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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 Jonestown (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 Jonestown. 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.

Jonestown is located in Travis 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 Travis County: Bastrop, Blanco, Burnet, Caldwell, Hays & Williamson.

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

  • Travis County     (The home county of Jonestown)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Jonestown, with the one closest to Jonestown listed first.
    • Volente
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
    • Nameless ‑ Historic
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
      • Nameless is located in Travis County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nameless
      • Nameless has also been known as:
      • Cross Creek
      • Fairview
    • Hudson Bend
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
      • Hudson Bend is located in Travis County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hudson Bend
    • Lago Vista
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Buffalo Gap
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Briarcliff
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Point Venture
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Point Venture is located in Travis County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Point Venture
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,053 people
      • Point Venture has also been known as:
      • Point Venture village
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Point Venture <1>
    • Lakeway
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • The Hills
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
      • The Hills is located in Travis County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for The Hills
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,456 people
    • Bee Cave
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • Barton Creek
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
      • Barton Creek is located in Travis County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barton Creek
    • Lost Creek
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
      • Lost Creek is located in Travis County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lost Creek
    • Kings Village
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • Kings Village is located in Travis County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kings Village
  • Blanco County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Jonestown, with the one closest to Jonestown listed first.
    • Cypress Mill
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
    • Round Mountain
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
  • Burnet County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Jonestown, with the one closest to Jonestown listed first.
    • Spicewood
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
    • Oatmeal
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Bertram
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Mormon Mill ‑ Historic
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Mormon Mill is located in Burnet County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mormon Mill
      • Mormon Mill has also been known as:
      • Mormon Colony
    • Marble Falls
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
    • Shovel Mountain
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Shovel Mountain is located in Burnet County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shovel Mountain
    • Meadowlakes
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Meadowlakes is located in Burnet County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meadowlakes
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,733 people
    • Cottonwood Shores
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
    • Burnet
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Briggs
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
    • Granite Shoals
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
    • Highland Haven
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Highland Haven is located in Burnet County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Highland Haven
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 445 people
  • Hays County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Jonestown, with the one closest to Jonestown listed first.
    • Fitzhugh
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
      • Fitzhugh is located in Hays County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fitzhugh
    • Bear Creek
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
      • Bear Creek is located in Hays County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bear Creek
      • Estimated population in 2017: 445 people
    • Dripping Springs
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Driftwood
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
    • Hays
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Hays is located in Hays County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hays
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 283 people
    • Henly
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Henly is located in Hays County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Henly
    • Mount Gainor
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Mount Gainor is located in Hays County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Gainor
    • Buda
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Buda is located in Hays County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buda
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 17,544 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Buda <1>
    • Flatrock Ford
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Flatrock Ford is located in Hays County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flatrock Ford
    • Mountain City
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Mountain City is located in Hays County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mountain City
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 858 people
  • Llano County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Jonestown, with the one closest to Jonestown listed first.
    • Horseshoe Bay
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
    • Sunrise Beach Village
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
  • Williamson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Jonestown, with the one closest to Jonestown listed first.
    • Cedar Park
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Anderson Mill
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
      • Anderson Mill is located in Williamson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Anderson Mill
    • Leander
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Leander is located in Williamson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leander
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 70,519 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Leander <1>
    • Jollyville
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
      • Jollyville is located in Williamson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jollyville
    • Brushy Creek
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
      • Brushy Creek is located in Williamson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brushy Creek
    • Liberty Hill
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • Old Round Rock ‑ Historic
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • Old Round Rock is located in Williamson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Old Round Rock
    • Round Rock
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
    • Georgetown
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
    • Serenada
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Serenada is located in Williamson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Serenada
    • Sun City
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Sun City is located in Williamson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sun City
    • Andice
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
    • Hutto
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Hutto is located in Williamson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hutto
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 29,987 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hutto <1>

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

Cemeteries Near Jonestown ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Jonestown.

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

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

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

  • Fairview Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
  • Bonnet Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
  • Simpson Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • Teck Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • Bagdad Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Hensel Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
  • Darter Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
  • Rhodes Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
  • Pond Springs Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
  • Huddleston Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
  • Post Oak Bend Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
  • Jollyville Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
  • Continue List   (153 more) ...
    • Davis Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Cedar Grove Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Miller Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)

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 Jonestown in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Jonestown.

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

  • Volente
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
  • Cedar Park
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
  • Leander
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Leander is located in Williamson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leander
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 70,519 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Leander <1>
  • McNeil
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
    • McNeil is located in Travis County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McNeil
  • Liberty Hill
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
  • Old Round Rock ‑ Historic
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
    • Old Round Rock is located in Williamson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Old Round Rock
  • Round Rock
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
  • Smithwick
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
    • Smithwick is located in Burnet County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smithwick
  • Cedar Valley
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
    • Cedar Valley is located in Travis County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Valley
  • Oak Hill
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
    • Oak Hill is located in Travis County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Hill
  • Austin
    (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
  • Georgetown
    (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Bertram
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Cypress Mill
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
    • Daffan
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Daffan is located in Travis County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Daffan

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

Newspapers Published in Jonestown ...

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 304 newspapers that have been published in the area around Jonestown.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Jonestown, there are papers which were published within 29 miles [46.7 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Jonestown.

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 Jonestown:

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