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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 Martha (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 Martha. 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 doctors and 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.

Martha is located in Liberty 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 Liberty County: Chambers, Hardin, Harris, Montgomery, Polk & San Jacinto.

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

  • Liberty County     (The home county of Martha)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Martha, with the one closest to Martha listed first.
    • Dayton
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Kenefick
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
      • Kenefick is located in Liberty County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kenefick
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 722 people
    • Stilson
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
      • Stilson is located in Liberty County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stilson
    • Gum Grove
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
      • Gum Grove is located in Liberty County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gum Grove
    • Dayton Lakes
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Dayton Lakes is located in Liberty County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dayton Lakes
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 107 people
    • Liberty
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Ames
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
      • Ames is located in Liberty County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ames
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,275 people
    • Hardin
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Plum Grove
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Plum Grove is located in Liberty County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plum Grove
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 756 people
    • Mariam
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Mariam is located in Liberty County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mariam
    • Woodson
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • Woodson is located in Liberty County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodson
    • Coushatta Village
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Coushatta Village is located in Liberty County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coushatta Village
    • Moss Bluff
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Moss Bluff is located in Liberty County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moss Bluff
  • Chambers County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Martha, with the one closest to Martha listed first.
    • Old River - Winfree
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
      • Old River - Winfree is located in Chambers County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Old River - Winfree
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,453 people
    • Mont Belvieu
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
    • Cove
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
      • Cove is located in Chambers County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cove
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 586 people
    • Wallisville
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Hankamer
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
    • Turtle Bayou
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • Turtle Bayou is located in Chambers County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Turtle Bayou
    • Baytown
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
    • Beach City
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Beach City is located in Chambers County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beach City
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,825 people
    • Anahuac
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Monroe City
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Monroe City is located in Chambers County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monroe City
  • Hardin County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Martha, with the one closest to Martha listed first.
    • Batson
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Saratoga
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Thicket
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Votaw
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Grayburg
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Grayburg is located in Hardin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grayburg
    • Sour Lake
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
  • Harris County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Martha, with the one closest to Martha listed first.
    • Huffman
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Crosby
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Greentree Village
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
      • Greentree Village is located in Harris County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greentree Village
    • Barrett
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Atascocita
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
    • Elm Grove Village
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
      • Elm Grove Village is located in Harris County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elm Grove Village
    • Hunter Ridge Village
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
      • Hunter Ridge Village is located in Harris County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hunter Ridge Village
    • Bear Branch Village
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Bear Branch Village is located in Harris County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bear Branch Village
    • Sherwood Trails Village
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
    • Woodland Hills Village
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
    • Sheldon
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Sheldon is located in Harris County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sheldon
    • Highlands
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Intercontinental Village
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
  • Jefferson County
    • Nome
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Nome is located in Jefferson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nome
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 592 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Nome <1>
  • Montgomery County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Martha, with the one closest to Martha listed first.
    • Roman Forest
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Roman Forest is located in Montgomery County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roman Forest
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,035 people
    • Patton Village
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Patton Village is located in Montgomery County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Patton Village
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,207 people
    • Splendora
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Woodbranch
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Woodbranch is located in Montgomery County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodbranch
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,498 people
    • New Caney
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
    • Porter
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
    • Porter Heights
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Porter Heights is located in Montgomery County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Porter Heights
    • Grangerland
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Sleepy Hollow
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Sleepy Hollow is located in Montgomery County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sleepy Hollow
    • Cut and Shoot
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Chateau Woods
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Chateau Woods is located in Montgomery County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chateau Woods
    • Woodloch
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Woodloch is located in Montgomery County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodloch
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 207 people
  • San Jacinto County
    • Shepherd
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)

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

Cemeteries Near Martha ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Martha.

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

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

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

  • Linney Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
  • Magnolia Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
  • Magnolia Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
  • St. Annes Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • Neyland Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
  • Branch Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
  • Fairlawn Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
  • Wells Memorial Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
  • Old Hardin Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
  • Huffman Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
  • Ryan Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
  • Our Mother of Mercy Catholic Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
  • Continue List   (108 more) ...
    • Huffman Community Cemetery
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Quarters Cemetery
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Lums Cemetery
      (12 miles [19.3 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.<3>

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

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

  • Dayton
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
  • Liberty
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
  • Ames
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Ames is located in Liberty County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ames
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,275 people
  • Huffman
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Crosby
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
  • Moss Bluff
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Moss Bluff is located in Liberty County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moss Bluff
  • Mont Belvieu
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
  • New Caney
    (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
  • Sheldon
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Sheldon is located in Harris County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sheldon
  • Wallisville
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
  • Cleveland
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
  • Humble
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
  • Continue List   (9 more) ...
    • Cedar Bayou
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Cedar Bayou is located in Harris County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Bayou
    • Lynchburg
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Lynchburg is located in Harris County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lynchburg
    • Keno
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Keno is located in Liberty County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keno

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

Newspapers Published in Martha ...

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 10 newspapers that have been published in the area around Martha.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Martha, there are papers which were published within 20 miles [32.2 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Martha.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we start with the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These professional and volunteer 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 Martha:

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 Martha, 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 from Point A (ie- Martha) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.