RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> State of Texas >> Galveston County >> Dickinson >> Genealogy HelperIndex...

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 Dickinson (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 Dickinson. 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.

Dickinson is located in Galveston 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 Galveston County: Brazoria & Harris.

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

  • Galveston County     (The home county of Dickinson)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Dickinson, with the one closest to Dickinson listed first.
    • South Shore Village
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
      • South Shore Village is located in Galveston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Shore Village
    • League City
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Bacliff
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Kemah
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
      • Kemah is located in Galveston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kemah
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,048 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Kemah <1>
    • Clear Lake Shores
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Arcadia
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Arcadia is located in Galveston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arcadia
    • Santa Fe
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Hitchcock
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • La Marque
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • San Leon
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Parkwood Village
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Parkwood Village is located in Galveston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parkwood Village
    • Carmel Village
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
      • Carmel Village is located in Galveston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carmel Village
  • Brazoria County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Dickinson, with the one closest to Dickinson listed first.
    • Hillcrest
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Hillcrest is located in Brazoria County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hillcrest
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 706 people
    • Alvin
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
      • Alvin is located in Brazoria County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alvin
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 27,140 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Alvin <1>
    • Woodcreek
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Woodcreek is located in Brazoria County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodcreek
    • Pearland
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Westwood Village
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
      • Westwood Village is located in Brazoria County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westwood Village
    • Liverpool
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
    • West Oaks Village
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • West Oaks Village is located in Brazoria County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Oaks Village
    • Brookside Village
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
    • Manvel
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
      • Manvel is located in Brazoria County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manvel
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 13,867 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Manvel <1>
    • Fairway Village
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • Fairway Village is located in Brazoria County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairway Village
    • Iowa Colony
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Iowa Colony is located in Brazoria County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Iowa Colony
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,888 people
    • Danbury
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
  • Chambers County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Dickinson, with the one closest to Dickinson listed first.
    • Seabrook
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Shoreacres
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
      • Shoreacres is located in Chambers County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shoreacres
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,578 people
    • Smith Point
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
      • Smith Point is located in Chambers County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smith Point
    • Baytown
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
    • Beach City
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Beach City is located in Chambers County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beach City
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,825 people
    • Cove
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Cove is located in Chambers County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cove
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 586 people
    • Mont Belvieu
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
    • Double Bayou
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Double Bayou is located in Chambers County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Double Bayou
  • Fort Bend County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Dickinson, with the one closest to Dickinson listed first.
    • Arcola
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Arcola is located in Fort Bend County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arcola
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,775 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Arcola <1>
    • Fresno
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
    • Hawdon
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Hawdon is located in Fort Bend County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hawdon
      • Hawdon has also been known as:
      • Hawdon Junction
    • Juliff
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Juliff is located in Fort Bend County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Juliff
    • Sienna Plantation
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Sienna Plantation is located in Fort Bend County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sienna Plantation
    • Missouri City
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
    • Trammels
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Trammels is located in Fort Bend County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trammels
    • Dewalt
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Dewalt is located in Fort Bend County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dewalt
  • Harris County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Dickinson, with the one closest to Dickinson listed first.
    • Nassau Bay
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Webster
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Baybrook Village
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Baybrook Village is located in Harris County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baybrook Village
    • Clear Lake City
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • El Lago
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Mystic Village
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
      • Mystic Village is located in Harris County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mystic Village
    • Taylor Lake Village
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Gateway Village
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
      • Gateway Village is located in Harris County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gateway Village
    • La Porte
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Genoa
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Genoa is located in Harris County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Genoa
    • Parkland Village
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Parkland Village is located in Harris County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parkland Village
    • Morgan's Point
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
      • Morgan's Point is located in Harris County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morgan's Point
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 337 people

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

Cemeteries Near Dickinson ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Dickinson.

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

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

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

  • Mt. Olivet Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
  • Old Arcadia Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Fairview Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Forest Park East Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
  • Magnolia Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
  • Grace Memorial Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • Phillips Memorial Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Alta Loma Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
  • Galveston Memorial Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Hitchcock Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Rising Star Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Texas City Memorial Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Continue List   (90 more) ...

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>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that in 1895, Dickinson had a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Dickinson had a population of 21,216 people.

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

  • Arcadia
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Arcadia is located in Galveston County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arcadia
  • La Marque
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Alvin
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
    • Alvin is located in Brazoria County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alvin
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 27,140 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Alvin <1>
  • Virginia Point
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Virginia Point is located in Galveston County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Virginia Point
  • Genoa
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Genoa is located in Harris County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Genoa
  • Liverpool
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Galveston
    (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
  • Smith Point
    (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
    • Smith Point is located in Chambers County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smith Point
  • Red Bluff
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Red Bluff is located in Harris County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Bluff
  • Lynchburg
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
    • Lynchburg is located in Harris County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lynchburg
  • Harrisburg
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Harrisburg is located in Harris County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harrisburg
  • Cedar Bayou
    (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
    • Cedar Bayou is located in Harris County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Bayou
  • Continue List   (12 more) ...
    • Magnolia Park
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Magnolia Park is located in Harris County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Magnolia Park
    • Arcola Junction
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Arcola Junction is located in Fort Bend County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arcola Junction
    • Arcola
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Arcola is located in Fort Bend County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arcola
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,775 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Arcola <1>

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Dickinson ...

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 35 newspapers that have been published in the area around Dickinson.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Dickinson. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Dickinson and those printed in the larger area surrounding Dickinson.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 11 miles [17.7 km]<4> of Dickinson.

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 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 Dickinson:

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 Dickinson, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<4>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a '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- Dickinson) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.