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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 Island (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 Island. 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.

Name Variations for Oak Island ...

When searching records, keep in mind that names and their spelling can change over time. Our sources include documents like maps, railroad schedules, Travel, Express and Shipping Guides. Many of these documents date from the 1800's and it's common to find spelling differences.

For example, a typical abbreviation for Oak Island: Oak Is. (in Canada, 'Isld.' is the more common abbreviation.)

You might be interested in other communities that are also named Oak Island. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Oak Island.

If you have information about these names (such as the reason for the change, date of change, the origin of the name), please Contact Us.

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 and doctors 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.

Oak Island is located in Chambers 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 Chambers County: Harris, Jefferson & Liberty.

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

  • Chambers County     (The home county of Oak Island)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Oak Island, with the one closest to Oak Island listed first.
    • Double Bayou
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Double Bayou is located in Chambers County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Double Bayou
    • Anahuac
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Smith Point
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Smith Point is located in Chambers County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smith Point
    • Monroe City
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Monroe City is located in Chambers County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monroe City
    • Beach City
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Beach City is located in Chambers County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beach City
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,825 people
    • Turtle Bayou
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
      • Turtle Bayou is located in Chambers County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Turtle Bayou
    • Wallisville
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • Cove
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Cove is located in Chambers County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cove
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 586 people
    • Hankamer
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Old River - Winfree
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
      • 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
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Baytown
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
    • Shoreacres
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • Shoreacres is located in Chambers County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shoreacres
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,578 people
  • Galveston County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Oak Island, with the one closest to Oak Island listed first.
    • Crystal Beach
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
    • Bolivar Peninsula
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Bolivar Peninsula is located in Galveston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bolivar Peninsula
    • Caplen
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Caplen is located in Galveston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Caplen
    • Gilchrist
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
    • High Island
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
    • San Leon
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
    • Port Bolivar
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
    • Bacliff
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Kemah
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • 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>
    • Texas City
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Clear Lake Shores
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
    • South Shore Village
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • South Shore Village is located in Galveston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Shore Village
    • Dickinson
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Harris County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Oak Island, with the one closest to Oak Island listed first.
    • Cedar Bayou
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Cedar Bayou is located in Harris County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Bayou
    • Chaparral Village
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Chaparral Village is located in Harris County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chaparral Village
    • Morgan's Point
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
      • Morgan's Point is located in Harris County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morgan's Point
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 337 people
    • La Porte
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
    • Gateway Village
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
      • Gateway Village is located in Harris County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gateway Village
    • Mystic Village
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
      • Mystic Village is located in Harris County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mystic Village
    • El Lago
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
    • Taylor Lake Village
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
    • Highlands
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Deer Park
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
    • Nassau Bay
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
    • Barrett
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Channelview
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
  • Jefferson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Oak Island, with the one closest to Oak Island listed first.
    • Hamshire
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Nome
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • 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>
  • Liberty County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Oak Island, with the one closest to Oak Island listed first.
    • Moss Bluff
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • Moss Bluff is located in Liberty County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moss Bluff
    • Devers
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Raywood
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
    • Ames
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Ames is located in Liberty County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ames
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,275 people
    • Liberty
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • Woodson
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Woodson is located in Liberty County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodson
    • Dayton
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Stilson
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Stilson is located in Liberty County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stilson

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

Cemeteries Near Oak Island ...

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

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 Oak Island - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Mt. Zion Baptist Church Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Jackson Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
  • Godfrey Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Crook Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • Frankland Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
  • Anahuac Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
  • Davis Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
  • Benjamin Barrow Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
  • Baxter Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
  • Barrow Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
  • Fisher Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
  • Wiggins Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
  • Continue List   (88 more) ...
    • Bayshore Cemetery
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Godfrey Cemetery
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Barnes 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.<4>

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

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

  • Double Bayou
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Double Bayou is located in Chambers County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Double Bayou
  • Anahuac
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
  • Smith Point
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Smith Point is located in Chambers County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smith Point
  • Turtle Bayou
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Turtle Bayou is located in Chambers County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Turtle Bayou
  • Wallisville
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
  • Mont Belvieu
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Cedar Bayou
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Cedar Bayou is located in Harris County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Bayou
  • Moss Bluff
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
    • Moss Bluff is located in Liberty County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moss Bluff
  • Lynchburg
    (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
    • Lynchburg is located in Harris County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lynchburg
  • Dickinson
    (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
  • La Marque
    (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Galveston
    (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
  • Continue List   (8 more) ...
    • Liberty
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • Virginia Point
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Virginia Point is located in Galveston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Virginia Point
    • Felicia
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Felicia is located in Liberty County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Felicia

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

Newspapers Published in Oak Island ...

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 171 newspapers that have been published in the area around Oak Island.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Oak Island, there are papers which were published within 26 miles [41.8 km]<2>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Oak Island.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we begin 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 Oak Island:

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>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Oak Island) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.
<3>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.
<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 Oak Island, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.