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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 Plum (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 Plum. 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 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.

Plum is located in Fayette 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 Fayette County: Austin, Bastrop, Caldwell, Colorado, Gonzales, Lavaca, Lee & Washington.

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

  • Fayette County     (The home county of Plum)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Plum, with the one closest to Plum listed first.
    • West Point
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • La Grange
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Hostyn
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Hostyn is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hostyn
    • Warda
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Kirtley
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
      • Kirtley is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kirtley
    • Rutersville
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
      • Rutersville is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rutersville
    • Muldoon
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Stellar
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
      • Stellar is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stellar
    • Halsted
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
      • Halsted is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Halsted
    • Joiner
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
      • Joiner is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Joiner
    • Nechanitz
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Nechanitz is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nechanitz
    • Freyburg
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
      • Freyburg is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Freyburg
  • Austin County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Plum, with the one closest to Plum listed first.
    • Shelby
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Shelby is located in Austin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shelby
    • Industry
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
    • New Ulm
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
  • Bastrop County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Plum, with the one closest to Plum listed first.
    • Smithville
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Kovar
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
      • Kovar is located in Bastrop County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kovar
    • Togo
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
      • Togo is located in Bastrop County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Togo
    • Alum Creek
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Alum Creek is located in Bastrop County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alum Creek
    • Upton
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
      • Upton is located in Bastrop County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Upton
    • Rosanky
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
    • Paige
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Hills Prairie
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Hills Prairie is located in Bastrop County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hills Prairie
    • Jeddo
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Jeddo is located in Bastrop County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jeddo
    • Bastrop
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
    • Camp Swift
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Camp Swift is located in Bastrop County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Camp Swift
    • Phelan
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Phelan is located in Bastrop County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Phelan
  • Caldwell County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Plum, with the one closest to Plum listed first.
    • Delhi
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Delhi is located in Caldwell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Delhi
    • Pettytown
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Pettytown is located in Caldwell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pettytown
  • Colorado County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Plum, with the one closest to Plum listed first.
    • Weimar
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Pisek ‑ Historic
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Pisek is located in Colorado County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pisek
    • Borden
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • Borden is located in Colorado County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Borden
    • New Bielau ‑ Historic
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • New Bielau is located in Colorado County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Bielau
    • Oakland
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
    • Frelsburg
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Frelsburg is located in Colorado County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frelsburg
    • Hillcrest
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Hillcrest is located in Colorado County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hillcrest
    • Glidden
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Columbus
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Gonzales County
    • Waelder
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
  • Lavaca County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Plum, with the one closest to Plum listed first.
    • Gleckler
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Gleckler is located in Lavaca County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gleckler
    • Moravia
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Moravia is located in Lavaca County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moravia
    • Hackberry ‑ Historic
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Hackberry is located in Lavaca County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hackberry
    • Komensky
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Komensky is located in Lavaca County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Komensky
    • Moulton
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Breslau
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Breslau is located in Lavaca County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Breslau
  • Lee County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Plum, with the one closest to Plum listed first.
    • Serbin ‑ Historic
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
      • Serbin is located in Lee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Serbin
    • Giddings
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
    • Lincoln
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
    • Loebau
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Loebau is located in Lee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loebau
    • Fedor
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Fedor is located in Lee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fedor
    • Dime Box
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
  • Washington County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Plum, with the one closest to Plum listed first.
    • La Bahia
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • La Bahia is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for La Bahia
    • Greenvine
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Greenvine is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenvine
    • Burton
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Wesley
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Wesley is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wesley

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

Cemeteries Near Plum ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Plum.

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 Plum - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Plum Grove Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
  • Mantan Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
  • Plum Grove Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
  • Mt. Olive Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
  • Williams Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
  • Cedar Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • Taylor Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
  • Shiloh Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
  • Winchester Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
  • Woods Prairie Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
  • La Grange Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
  • Old La Grange City Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
  • Continue List   (181 more) ...
    • Black Jack Springs Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Moore Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Hickory Ridge Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)

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 in 1895, Plum had a post office and railroad service.

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

  • West Point
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
  • La Grange
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
  • Winchester
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Winchester is located in Fayette County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winchester
  • O'Quinn
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • O'Quinn is located in Fayette County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for O'Quinn
  • Warda
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
  • Stellar
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Stellar is located in Fayette County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stellar
  • Muldoon
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
  • Rutersville
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Rutersville is located in Fayette County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rutersville
  • Swiss Alp
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Swiss Alp is located in Fayette County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Swiss Alp
  • Ammannsville
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Ammannsville is located in Fayette County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ammannsville
  • Joiner
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Joiner is located in Fayette County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Joiner
  • Nechanitz
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Nechanitz is located in Fayette County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nechanitz
  • Continue List   (16 more) ...
    • Freyburg
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
      • Freyburg is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Freyburg
    • Smithville
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Walhalla
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Walhalla is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walhalla

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

Newspapers Published in Plum ...

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 66 newspapers that have been published in the area around Plum.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Plum, there are papers which were published within 29 miles [46.7 km]<2>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Plum.

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 Plum:

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 drawn from Point A (ie- Plum) 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 Plum, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.