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 Smithville (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 Smithville. 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 hospitals 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.
Smithville is located in Gonzales 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 Gonzales County: Bastrop, Caldwell, DeWitt, Fayette, Guadalupe, Karnes, Lavaca & Wilson.
Below are the counties that are near Smithville. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Smithville:
- Gonzales County (The home county of Smithville)
- The following are listed by their distance from Smithville, with the one closest to Smithville listed first.
- Oak Forest
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Oak Forest. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Forest
- Oak Forest is located in Gonzales County
- Monthalia ‑ Historic
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Monthalia have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monthalia
- Monthalia is located in Gonzales County
- Belmont
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Ottine
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ottine have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ottine
- Ottine is located in Gonzales County
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ottine <3>
- Bebe
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Cost
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cost have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cost
- Cost is located in Gonzales County
- Gonzales
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Wrightsboro
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wrightsboro have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wrightsboro
- Wrightsboro is located in Gonzales County
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Wrightsboro <3>
- Harwood
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Leesville
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Sandy Fork
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandy Fork
- Sandy Fork is located in Gonzales County
- Dewville
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dewville
- Dewville is located in Gonzales County
- Hamon
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hamon
- Hamon is located in Gonzales County
- Bastrop County
- The following are listed by their distance from Smithville, with the one closest to Smithville listed first.
- Jeddo
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Jeddo. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jeddo
- Jeddo is located in Bastrop County
- Bateman
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bateman
- Bateman is located in Bastrop County
- Caldwell County
- The following are listed by their distance from Smithville, with the one closest to Smithville listed first.
- Luling
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- McNeil
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McNeil
- McNeil is located in Caldwell County
- Soda Springs
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Soda Springs. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Soda Springs
- Soda Springs is located in Caldwell County
- Stairtown
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Stairtown have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stairtown
- Stairtown is located in Caldwell County
- Prairie Lea
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Prairie Lea have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prairie Lea
- Prairie Lea is located in Caldwell County
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Prairie Lea <3>
- Brownsboro
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Brownsboro have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brownsboro
- Brownsboro is located in Caldwell County
- Joliet
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Joliet. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Joliet
- Joliet is located in Caldwell County
- Mineral Springs ‑ Historic
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mineral Springs have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mineral Springs
- Mineral Springs is located in Caldwell County
- Fentress
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Tilmon
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Tilmon. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tilmon
- Tilmon is located in Caldwell County
- Seawillow
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Seawillow have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seawillow
- Seawillow is located in Caldwell County
- McMahan
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for McMahan have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McMahan
- McMahan is located in Caldwell County
- Delhi
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Delhi
- Delhi is located in Caldwell County
- Comal County
- Freiheit
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Freiheit have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Freiheit
- Freiheit is located in Comal County
- DeWitt County
- The following are listed by their distance from Smithville, with the one closest to Smithville listed first.
- Hochheim
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Hochheim. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hochheim
- Hochheim is located in DeWitt County
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hochheim <3>
- Westhoff
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Pearl City
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pearl City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pearl City
- Pearl City is located in DeWitt County
- Fayette County
- The following are listed by their distance from Smithville, with the one closest to Smithville listed first.
- Cistern
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cistern
- Cistern is located in Fayette County
- Former names for Cistern:
- Cockrell's Hill
- Milton
- Whiteside's Prairie
- Colony
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Colony. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colony
- Colony is located in Fayette County
- Guadalupe County
- The following are listed by their distance from Smithville, with the one closest to Smithville listed first.
- Kingsbury
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Weinert
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Weinert. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weinert
- Weinert is located in Guadalupe County
- Dugger
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Dugger. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dugger
- Dugger is located in Guadalupe County
- Lauback
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lauback have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lauback
- Lauback is located in Guadalupe County
- Seguin
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Staples
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Jakes Colony
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Jakes Colony have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jakes Colony
- Jakes Colony is located in Guadalupe County
- Galle
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Galle. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Galle
- Galle is located in Guadalupe County
- Geronimo
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Morrison Falls
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Morrison Falls have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morrison Falls
- Morrison Falls is located in Guadalupe County
- Zipp
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Zipp have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zipp
- Zipp is located in Guadalupe County
- McQueeney
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for McQueeney have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McQueeney
- McQueeney is located in Guadalupe County
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for McQueeney <3>
- Nolte
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Nolte have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nolte
- Nolte is located in Guadalupe County
- Karnes County
- Gillett
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gillett have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gillett
- Gillett is located in Karnes County
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Gillett <3>
- Lavaca County
- The following are listed by their distance from Smithville, with the one closest to Smithville 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 Smithville, with the one closest to Smithville listed first.
- Union
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Union. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union
- Union is located in Wilson County
- Nockenut
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Nockenut. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nockenut
- Nockenut is located in Wilson County
- Caddo
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Caddo
- Caddo is located in Wilson County
- Pandora
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Alum
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alum
- Alum is located in Wilson County
- Stockdale
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Denhawken
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Denhawken
- Denhawken is located in Wilson County
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Smithville, see our County-by-County Page for Smithville.
Cemeteries Near Smithville ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Smithville.
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 Smithville covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Smithville, with the one closest to Smithville listed first.
- Foster Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- 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.
- King Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the King Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the King Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Ellis Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Ellis Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Ellis Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Randle Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Randle Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Randle Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Hodge Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hodge Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hodge Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Storey Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Storey Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Storey Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Greenwood Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Princeville Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Princeville Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Princeville Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #6182 <4>
- Burrls Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Burrls Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Burrls Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Stroman Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Stroman Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Stroman Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Pecan Branch Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pecan Branch Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pecan Branch Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Ellis - Nance Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Ellis - Nance Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Ellis - Nance Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Continue List (184 more) ...
- Liberty Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Liberty Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Liberty Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- McKeller Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the McKeller Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the McKeller Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- St. James Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. James Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. James 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.<5>
While we didn't find Smithville in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Smithville.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Smithville, with the one closest to Smithville listed first.
- Oak Forest
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Oak Forest. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Forest
- Oak Forest is located in Gonzales County
- Belmont
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Slayden
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Slayden have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Slayden
- Slayden is located in Gonzales County
- Gonzales
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Wrightsboro
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wrightsboro have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wrightsboro
- Wrightsboro is located in Gonzales County
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Wrightsboro <3>
- Luling
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Leesville
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Harwood
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Sandy Fork
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandy Fork
- Sandy Fork is located in Gonzales County
- Kingsbury
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Prairie Lea
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Prairie Lea have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prairie Lea
- Prairie Lea is located in Caldwell County
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Prairie Lea <3>
- Smiley
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Continue List (14 more) ...
- Hamon
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hamon
- Hamon is located in Gonzales County
- Union
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Union. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union
- Union is located in Wilson County
- Tilmon
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Tilmon. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tilmon
- Tilmon is located in Caldwell County
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Smithville. See our List of 1890's Communities around Smithville.
Newspapers Published in Smithville ...
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 Smithville.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Smithville, 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 Smithville.
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 websites either 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 Smithville:
- Websites specific to Texas
- Pages specific to Gonzales County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Bastrop County
- Caldwell County
- Comal County
- DeWitt County
- Fayette County
- Guadalupe County
- Karnes County
- Lavaca County
- Wilson County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Texas
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Smithville. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for State of Texas: https://texas.gov/
Footnotes ...
<1> | 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. |
<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> | 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. |
<5> | 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 Smithville, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
<6> | 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 drawn from Point A (ie- Smithville) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Smithville. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 29.5241, Longitude: -97.6081 In this case, the coordinates for Smithville have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). |