RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> State of Texas >> Brazoria County >> Manvel >> 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 Manvel (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 Manvel. 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 northwest 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 north.

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 north 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.

Manvel is located in Brazoria 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 Brazoria County: Fort Bend, Galveston, Harris, Matagorda & Wharton.

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

  • Brazoria County     (The home county of Manvel)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Manvel, with the one closest to Manvel listed first.
    • Iowa Colony
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
      • 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
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
      • Fairway Village is located in Brazoria County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairway Village
    • West Oaks Village
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
      • West Oaks Village is located in Brazoria County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Oaks Village
    • Westwood Village
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
      • Westwood Village is located in Brazoria County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westwood Village
    • Pearland
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Brookside Village
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Alvin
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
      • 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
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Woodcreek is located in Brazoria County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodcreek
    • Sandy Point
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Sandy Point is located in Brazoria County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandy Point
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 238 people
    • Hillcrest
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Hillcrest is located in Brazoria County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hillcrest
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 706 people
    • Rosharon
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Bonney
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Bonney is located in Brazoria County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bonney
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 380 people
  • Chambers County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Manvel, with the one closest to Manvel listed first.
    • Seabrook
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
    • Shoreacres
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Shoreacres is located in Chambers County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shoreacres
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,578 people
    • Baytown
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Fort Bend County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Manvel, with the one closest to Manvel listed first.
    • Fresno
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Arcola
      (6 miles [9.7 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>
    • Hawdon
      (6 miles [9.7 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
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
      • Juliff is located in Fort Bend County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Juliff
    • Sienna Plantation
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
      • Sienna Plantation is located in Fort Bend County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sienna Plantation
    • Trammels
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
      • Trammels is located in Fort Bend County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trammels
    • Dewalt
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Dewalt is located in Fort Bend County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dewalt
    • Missouri City
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Fifth Street
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Fifth Street is located in Fort Bend County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fifth Street
    • Missouri City Estates
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Missouri City Estates is located in Fort Bend County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Missouri City Estates
    • Stafford
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
    • First Colony
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
      • First Colony is located in Fort Bend County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for First Colony
  • Galveston County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Manvel, with the one closest to Manvel listed first.
    • Carmel Village
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
      • Carmel Village is located in Galveston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carmel Village
    • Friendswood
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Quaker Village
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
      • Quaker Village is located in Galveston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Quaker Village
    • Parkwood Village
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
      • Parkwood Village is located in Galveston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parkwood Village
    • Arcadia
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Arcadia is located in Galveston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arcadia
    • League City
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
    • Santa Fe
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Dickinson
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
    • South Shore Village
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
      • South Shore Village is located in Galveston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Shore Village
    • Clear Lake Shores
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
    • Kemah
      (21 miles [33.8 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
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
  • Harris County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Manvel, with the one closest to Manvel listed first.
    • Canterbury Village
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
      • Canterbury Village is located in Harris County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Canterbury Village
    • Post Oak Village
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Post Oak Village is located in Harris County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Post Oak Village
    • Cambridge Village
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Cambridge Village is located in Harris County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cambridge Village
    • Baybrook Village
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
      • Baybrook Village is located in Harris County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baybrook Village
    • Glenbrook Valley
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Glenbrook Valley is located in Harris County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glenbrook Valley
    • Genoa
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Genoa is located in Harris County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Genoa
    • Clear Lake City
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
    • Webster
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
    • Park Place
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
      • Park Place is located in Harris County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Park Place
    • Parkland Village
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Parkland Village is located in Harris County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parkland Village
    • South Houston
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Bellaire
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)

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

Cemeteries Near Manvel ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Manvel.

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

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

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Manvel, with the one closest to Manvel 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>

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

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

  • Arcola Junction
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Arcola Junction is located in Fort Bend County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arcola Junction
  • Arcola
    (6 miles [9.7 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>
  • Duke
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Duke is located in Fort Bend County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Duke
  • Alvin
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • 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>
  • Sandy Point
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Sandy Point is located in Brazoria County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandy Point
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 238 people
  • Bonney
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Bonney is located in Brazoria County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bonney
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 380 people
  • Liverpool
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
  • Pierce Junction
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
    • Pierce Junction is located in Harris County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pierce Junction
  • Genoa
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Genoa is located in Harris County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Genoa
  • Arcadia
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Arcadia is located in Galveston County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arcadia
  • Stafford
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
  • Chenango
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
    • Chenango is located in Brazoria County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chenango
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Thompsons
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
    • Harrisburg
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
      • Harrisburg is located in Harris County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harrisburg
    • Sugar Land
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)

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

Newspapers Published in Manvel ...

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 11 newspapers that have been published in the area around Manvel.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Manvel, there are papers which were published within 10 miles [16.1 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Manvel.

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 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 Manvel:

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