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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 Duke (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 Duke. 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 southwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals 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.

Duke is located in Fort Bend 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 Fort Bend County: Austin, Brazoria, Harris, Waller & Wharton.

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

  • Fort Bend County     (The home county of Duke)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Duke, with the one closest to Duke listed first.
    • Arcola
      (Less than 2 miles to the east)
      • 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>
    • Hawdon
      (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
      • Hawdon is located in Fort Bend County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hawdon
      • Hawdon has also been known as:
      • Hawdon Junction
    • Sienna Plantation
      (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
      • Sienna Plantation is located in Fort Bend County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sienna Plantation
    • Fresno
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Trammels
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Trammels is located in Fort Bend County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trammels
    • Juliff
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
      • Juliff is located in Fort Bend County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Juliff
    • Dewalt
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
      • Dewalt is located in Fort Bend County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dewalt
    • Missouri City
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Fifth Street
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Fifth Street is located in Fort Bend County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fifth Street
    • First Colony
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
      • First Colony is located in Fort Bend County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for First Colony
    • Stafford
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Thompsons
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
  • Brazoria County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Duke, with the one closest to Duke listed first.
    • Iowa Colony
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
      • Iowa Colony is located in Brazoria County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Iowa Colony
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,888 people
    • Fairway Village
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
      • Fairway Village is located in Brazoria County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairway Village
    • Manvel
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
      • 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>
    • Sandy Point
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
      • Sandy Point is located in Brazoria County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandy Point
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 238 people
    • West Oaks Village
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
      • West Oaks Village is located in Brazoria County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Oaks Village
    • Lochridge
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
      • Lochridge is located in Brazoria County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lochridge
    • Rosharon
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Westwood Village
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
      • Westwood Village is located in Brazoria County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westwood Village
    • Brookside Village
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Pearland
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
    • Bonney
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
      • Bonney is located in Brazoria County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bonney
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 380 people
    • Alvin
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
      • 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>
  • Chambers County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Duke, with the one closest to Duke listed first.
    • Seabrook
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
    • Shoreacres
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Shoreacres is located in Chambers County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shoreacres
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,578 people
  • Galveston County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Duke, with the one closest to Duke listed first.
    • Carmel Village
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
      • Carmel Village is located in Galveston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carmel Village
    • Friendswood
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
    • Quaker Village
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Quaker Village is located in Galveston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Quaker Village
    • Parkwood Village
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
      • Parkwood Village is located in Galveston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parkwood Village
    • Arcadia
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Arcadia is located in Galveston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arcadia
    • League City
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
    • Santa Fe
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
    • Dickinson
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
    • South Shore Village
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • South Shore Village is located in Galveston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Shore Village
    • Clear Lake Shores
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
    • Kemah
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • 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>
    • Bacliff
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
  • Harris County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Duke, with the one closest to Duke listed first.
    • Post Oak Village
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
      • Post Oak Village is located in Harris County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Post Oak Village
    • Cambridge Village
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
      • Cambridge Village is located in Harris County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cambridge Village
    • Canterbury Village
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Canterbury Village is located in Harris County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Canterbury Village
    • Bellaire
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
    • Southside Place
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Southside Place is located in Harris County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Southside Place
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,885 people
      • Southside Place has also been known as:
      • South Side Place
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Southside Place <1>
    • West University Place
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Brays Village East
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
      • Brays Village East is located in Harris County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brays Village East
    • Alief
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Catalina Village
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Catalina Village is located in Harris County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Catalina Village
    • Glenbrook Valley
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Glenbrook Valley is located in Harris County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glenbrook Valley
    • Piney Point Village
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
      • Piney Point Village is located in Harris County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Piney Point Village
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,416 people
      • Piney Point Village has also been known as:
      • Piney Point
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Piney Point Village <1>
    • Ashford Village
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Ashford Village is located in Harris County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ashford Village
  • Wharton County
    • Newgulf
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)

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

Cemeteries Near Duke ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Duke.

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

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

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

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 Duke had a population of 106 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service.

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

  • Arcola
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
    • 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>
  • Arcola Junction
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
    • Arcola Junction is located in Fort Bend County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arcola Junction
  • Sandy Point
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Sandy Point is located in Brazoria County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandy Point
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 238 people
  • Stafford
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
  • Thompsons
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
  • Sugar Land
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
  • Pierce Junction
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Pierce Junction is located in Harris County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pierce Junction
  • Bonney
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • Bonney is located in Brazoria County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bonney
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 380 people
  • Crabb
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
    • Crabb is located in Fort Bend County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crabb
  • Alvin
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
    • 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>
  • Harlem
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Harlem is located in Fort Bend County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harlem
  • Jeanetta
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
    • Jeanetta is located in Harris County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jeanetta
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Chenango
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
      • Chenango is located in Brazoria County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chenango
    • Piney Point Village
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
      • Piney Point Village is located in Harris County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Piney Point Village
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,416 people
      • Piney Point Village has also been known as:
      • Piney Point
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Piney Point Village <1>
    • Richmond
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)

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

Newspapers Published in Duke ...

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 5 newspapers that have been published in the area around Duke.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Duke, there are papers which were published within 12 miles [19.3 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Duke.

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 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 Duke:

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 Duke, 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- Duke) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.