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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 Saint James (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 Saint James. 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.

Name Variations for Saint James ...

When searching records, keep in mind that names and their spelling can change over time. Our sources include documents like maps, railroad schedules, Travel, Express and Shipping Guides. Many of these documents date from the 1800's and it's common to find spelling differences.

For example, a typical abbreviation for Saint James: St. James

You might be interested in other communities that are also named Saint James. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Saint James.

If you have information about these names (such as the reason for the change, date of change, the origin of the name), please Contact Us.

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 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.

Saint James is located in Gonzales 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 Gonzales County: Bastrop, Caldwell, DeWitt, Fayette, Guadalupe, Karnes, Lavaca & Wilson.

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

  • Gonzales County     (The home county of Saint James)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Saint James, with the one closest to Saint James listed first.
    • Ottine
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Oak Forest
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
      • Oak Forest is located in Gonzales County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Forest
    • Belmont
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Monthalia ‑ Historic
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
      • Monthalia is located in Gonzales County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monthalia
    • Harwood
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Bebe
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Cost
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Cost is located in Gonzales County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cost
    • Gonzales
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Summerville
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Summerville is located in Gonzales County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Summerville
    • Sandy Fork
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Sandy Fork is located in Gonzales County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandy Fork
    • Wrightsboro
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • Leesville
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Dewville
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
      • Dewville is located in Gonzales County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dewville
  • Bastrop County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Saint James, with the one closest to Saint James listed first.
    • Jeddo
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Jeddo is located in Bastrop County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jeddo
    • Bateman
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Bateman is located in Bastrop County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bateman
    • Red Rock
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
  • Caldwell County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Saint James, with the one closest to Saint James listed first.
    • Luling
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • McNeil
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
      • McNeil is located in Caldwell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McNeil
    • Soda Springs
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
      • Soda Springs is located in Caldwell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Soda Springs
    • Stairtown
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Stairtown is located in Caldwell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stairtown
    • Brownsboro
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Brownsboro is located in Caldwell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brownsboro
    • Joliet
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Joliet is located in Caldwell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Joliet
    • Prairie Lea
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Mineral Springs ‑ Historic
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
      • Mineral Springs is located in Caldwell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mineral Springs
    • Tilmon
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
      • Tilmon is located in Caldwell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tilmon
    • Fentress
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Seawillow
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
      • Seawillow is located in Caldwell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seawillow
    • McMahan
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • McMahan is located in Caldwell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McMahan
    • Delhi
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Delhi is located in Caldwell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Delhi
  • Comal County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Saint James, with the one closest to Saint James listed first.
    • Freiheit
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Freiheit is located in Comal County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Freiheit
    • Hunter
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Hunter is located in Comal County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hunter
  • DeWitt County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Saint James, with the one closest to Saint James listed first.
    • Hochheim
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Westhoff
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
    • Pearl City
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Pearl City is located in DeWitt County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pearl City
  • Fayette County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Saint James, with the one closest to Saint James listed first.
    • Cistern
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Cistern is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cistern
      • Former names for Cistern:
      • Cockrell's Hill
      • Milton
      • Whiteside's Prairie
    • Colony
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Colony is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colony
    • Flatonia
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
  • Guadalupe County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Saint James, with the one closest to Saint James listed first.
    • Kingsbury
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
    • Weinert
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
      • Weinert is located in Guadalupe County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weinert
    • Staples
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Lauback
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
      • Lauback is located in Guadalupe County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lauback
    • Dugger
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Dugger is located in Guadalupe County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dugger
    • Seguin
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Seguin is located in Guadalupe County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seguin
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 30,165 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Seguin <1>
    • Galle
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Galle is located in Guadalupe County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Galle
    • Geronimo
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
    • Jakes Colony
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Jakes Colony is located in Guadalupe County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jakes Colony
    • Redwood
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Redwood is located in Guadalupe County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Redwood
    • Zorn
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Zorn is located in Guadalupe County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zorn
    • Morrison Falls
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Morrison Falls is located in Guadalupe County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morrison Falls
    • Zipp
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Zipp is located in Guadalupe County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zipp
  • Hays County
    • San Marcos
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Lavaca County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Saint James, with the one closest to Saint James listed first.
    • Moulton
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
    • Shiner
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
  • Wilson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Saint James, with the one closest to Saint James listed first.
    • Union
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Union is located in Wilson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union
    • Nockenut
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Nockenut is located in Wilson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nockenut
    • Pandora
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Caddo
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Caddo is located in Wilson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Caddo
    • Alum
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Alum is located in Wilson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alum

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

Cemeteries Near Saint James ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Saint James.

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 Saint James - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Ellis Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
  • Foster Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
  • Randle Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
  • King Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
  • Hodge Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Princeville Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
  • St. James Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Greenwood Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
  • McKeller Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
  • Nixon Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
  • Burrls Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Plum Creek Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
  • Continue List   (196 more) ...
    • Lone Oak Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Storey Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Pecan Branch Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)

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.<3>

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

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

  • Oak Forest
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Oak Forest is located in Gonzales County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Forest
  • Slayden
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Slayden is located in Gonzales County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Slayden
  • Belmont
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • Luling
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
  • Harwood
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
  • Gonzales
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
  • Leesville
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
  • Wrightsboro
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
  • Sandy Fork
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Sandy Fork is located in Gonzales County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandy Fork
  • Prairie Lea
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
  • Kingsbury
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
  • Tilmon
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
    • Tilmon is located in Caldwell County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tilmon
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Hamon
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Hamon is located in Gonzales County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hamon
    • Smiley
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • Waelder
      (20 miles [32.2 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 Saint James. See our List of 1890's Communities around Saint James.

Newspapers Published in Saint James ...

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 36 newspapers that have been published in the area around Saint James.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Saint James, there are papers which were published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Saint James.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first visit 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 Saint James:

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>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 Saint James, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<4>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a '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- Saint James) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.