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Our Genealogy Helper

Introduction ...

So far, we found very little information about Otis Chalk. The little that we've found leads us believe that the community is historic.<1>

We've added Otis Chalk to our Gazetteer with the hope that we can develop more information. If you can help us with Otis Chalk, please Contact Us.

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 Otis Chalk (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 Otis Chalk. 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 northeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors and hospitals were in the next county to the east. 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 east 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.

Although our information shows that the community of Otis Chalk is historic, it would have been located within present day Howard 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 Howard County: Borden, Dawson, Glasscock, Martin, Midland, Mitchell, Scurry & Sterling.

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

  • Howard County     (The home county of Otis Chalk)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Otis Chalk, with the one closest to Otis Chalk listed first.
    • Ross City ‑ Historic
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ross City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ross City
      • Ross City is located in Howard County
    • Forsan
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Forsan have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forsan
      • Forsan is located in Howard County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 229 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Forsan <3>
    • Coahoma
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Ziler
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ziler have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ziler
      • Ziler is located in Howard County
    • Big Spring
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Big Spring have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Spring
      • Big Spring is located in Howard County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 28,077 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Big Spring <3>
    • Webb Village
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Webb Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Webb Village
      • Webb Village is located in Howard County
    • Fairview
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fairview have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairview
      • Fairview is located in Howard County
    • Knott
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Knott have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Knott
      • Knott is located in Howard County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Knott <3>
  • Glasscock County
    • Garden City
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Garden City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garden City
      • Garden City is located in Glasscock County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Garden City <3>
  • Mitchell County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Otis Chalk, with the one closest to Otis Chalk listed first.
    • Iatan
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Iatan. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Iatan
      • Iatan is located in Mitchell County
    • Spade
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spade
      • Spade is located in Mitchell County
    • Westbrook
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Westbrook have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westbrook
      • Westbrook is located in Mitchell County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 252 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Westbrook <3>
    • Cuthbert ‑ Historic
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cuthbert have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cuthbert
      • Cuthbert is located in Mitchell County
    • Colorado City
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Colorado City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colorado City
      • Colorado City is located in Mitchell County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,875 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Colorado City <3>
  • Sterling County
    • Sterling City
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sterling City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sterling City
      • Sterling City is located in Sterling County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,019 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sterling City <3>

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

Cemeteries Near Otis Chalk ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Otis Chalk.

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

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

  • Coahoma Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Coahoma Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Coahoma Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located outside and to the southeast of Coahoma.
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #1090378 <5>
  • Trinity Memorial Park
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Trinity Memorial Park
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Trinity Memorial Park have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Lolanthe Cemetery
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lolanthe Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lolanthe Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Iatan Cemetery
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Iatan Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Iatan Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Mt. Olive Cemetery
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mt. Olive Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mt. Olive Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Spade Cemetery
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Spade Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Spade Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Westbrook Cemetery
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Westbrook Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Westbrook Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Garden City Cemetery
    (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
  • Vincent Cemetery
    (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Vincent Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Vincent Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Handley Cemetery
    (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Edwards Cemetery
    (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Edwards Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Edwards Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Foster Cemetery
    (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
    • 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.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (8 more) ...
    • Montvale Cemetery
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Montvale Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Montvale Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Cemetery of the Sands
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Cemetery of the Sands
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Cemetery of the Sands have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Mitchell County Cemetery
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mitchell County Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mitchell County Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> 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.

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

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

  • Big Spring
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Big Spring have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Spring
    • Big Spring is located in Howard County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 28,077 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Big Spring <3>
  • Westbrook
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Westbrook have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westbrook
    • Westbrook is located in Mitchell County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 252 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Westbrook <3>
  • Garden City
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Garden City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garden City
    • Garden City is located in Glasscock County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Garden City <3>
  • Morita
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Morita have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morita
    • Morita is located in Howard County
  • Sterling City
    (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sterling City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sterling City
    • Sterling City is located in Sterling County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,019 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sterling City <3>
  • Cuthbert ‑ Historic
    (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cuthbert have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cuthbert
    • Cuthbert is located in Mitchell County

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

Newspapers Published in Otis Chalk ...

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 5 newspapers that have been published in the area around Otis Chalk.

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

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 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 Otis Chalk:

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

Footnotes ...

<1>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 Otis Chalk, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<2>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.
<3>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<4>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.
<5>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.
<6>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 drawn from Point A (ie- Otis Chalk) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Otis Chalk. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 32.1279, Longitude: -101.2573       In this case, the coordinates for Otis Chalk have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 29 Apr 2025