing
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Cloptins Crossing is located in Hays County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cloptins Crossing
    • Pioneer Town
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Pioneer Town is located in Hays County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pioneer Town
    • Pleasant Valley Crossing
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
    • Wimberley
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Woodcreek
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Woodcreek is located in Hays County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodcreek
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,758 people
  • Kendall County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Comal, with the one closest to Comal listed first.
    • Bergheim
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Kendalia
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
  • Wilson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Comal, with the one closest to Comal listed first.
    • Carpenter
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Carpenter is located in Wilson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carpenter
    • La Vernia
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
    • Kicaster
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Kicaster is located in Wilson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kicaster
    • Grass Pond Colony ‑ Historic
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Grass Pond Colony is located in Wilson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grass Pond Colony
    • Sutherland Springs
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
    • Nockenut
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Nockenut is located in Wilson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nockenut
    • Saspamco
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Saspamco is located in Wilson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saspamco
    • Alum
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Alum is located in Wilson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alum
    • Calaveras
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Calaveras is located in Wilson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Calaveras
    • Graytown
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Graytown is located in Wilson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Graytown

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

Cemeteries Near Comal ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Comal.

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

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

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

  • Schwab Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
  • Kruestler Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Haug Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
  • St. Paul's Church Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for St. Paul's Church Cemetery
    • The St. Paul's Church Cemetery has also been known as:
    • St. Paul's Evangelical Church Cemetery
  • Kunkel Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • Hillert Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
  • Gerhardt Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
  • Wellbacher Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
  • Davenport Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Sahm Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Schneider Memorial Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • Seller Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • Continue List   (196 more) ...
    • Wheeler Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Holy Cross Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Grote 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 Comal in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Comal.

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

  • Corbyn
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
    • Corbyn is located in Comal County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Corbyn
  • Cibolo
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • Bracken
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Bracken is located in Comal County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bracken
  • Selma
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Marion
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Marion is located in Guadalupe County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marion
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,281 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Marion <1>
  • New Braunfels
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Converse
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
  • Clear Springs
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Clear Springs is located in Guadalupe County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clear Springs
  • Wetmore
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Smithson Valley
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Smithson Valley is located in Comal County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smithson Valley
  • New Berlin
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
    • New Berlin is located in Guadalupe County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Berlin
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 626 people
  • Sattler
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Sattler is located in Comal County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sattler
  • Continue List   (13 more) ...
    • Saint Hedwig
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
    • Geronimo
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
    • Kirby
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)

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

Newspapers Published in Comal ...

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 42 newspapers that have been published in the area around Comal.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Comal, there are papers which were published within 28 miles [45.1 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Comal.

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 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 Comal:

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