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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 Pin Oak (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 Pin Oak. 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 southeast 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 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 east 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.

Pin Oak is located in Bastrop 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 Bastrop County: Caldwell, Fayette, Gonzales, Lee & Travis.

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

  • Bastrop County     (The home county of Pin Oak)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Pin Oak, with the one closest to Pin Oak listed first.
    • Smithville
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Paige
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Alum Creek
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
      • Alum Creek is located in Bastrop County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alum Creek
    • Upton
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Upton is located in Bastrop County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Upton
    • Togo
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Togo is located in Bastrop County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Togo
    • Hills Prairie
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
      • Hills Prairie is located in Bastrop County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hills Prairie
    • Bastrop
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
    • Camp Swift
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Camp Swift is located in Bastrop County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Camp Swift
    • Kovar
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Kovar is located in Bastrop County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kovar
    • Phelan
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
      • Phelan is located in Bastrop County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Phelan
    • McDade
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Rosanky
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Austin County
    • Shelby
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Shelby is located in Austin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shelby
  • Burleson County
  • Caldwell County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Pin Oak, with the one closest to Pin Oak listed first.
    • Delhi
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Delhi is located in Caldwell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Delhi
    • Pettytown
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Pettytown is located in Caldwell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pettytown
    • Elm Grove
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Elm Grove is located in Caldwell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elm Grove
    • Taylorsville
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Taylorsville is located in Caldwell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Taylorsville
    • Saint Johns Colony
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Saint Johns Colony is located in Caldwell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Johns Colony
    • McMahan
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • McMahan is located in Caldwell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McMahan
    • Dale
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
  • Fayette County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Pin Oak, with the one closest to Pin Oak listed first.
    • Kirtley
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
      • Kirtley is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kirtley
    • Warda
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • West Point
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Plum
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Stellar
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
      • Stellar is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stellar
    • Nechanitz
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
      • Nechanitz is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nechanitz
    • La Grange
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Ledbetter
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
    • Muldoon
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
    • Walhalla
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
      • Walhalla is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walhalla
    • Hostyn
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Hostyn is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hostyn
    • Rutersville
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Rutersville is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rutersville
  • Gonzales County
    • Waelder
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Lee County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Pin Oak, with the one closest to Pin Oak listed first.
    • Serbin ‑ Historic
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
      • Serbin is located in Lee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Serbin
    • Giddings
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Lincoln
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Fedor
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
      • Fedor is located in Lee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fedor
    • Loebau
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Loebau is located in Lee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loebau
    • Knobbs Springs
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Knobbs Springs is located in Lee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Knobbs Springs
    • Blue
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Blue is located in Lee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blue
    • Lexington
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
    • Dime Box
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Old Dime Box
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Old Dime Box is located in Lee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Old Dime Box
    • Tanglewood
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Tanglewood is located in Lee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tanglewood
  • Travis County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Pin Oak, with the one closest to Pin Oak listed first.
    • Littig
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Littig is located in Travis County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Littig
    • Webberville
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
    • Garfield
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Garfield is located in Travis County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garfield
  • Washington County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Pin Oak, with the one closest to Pin Oak listed first.
    • La Bahia
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • La Bahia is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for La Bahia
    • Burton
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)

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

Cemeteries Near Pin Oak ...

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

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

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

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

  • Powell Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • Winchester Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Adams Thompson Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adams Thompson Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Adams Thompson Cemetery is located less than 2 miles<3> to the southeast of Alum Creek.
    • The Adams Thompson Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Adams Morris Thompson Cemetery
    • Thompson - Morris Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2306332 <2>
  • Thompson Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Colorado Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
  • Shiloh Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Noack Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Oak Hill Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
  • Williams Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Dixon Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
  • Goacher Cemetery Historical Site
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
  • Woods Prairie Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
  • Continue List   (167 more) ...
    • Plum Grove Cemetery
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Mt. Olive Cemetery
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Foerster Cemetery
      (11 miles [17.7 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.<4>

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

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

  • Serbin ‑ Historic
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Serbin is located in Lee County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Serbin
  • Smithville
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Winchester
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Winchester is located in Fayette County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winchester
  • Paige
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
  • Alum Creek
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Alum Creek is located in Bastrop County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alum Creek
  • West Point
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
  • Warda
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
  • Upton
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Upton is located in Bastrop County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Upton
  • Giddings
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Hills Prairie
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Hills Prairie is located in Bastrop County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hills Prairie
  • Plum
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Stellar
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • Stellar is located in Fayette County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stellar
  • Continue List   (13 more) ...
    • Bastrop
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
    • Nechanitz
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
      • Nechanitz is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nechanitz
    • Lincoln
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)

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

Newspapers Published in Pin Oak ...

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 61 newspapers that have been published in the area around Pin Oak.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Pin Oak, there are papers which were published within 29 miles [46.7 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Pin Oak.

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 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 Pin Oak:

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>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.
<3>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- Pin Oak) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.
<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 Pin Oak, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.