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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 Goodwin (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 Goodwin. 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 and 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.

Goodwin is located in San Augustine 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 San Augustine County: Angelina, Jasper, Nacogdoches, Sabine & Shelby.

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

  • San Augustine County     (The home county of Goodwin)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Goodwin, with the one closest to Goodwin listed first.
    • Denning
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
      • Denning is located in San Augustine County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Denning
    • Maxey Town
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
      • Maxey Town is located in San Augustine County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maxey Town
    • Broaddus
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • San Augustine
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
    • White City
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
      • White City is located in San Augustine County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White City
    • Zana ‑ Historic
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
      • Zana is located in San Augustine County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zana
    • Rebecca
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
      • Rebecca is located in San Augustine County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rebecca
    • Powell
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • Powell is located in San Augustine County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Powell
  • Angelina County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Goodwin, with the one closest to Goodwin listed first.
    • Ora
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Ora is located in Angelina County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ora
    • Ewing
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
      • Ewing is located in Angelina County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ewing
    • Thomas Crossing
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
      • Thomas Crossing is located in Angelina County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thomas Crossing
    • Boynton
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Boynton is located in Angelina County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boynton
    • Oak Flat
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Oak Flat is located in Angelina County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Flat
    • Alco
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
      • Alco is located in Angelina County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alco
    • Dunagan
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • Dunagan is located in Angelina County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dunagan
    • Platt
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • Platt is located in Angelina County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Platt
    • Huntington
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Zavalla
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Rocky Springs
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
      • Rocky Springs is located in Angelina County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rocky Springs
    • Parker Point
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Parker Point is located in Angelina County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parker Point
    • Moffitt
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Moffitt is located in Angelina County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moffitt
  • Jasper County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Goodwin, with the one closest to Goodwin listed first.
    • Harveytown
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Harveytown is located in Jasper County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harveytown
    • Browndell
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Browndell is located in Jasper County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Browndell
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 204 people
    • Sam Rayburn
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
  • Nacogdoches County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Goodwin, with the one closest to Goodwin listed first.
    • Chireno
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Attoyac
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Attoyac is located in Nacogdoches County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Attoyac
    • Etoile
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Woden
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
    • Martinsville
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Swift
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
      • Swift is located in Nacogdoches County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Swift
    • Nacogdoches
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Appleby
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Appleby is located in Nacogdoches County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Appleby
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 444 people
    • Whispering Pines
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Whispering Pines is located in Nacogdoches County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whispering Pines
    • Fitze
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Fitze is located in Nacogdoches County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fitze
    • Redfield
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Redfield is located in Nacogdoches County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Redfield
    • Garrison
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Sabine County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Goodwin, with the one closest to Goodwin listed first.
    • Bronson
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
    • Rosevine
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Rosevine is located in Sabine County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rosevine
    • Geneva
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
    • Pineland
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Brookeland
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Hemphill
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
    • Milam
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
  • Shelby County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Goodwin, with the one closest to Goodwin listed first.
    • Choice
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Choice is located in Shelby County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Choice
    • Short
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Short is located in Shelby County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Short
    • Arcadia
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Arcadia is located in Shelby County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arcadia
    • Africa ‑ Historic
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Africa is located in Shelby County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Africa
    • Shelbyville
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Center
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
    • Campti
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Campti is located in Shelby County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Campti

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

Cemeteries Near Goodwin ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Goodwin.

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

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

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

  • St. John Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Maryland Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Davis Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
  • Fox Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • Woolam Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • Crow Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
  • Sanders Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
  • Miley Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
  • Sowell Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
  • Broaddus Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
  • Nath Beck Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
  • Macedonia Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
  • Continue List   (280 more) ...
    • Hereford Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Miller Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Thomas Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)

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.<2>

While we didn't find Goodwin in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Goodwin.

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

  • Macune
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Macune is located in San Augustine County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Macune
  • Denning
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Denning is located in San Augustine County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Denning
  • Chireno
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Etoile
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
  • San Augustine
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Zana ‑ Historic
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • Zana is located in San Augustine County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zana
  • Ora
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Ora is located in Angelina County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ora
  • Ironosa
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
    • Ironosa is located in San Augustine County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ironosa
  • Melrose
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Melrose is located in Nacogdoches County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Melrose
  • Woden
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
  • Martinsville
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Swift
    (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
    • Swift is located in Nacogdoches County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Swift
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Short
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Short is located in Shelby County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Short
    • Geneva
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
    • Patroon
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Patroon is located in Shelby County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Patroon

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

Newspapers Published in Goodwin ...

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 64 newspapers that have been published in the area around Goodwin.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Goodwin, there are papers which were published within 27 miles [43.5 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Goodwin.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we begin with 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 Goodwin:

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>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 Goodwin, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<3>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- Goodwin) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.