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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 Oakwood (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 Oakwood. 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 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.

Oakwood is primarily located in Freestone County. A portion of Oakwood extends into Leon 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 Freestone County: Anderson, Leon, Limestone & Navarro.

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

  • Freestone County     (The home county of Oakwood)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Oakwood, with the one closest to Oakwood listed first.
    • Red Lake
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Lake
      • Red Lake is located in Freestone County
    • Lanely
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Lanely. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lanely
      • Lanely is located in Freestone County
    • Turlington
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Turlington
      • Turlington is located in Freestone County
    • Dew
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dew
      • Dew is located in Freestone County
    • Fairfield
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Donie
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
    • Freestone
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Freestone
      • Freestone is located in Freestone County
    • Teague
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Teague have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Teague
      • Teague is located in Freestone County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,526 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Teague <2>
    • Stewards Mill ‑ Historic
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Stewards Mill. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stewards Mill
      • Stewards Mill is located in Freestone County
    • Kirvin
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Cotton Gin
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
  • Anderson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Oakwood, with the one closest to Oakwood listed first.
    • Long Lake
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Long Lake. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Long Lake
      • Long Lake is located in Anderson County
    • Tucker
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tucker
      • Tucker is located in Anderson County
    • Lakeview Assembly
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lakeview Assembly have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lakeview Assembly
      • Lakeview Assembly is located in Anderson County
    • Harmony
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Harmony. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harmony
      • Harmony is located in Anderson County
    • Massey Lake
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Massey Lake
      • Massey Lake is located in Anderson County
    • Cronin
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Cronin. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cronin
      • Cronin is located in Anderson County
    • Elkhart
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
    • Tennessee Colony
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
    • Palestine
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Salmon
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salmon
      • Salmon is located in Anderson County
    • Greens Bluff
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Greens Bluff. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greens Bluff
      • Greens Bluff is located in Anderson County
    • Yard ‑ Historic
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Yard have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yard
      • Yard is located in Anderson County
    • Deanwright
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Deanwright. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Deanwright
      • Deanwright is located in Anderson County
  • Houston County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Oakwood, with the one closest to Oakwood listed first.
    • Halls Bluff Town ‑ Historic
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Halls Bluff Town have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Halls Bluff Town
      • Halls Bluff Town is located in Houston County
    • Grapeland
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
    • Latexo
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Porter Springs
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Porter Springs
      • Porter Springs is located in Houston County
    • Refuge
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Refuge
      • Refuge is located in Houston County
    • Cooper
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cooper have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cooper
      • Cooper is located in Houston County
    • Crockett
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Crockett have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crockett
      • Crockett is located in Houston County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 6,350 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Crockett <2>
    • Austonio
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Austonio
      • Austonio is located in Houston County
  • Leon County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Oakwood, with the one closest to Oakwood listed first.
    • Russell
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Russell
      • Russell is located in Leon County
    • Buffalo
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Centerview
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Centerview
      • Centerview is located in Leon County
    • Centerville
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
    • Jewett
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
    • Newby
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newby
      • Newby is located in Leon County
    • Middleton
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Middleton. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Middleton
      • Middleton is located in Leon County
    • Concord
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Leona
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Leona have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leona
      • Leona is located in Leon County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 179 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Leona <2>
  • Limestone County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Oakwood, with the one closest to Oakwood listed first.
    • Farrar
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Farrar
      • Farrar is located in Limestone County
    • Personville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Personville
      • Personville is located in Limestone County

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

Cemeteries Near Oakwood ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Oakwood.

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

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

  • Oakwood Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
  • Mt. Pisgah Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
  • Lone Star Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
  • Mayes Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
  • Keechi Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Keechi Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Keechi Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Bluff Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bluff Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bluff Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Lamon Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lamon Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lamon Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Bacon Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
  • Magnolia Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
  • Willis Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Willis Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Willis Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Brooke Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Brooke Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Brooke Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Plum Creek Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
  • Continue List   (220 more) ...
    • Parker Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Parker Cemetery
      • The Parker Cemetery has also been known as:
      • Sulphur Springs Cemetery
      • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #5889 <4>
    • Myrtle Springs Cemetery
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Davis Cemetery
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)

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.<6>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Oakwood had a population of 231 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Oakwood had a population of 514 people.

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

  • Long Lake
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Long Lake. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Long Lake
    • Long Lake is located in Anderson County
  • Butler
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Butler have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Butler
    • Butler is located in Freestone County
  • Keechi
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Keechi have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keechi
    • Keechi is located in Leon County
  • Tucker
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tucker
    • Tucker is located in Anderson County
  • Russell
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Russell
    • Russell is located in Leon County
  • Buffalo
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
  • Cronin
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Cronin. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cronin
    • Cronin is located in Anderson County
  • Elkhart
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
  • Palestine
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Tennessee Colony
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
  • Dew
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dew
    • Dew is located in Freestone County
  • Fairfield
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Montalba
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Montalba have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montalba
      • Montalba is located in Anderson County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Montalba <2>
    • Luna
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Luna have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Luna
      • Luna is located in Freestone County
    • Grapeland
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)

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

Newspapers Published in Oakwood ...

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 43 newspapers that have been published in the area around Oakwood.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Oakwood, there are papers which were published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<5>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Oakwood.

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 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 Oakwood:

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

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

Footnotes ...

<1>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.
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<3>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.
<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>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or 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- Oakwood) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Oakwood. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 31.5846, Longitude: -95.8499       In this case, the coordinates for Oakwood have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<6>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 Oakwood, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 29 Apr 2025