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 Cow Island (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 Cow Island. 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 Cow Island ...
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.
For example, a typical abbreviation for Cow Island: Cow Is. (in Canada, 'Isld.' is the more common abbreviation.)
You might be interested in other communities that are also named Cow Island. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Cow Island.
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 southwest 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 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.
Cow Island is located in Liberty 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 Liberty County: Chambers, Hardin, Harris, Montgomery, Polk & San Jacinto.
Below are the counties that are near Cow Island. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Cow Island:
- Liberty County (The home county of Cow Island)
- The following are listed by their distance from Cow Island, with the one closest to Cow Island listed first.
- Raywood
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Devers
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Woodson
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Woodson is located in Liberty County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodson
- Ames
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Ames is located in Liberty County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ames
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,275 people
- Daisetta
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Moss Bluff
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Moss Bluff is located in Liberty County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moss Bluff
- Liberty
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Hull
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Hardin
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Kenefick
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Kenefick is located in Liberty County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kenefick
- Population from the 2020 Census: 722 people
- Dayton Lakes
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Dayton Lakes is located in Liberty County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dayton Lakes
- Population from the 2020 Census: 107 people
- Dayton
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Chambers County
- The following are listed by their distance from Cow Island, with the one closest to Cow Island listed first.
- Hankamer
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Turtle Bayou
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Turtle Bayou is located in Chambers County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Turtle Bayou
- Wallisville
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Old River - Winfree
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Old River - Winfree is located in Chambers County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Old River - Winfree
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,453 people
- Anahuac
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Monroe City
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Monroe City is located in Chambers County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monroe City
- Cove
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Cove is located in Chambers County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cove
- Population from the 2020 Census: 586 people
- Mont Belvieu
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Winnie
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Beach City
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Beach City is located in Chambers County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beach City
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,825 people
- Double Bayou
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Double Bayou is located in Chambers County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Double Bayou
- Stowell
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Hardin County
- The following are listed by their distance from Cow Island, with the one closest to Cow Island listed first.
- Batson
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Grayburg
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Grayburg is located in Hardin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grayburg
- Sour Lake
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
- Saratoga
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Pinewood Estates
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Pinewood Estates is located in Hardin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pinewood Estates
- Thicket
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Bragg ‑ Historic
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Bragg is located in Hardin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bragg
- Votaw
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Rose Hill Acres
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Rose Hill Acres is located in Hardin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rose Hill Acres
- Population from the 2020 Census: 435 people
- Harris County
- The following are listed by their distance from Cow Island, with the one closest to Cow Island listed first.
- Cedar Bayou
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Cedar Bayou is located in Harris County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Bayou
- Chaparral Village
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Chaparral Village is located in Harris County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chaparral Village
- Crosby
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Barrett
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Huffman
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Highlands
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Sheldon
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Sheldon is located in Harris County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sheldon
- Morgan's Point
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Morgan's Point is located in Harris County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morgan's Point
- Population from the 2020 Census: 337 people
- Atascocita
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Jefferson County
- The following are listed by their distance from Cow Island, with the one closest to Cow Island listed first.
- Nome
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- China
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Pine Island
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Pine Island is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Island
- Hamshire
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Bevil Oaks
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Bevil Oaks is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bevil Oaks
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,209 people
- Amelia
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Amelia is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amelia
- Voth
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Cow Island, see our County-by-County Page for Cow Island.
Cemeteries Near Cow Island ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Cow Island.
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 Cow Island - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Cow Island covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Cow Island, with the one closest to Cow Island listed first.
- Miller Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Norris Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Wood Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Albritton Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Oak Dale Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Our Mother of Mercy Catholic Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Quarters Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Pine Grove Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Speight Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Worthy Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Abshier Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Wells Memorial Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Continue List (81 more) ...
- Swinney Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Lone Star Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Sahara Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
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 Cow Island in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Cow Island.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Cow Island, with the one closest to Cow Island listed first.
- Ames
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Ames is located in Liberty County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ames
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,275 people
- Moss Bluff
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Moss Bluff is located in Liberty County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moss Bluff
- Liberty
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Felicia
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Felicia is located in Liberty County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Felicia
- Turtle Bayou
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Turtle Bayou is located in Chambers County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Turtle Bayou
- Wallisville
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Dayton
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Anahuac
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Mont Belvieu
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Sour Lake
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
- China
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Saratoga
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Continue List (8 more) ...
- Double Bayou
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Double Bayou is located in Chambers County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Double Bayou
- Cedar Bayou
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Cedar Bayou is located in Harris County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Bayou
- Pine Island
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Pine Island is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Island
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Cow Island. See our List of 1890's Communities around Cow Island.
Newspapers Published in Cow Island ...
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 18 newspapers that have been published in the area around Cow Island.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Cow Island, 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 Cow Island.
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 helpful 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 Cow Island:
- Websites specific to Texas
- Pages specific to Liberty County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Chambers County
- Hardin County
- Harris County
- Jefferson County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Texas
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 Cow Island, 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 obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Cow Island) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |