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The Commemorative Quarter for Texas





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 May (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 May. 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 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.

May is located in Brown County.

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 Brown County: Callahan, Coleman, Comanche, Eastland, McCulloch, Mills & San Saba.

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

  • Brown County     (The home county of May)
    • The following are listed by their distance from May, with the one closest to May listed first.
    • Lake Brownwood
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lake Brownwood have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Brownwood
      • Lake Brownwood is located in Brown County
    • Blanket
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Cross Cut
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cross Cut
      • Cross Cut is located in Brown County
    • Early
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
    • Brownwood
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Brownwood have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brownwood
      • Brownwood is located in Brown County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 18,208 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Brownwood <2>
    • Fry ‑ Historic
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fry have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fry
      • Fry is located in Brown County
    • Zephyr
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
    • Bangs
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bangs have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bangs
      • Bangs is located in Brown County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,504 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bangs <2>
  • Callahan County
    • The following are listed by their distance from May, with the one closest to May listed first.
    • Cross Plains
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Cottonwood
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cottonwood
      • Cottonwood is located in Callahan County
    • Rowden
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rowden
      • Rowden is located in Callahan County
  • Coleman County
    • The following are listed by their distance from May, with the one closest to May listed first.
    • Burkett
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
    • Santa Anna
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
  • Comanche County
    • The following are listed by their distance from May, with the one closest to May listed first.
    • Sidney
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sidney have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sidney
      • Sidney is located in Comanche County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sidney <2>
    • Sipe Springs
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sipe Springs
      • Sipe Springs is located in Comanche County
    • Comanche
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
    • Rucker
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rucker
      • Rucker is located in Comanche County
    • De Leon
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Comyn
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Comyn
      • Comyn is located in Comanche County
    • Proctor
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Proctor have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Proctor
      • Proctor is located in Comanche County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Proctor <2>
  • Eastland County
    • The following are listed by their distance from May, with the one closest to May listed first.
    • Rising Star
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Okra
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Okra have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Okra
      • Okra is located in Eastland County
    • Carbon
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Carbon have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carbon
      • Carbon is located in Eastland County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 276 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Carbon <2>
    • Nimrod ‑ Historic
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nimrod
      • Nimrod is located in Eastland County
    • Gorman
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gorman have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gorman
      • Gorman is located in Eastland County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,033 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Gorman <2>
    • Mangum ‑ Historic
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mangum have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mangum
      • Mangum is located in Eastland County
    • Kokomo
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kokomo
      • Kokomo is located in Eastland County
    • Cisco
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cisco have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cisco
      • Cisco is located in Eastland County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,850 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cisco <2>
    • Eastland
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
    • Desdemona
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)

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

Newspapers Published in May ...

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 47 newspapers that have been published in the area around May.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of May, 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 May.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first turn to 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 May:

Cemeteries Near May ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of May.

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 May covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

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

  • May Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the May Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the May Cemetery
  • Pleasant Valley Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pleasant Valley Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pleasant Valley Cemetery
  • Lost Creek Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lost Creek Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lost Creek Cemetery
  • Parker Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Parker Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Parker Cemetery
  • Rising Star Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
  • Heflin Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Heflin Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Heflin Cemetery
  • Routh Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Routh Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Routh Cemetery
  • Elm Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
  • Macedonia Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Macedonia Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Macedonia Cemetery
  • Roberts Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Roberts Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Roberts Cemetery
  • Rock Church Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Rock Church Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Rock Church Cemetery
  • Ferrill Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Ferrill Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Ferrill Cemetery
  • Continue List   (83 more) ...
    • Pendergrass Cemetery
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pendergrass Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pendergrass Cemetery
    • Sipe Springs Cemetery
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Martins Creek Cemetery
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Martins Creek Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Martins Creek 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.<5>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that in 1895, May had a post office and no railroad service.

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

  • Rising Star
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
  • Sidney
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sidney have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sidney
    • Sidney is located in Comanche County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sidney <2>
  • Sipe Springs
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sipe Springs
    • Sipe Springs is located in Comanche County
  • Blanket
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Pioneer
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pioneer have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pioneer
    • Pioneer is located in Eastland County
  • Cross Cut
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cross Cut
    • Cross Cut is located in Brown County
  • Duster
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Duster have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Duster
    • Duster is located in Comanche County
  • Thrifty
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Thrifty have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thrifty
    • Thrifty is located in Brown County
  • Cross Plains
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Burkett
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
  • Brownwood
    (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Brownwood have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brownwood
    • Brownwood is located in Brown County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 18,208 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Brownwood <2>
  • Romney
    (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Romney have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Romney
    • Romney is located in Eastland County
  • Continue List   (17 more) ...
    • Ricker ‑ Historic
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ricker have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ricker
      • Ricker is located in Brown County
    • Comanche
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
    • Carbon
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Carbon have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carbon
      • Carbon is located in Eastland County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 276 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Carbon <2>

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

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for May. 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 things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- May) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in May. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 31.9796, Longitude: -98.9201       In this case, the coordinates for May have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<4>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.
<5>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 May, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024