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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 Mason (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 Mason. 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.

Mason is located in Mason County and is the County Seat.

To see how the shape of Texas' counties have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Mason County: Gillespie, Kimble, Llano, McCulloch, Menard & San Saba.

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

  • Mason County     (The home county of Mason)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Mason, with the one closest to Mason listed first.
    • Koockville
      (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Koockville
      • Koockville is located in Mason County
    • Grit
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grit
      • Grit is located in Mason County
    • Art
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Art have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Art
      • Art is located in Mason County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Art <2>
    • Streeter
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Streeter
      • Streeter is located in Mason County
    • Hedwigs Hill ‑ Historic
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hedwigs Hill have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hedwigs Hill
      • Hedwigs Hill is located in Mason County
    • Hilda
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hilda
      • Hilda is located in Mason County
    • Fredonia
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Loyal Valley
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loyal Valley
      • Loyal Valley is located in Mason County
    • Pontotoc
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
  • Gillespie County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Mason, with the one closest to Mason listed first.
    • Doss
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
    • Harper
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
  • Kimble County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Mason, with the one closest to Mason listed first.
    • London
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
    • Noxville ‑ Historic
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Noxville
      • Noxville is located in Kimble County
  • Llano County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Mason, with the one closest to Mason listed first.
    • Castell
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Castell have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Castell
      • Castell is located in Llano County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Castell <2>
    • Valley Spring
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
  • McCulloch County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Mason, with the one closest to Mason listed first.
    • Voca
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Voca have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Voca
      • Voca is located in McCulloch County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Voca <2>
    • Calf Creek ‑ Historic
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Calf Creek have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Calf Creek
      • Calf Creek is located in McCulloch County
    • Brady
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Brady have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brady
      • Brady is located in McCulloch County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,178 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Brady <2>
  • Menard County

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Mason ...

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 16 newspapers that have been published in the area around Mason.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Mason. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Mason and those printed in the larger area surrounding Mason.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<3> of Mason.

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 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 Mason:

Cemeteries Near Mason ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Mason.

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.

If you need information about a burial or interment, photos, transcripts, how to contact the cemetery or local authorities, please visit our selection of Genealogy Websites (see below).

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

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

  • New Gooch Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the New Gooch Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the New Gooch Cemetery
  • Old Gooch Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Old Gooch Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Old Gooch Cemetery
  • Crosby Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Crosby Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Crosby Cemetery
  • Vater Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Vater Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Vater Cemetery
  • Jones Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Jones Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Jones Cemetery
  • Behrens Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Behrens Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Behrens Cemetery
  • Grit Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Grit Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Grit Cemetery
  • West Art Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the West Art Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the West Art Cemetery
  • Polk Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Polk Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Polk Cemetery
  • Cavness Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Cavness Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Cavness Cemetery
  • East Art Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the East Art Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the East Art Cemetery
  • Leifeste Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Leifeste Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Leifeste Cemetery
  • Continue List   (71 more) ...
    • Ellison Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Ellison Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Ellison Cemetery
    • Martin Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Martin Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Martin Cemetery
    • Coffey Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Coffey Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Coffey Cemetery

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.<4>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Mason had a population of 11,137 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service. In 2020, Mason had a population of 2,347 people.

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

  • Streeter
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Streeter
    • Streeter is located in Mason County
  • Hedwigs Hill ‑ Historic
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hedwigs Hill have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hedwigs Hill
    • Hedwigs Hill is located in Mason County
  • Katemcy
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Katemcy have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Katemcy
    • Katemcy is located in Mason County
  • Fredonia
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
  • Castell
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Castell have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Castell
    • Castell is located in Llano County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Castell <2>
  • Loyal Valley
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loyal Valley
    • Loyal Valley is located in Mason County
  • Camp San Saba
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Camp San Saba have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Camp San Saba
    • Camp San Saba is located in McCulloch County
  • Pontotoc
    (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
  • Voca
    (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Voca have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Voca
    • Voca is located in McCulloch County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Voca <2>
  • Continue List   (6 more) ...
    • London
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
    • Field Creek
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Field Creek have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Field Creek
      • Field Creek is located in Llano County
    • Valley Spring
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
    • Noxville ‑ Historic
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Noxville
      • Noxville is located in Kimble County
    • Brady
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Brady have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brady
      • Brady is located in McCulloch County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,178 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Brady <2>

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

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Mason. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.

The official website for State of Texas: https://texas.gov/

Footnotes ...

<1>The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required.
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<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 from Point A (ie- Mason) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Mason. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 30.7479, Longitude: -99.2330    
<4>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 Mason, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024