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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 Oak Forest (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 Oak Forest. 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 southwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors were in the next county to the west. 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 west 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.

Oak Forest is located in Gonzales 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 Gonzales County: Bastrop, Caldwell, DeWitt, Fayette, Guadalupe, Karnes, Lavaca & Wilson.

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

  • Gonzales County     (The home county of Oak Forest)
  • Bastrop County
    • Jeddo
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Jeddo. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jeddo
      • Jeddo is located in Bastrop County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Jeddo
      • From Oak Forest to Jeddo
  • Caldwell County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Oak Forest, with the one closest to Oak Forest listed first.
    • Luling
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
    • McNeil
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Soda Springs
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
    • Stairtown
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Stairtown have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stairtown
      • Stairtown is located in Caldwell County
    • Brownsboro
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Brownsboro have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brownsboro
      • Brownsboro is located in Caldwell County
    • Joliet
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Joliet. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Joliet
      • Joliet is located in Caldwell County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Joliet
      • From Oak Forest to Joliet
    • Mineral Springs ‑ Historic
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mineral Springs have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mineral Springs
      • Mineral Springs is located in Caldwell County
    • Prairie Lea
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Prairie Lea have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prairie Lea
      • Prairie Lea is located in Caldwell County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Prairie Lea <2>
    • Tilmon
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Tilmon. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tilmon
      • Tilmon is located in Caldwell County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Tilmon
      • From Oak Forest to Tilmon
    • Fentress
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Seawillow
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Seawillow have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seawillow
      • Seawillow is located in Caldwell County
    • McMahan
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for McMahan have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McMahan
      • McMahan is located in Caldwell County
  • DeWitt County
  • Fayette County
    • Colony
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Colony. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colony
      • Colony is located in Fayette County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Colony
      • From Oak Forest to Colony
  • Guadalupe County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Oak Forest, with the one closest to Oak Forest listed first.
    • Kingsbury
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Weinert
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Weinert. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weinert
      • Weinert is located in Guadalupe County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Weinert
      • From Oak Forest to Weinert
    • Dugger
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Dugger. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dugger
      • Dugger is located in Guadalupe County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Dugger
      • From Oak Forest to Dugger
    • Jakes Colony
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Jakes Colony have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jakes Colony
      • Jakes Colony is located in Guadalupe County
    • Lauback
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lauback have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lauback
      • Lauback is located in Guadalupe County
    • Seguin
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
    • Staples
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Galle
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Galle. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Galle
      • Galle is located in Guadalupe County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Galle
      • From Oak Forest to Galle
    • Geronimo
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Morrison Falls
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Morrison Falls have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morrison Falls
      • Morrison Falls is located in Guadalupe County
    • Zipp
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Zipp have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zipp
      • Zipp is located in Guadalupe County
    • McQueeney
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for McQueeney have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McQueeney
      • McQueeney is located in Guadalupe County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for McQueeney <2>
  • Karnes County
    • Gillett
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gillett have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gillett
      • Gillett is located in Karnes County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Gillett <2>
  • Lavaca County
  • Wilson County

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

Cemeteries Near Oak Forest ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Oak Forest.

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

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

  • King Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the King Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the King Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Hodge Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hodge Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hodge Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Foster Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Foster Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Foster Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Storey Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Storey Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Storey Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Randle Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Randle Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Randle Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Ellis Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Ellis Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Ellis Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Pecan Branch Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pecan Branch Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pecan Branch Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Greenwood Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Princeville Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Princeville Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Princeville Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #6182 <4>
  • Stroman Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Stroman Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Stroman Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Liberty Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Liberty Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Liberty Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Oso Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Oso Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Oso Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (179 more) ...
    • Ellis - Nance Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Ellis - Nance Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Ellis - Nance Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • McKeller Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the McKeller Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the McKeller Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Burrls Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Burrls Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Burrls Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.

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, Oak Forest had a post office and no railroad service.

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

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

Newspapers Published in Oak Forest ...

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 74 newspapers that have been published in the area around Oak Forest.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Oak Forest, there are papers which were published within 29 miles [46.7 km]<6>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Oak Forest.

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 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 Oak Forest:

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Oak Forest. 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>An 'estimated' location is one where we have been given GPS coordinates, but are unable to verify the accuracy of those coordinates. That said, we have some confidence that we have placed the marker near the actual location. A typical reason for being unable to verify a location is that it might be on private property or maybe historic and gone without an obvious trace.
<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 Oak Forest, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<6>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Oak Forest) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Oak Forest. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 29.4990, Longitude: -97.5850       In this case, the coordinates for Oak Forest have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 29 Apr 2025