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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 Phelps (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 Phelps. 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.

Phelps is located in Walker 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 Walker County: Grimes, Houston, Madison, Montgomery, San Jacinto & Trinity.

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

  • Walker County     (The home county of Phelps)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Phelps, with the one closest to Phelps listed first.
    • Dodge
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dodge have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dodge
      • Dodge is located in Walker County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Dodge <2>
    • Huntsville
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Elmina
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elmina
      • Elmina is located in Walker County
    • Riverside
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Riverside have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riverside
      • Riverside is located in Walker County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 547 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Riverside <2>
    • New Waverly
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for New Waverly have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Waverly
      • New Waverly is located in Walker County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,073 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for New Waverly <2>
    • Goshen ‑ Historic
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Goshen have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goshen
      • Goshen is located in Walker County
    • Kittrell
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kittrell
      • Kittrell is located in Walker County
    • Wesley Grove
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wesley Grove
      • Wesley Grove is located in Walker County
  • Grimes County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Phelps, with the one closest to Phelps listed first.
    • Richards
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Richards have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Richards
      • Richards is located in Grimes County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Richards <2>
    • Shiro
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
    • Bedias
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
    • Roans Prairie
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Roans Prairie have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roans Prairie
      • Roans Prairie is located in Grimes County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Roans Prairie <2>
  • Houston County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Phelps, with the one closest to Phelps listed first.
    • Lovelady
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lovelady have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lovelady
      • Lovelady is located in Houston County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 623 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lovelady <2>
    • Holly
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Holly. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holly
      • Holly is located in Houston County
  • Madison County
    • Midway
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Montgomery County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Phelps, with the one closest to Phelps listed first.
    • Danville ‑ Historic
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Danville. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Danville
      • Danville is located in Montgomery County
    • Willis
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willis
      • Willis is located in Montgomery County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 7,122 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Willis <2>
    • Panorama Village
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Panorama Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Panorama Village
      • Panorama Village is located in Montgomery County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,446 people
    • Cut and Shoot
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
    • Montgomery
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Montgomery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montgomery
      • Montgomery is located in Montgomery County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,639 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Montgomery <2>
    • Conroe
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Conroe
      • Conroe is located in Montgomery County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 96,214 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Conroe <2>
    • Dacus
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dacus
      • Dacus is located in Montgomery County
    • Dobbin
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Polk County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Phelps, with the one closest to Phelps listed first.
    • Onalaska
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Onalaska have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Onalaska
      • Onalaska is located in Polk County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,167 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Onalaska <2>
    • Swartout ‑ Historic
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Swartout have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Swartout
      • Swartout is located in Polk County
    • West Livingston
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Livingston
      • West Livingston is located in Polk County
    • Bold Springs
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bold Springs
      • Bold Springs is located in Polk County
    • Lamont
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Lamont. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lamont
      • Lamont is located in Polk County
    • Goodrich
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Goodrich have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goodrich
      • Goodrich is located in Polk County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 338 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Goodrich <2>
    • Livingston
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
  • San Jacinto County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Phelps, with the one closest to Phelps listed first.
    • Oakhurst
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Oakhurst have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakhurst
      • Oakhurst is located in San Jacinto County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Oakhurst <2>
    • Point Blank
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
    • Evergreen
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Evergreen
      • Evergreen is located in San Jacinto County
    • Laurel Hill
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laurel Hill
      • Laurel Hill is located in San Jacinto County
    • Coldspring
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Coldspring have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coldspring
      • Coldspring is located in San Jacinto County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 950 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Coldspring <2>
    • Magnolia
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Magnolia have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Magnolia
      • Magnolia is located in San Jacinto County
    • Shepherd
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Shepherd have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shepherd
      • Shepherd is located in San Jacinto County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,424 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Shepherd <2>
  • Trinity County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Phelps, with the one closest to Phelps listed first.
    • Trinity
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
    • Mill Town
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mill Town have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mill Town
      • Mill Town is located in Trinity County
    • Chita
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chita
      • Chita is located in Trinity County
    • Glendale
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glendale
      • Glendale is located in Trinity County
    • Friday
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Friday
      • Friday is located in Trinity County

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

Cemeteries Near Phelps ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Phelps.

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

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

  • Blackjack Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Blackjack Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Blackjack Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Grant Colony Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Grant Colony Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Grant Colony Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Cleveland Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Cleveland Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Cleveland Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Dodge Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Dodge Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Dodge Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Prison Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Prison Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Prison Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • South Side Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
  • North Side Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the North Side Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the North Side Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Oakwood Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Oakwood Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Oakwood Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Sam Houston Grave
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Sam Houston Grave
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Sam Houston Grave have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Mitchell Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mitchell Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mitchell Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Boswell Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Boswell Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Boswell Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Chapel Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Chapel Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Chapel Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (144 more) ...
    • Chapel Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Chapel Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Chapel Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Hume Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hume Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hume Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Allen Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Allen Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Allen 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.<4>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Phelps had a population of 58 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service.

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

  • Dodge
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dodge have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dodge
    • Dodge is located in Walker County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Dodge <2>
  • Huntsville
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
  • Riverside
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Riverside have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riverside
    • Riverside is located in Walker County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 547 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Riverside <2>
  • New Waverly
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for New Waverly have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Waverly
    • New Waverly is located in Walker County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,073 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for New Waverly <2>
  • Bath
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bath have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bath
    • Bath is located in Walker County
  • Maynard
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Maynard have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maynard
    • Maynard is located in San Jacinto County
  • Point Blank
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
  • Evergreen
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Evergreen
    • Evergreen is located in San Jacinto County
  • Trinity
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
  • Willis
    (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willis
    • Willis is located in Montgomery County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 7,122 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Willis <2>
  • Coldspring
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Coldspring have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coldspring
    • Coldspring is located in San Jacinto County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 950 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Coldspring <2>
  • Montgomery
    (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Montgomery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montgomery
    • Montgomery is located in Montgomery County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,639 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Montgomery <2>
  • Continue List   (10 more) ...
    • Saron
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Saron have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saron
      • Saron is located in Trinity County
    • Dacus
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dacus
      • Dacus is located in Montgomery County
    • Conroe
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Conroe
      • Conroe is located in Montgomery County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 96,214 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Conroe <2>

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

Newspapers Published in Phelps ...

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 54 newspapers that have been published in the area around Phelps.

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

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we 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 Phelps:

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

The official website for Walker County: www.co.walker.tx.us/

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>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 Phelps, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<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- Phelps) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Phelps. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 30.6963, Longitude: -95.4444       In this case, the coordinates for Phelps have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 29 Apr 2025