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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 South Main Plaza (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 South Main Plaza. 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 South Main Plaza ...

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 South Main Plaza: S. Main Plaza

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 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.

South Main Plaza is located in Harris 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 Harris County: Brazoria, Chambers, Fort Bend, Galveston, Liberty, Montgomery & Waller.

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

  • Harris County     (The home county of South Main Plaza)
    • The following are listed by their distance from South Main Plaza, with the one closest to South Main Plaza listed first.
    • Post Oak Village
      (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
      • Post Oak Village is located in Harris County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Post Oak Village
    • Cambridge Village
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Cambridge Village is located in Harris County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cambridge Village
    • Canterbury Village
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
      • Canterbury Village is located in Harris County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Canterbury Village
    • Bellaire
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Southside Place
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
      • Southside Place is located in Harris County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Southside Place
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,885 people
      • Southside Place has also been known as:
      • South Side Place
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Southside Place <1>
    • West University Place
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Brays Village East
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Brays Village East is located in Harris County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brays Village East
    • Alief
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Bunker Hill Village
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
      • Bunker Hill Village is located in Harris County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bunker Hill Village
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,901 people
    • Piney Point Village
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
      • Piney Point Village is located in Harris County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Piney Point Village
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,416 people
      • Piney Point Village has also been known as:
      • Piney Point
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Piney Point Village <1>
    • Catalina Village
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Catalina Village is located in Harris County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Catalina Village
    • Ashford Village
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Ashford Village is located in Harris County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ashford Village
  • Brazoria County
    • The following are listed by their distance from South Main Plaza, with the one closest to South Main Plaza listed first.
    • Fairway Village
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Fairway Village is located in Brazoria County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairway Village
    • Brookside Village
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • West Oaks Village
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • West Oaks Village is located in Brazoria County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Oaks Village
    • Iowa Colony
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
      • Iowa Colony is located in Brazoria County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Iowa Colony
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,888 people
    • Manvel
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Manvel is located in Brazoria County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manvel
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 13,867 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Manvel <1>
    • Pearland
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
    • Westwood Village
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Westwood Village is located in Brazoria County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westwood Village
    • Woodcreek
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
      • Woodcreek is located in Brazoria County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodcreek
    • Sandy Point
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
      • Sandy Point is located in Brazoria County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandy Point
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 238 people
    • Lochridge
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Lochridge is located in Brazoria County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lochridge
    • Rosharon
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
    • Alvin
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Alvin is located in Brazoria County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alvin
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 27,140 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Alvin <1>
  • Chambers County
    • The following are listed by their distance from South Main Plaza, with the one closest to South Main Plaza listed first.
    • Seabrook
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
    • Shoreacres
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Shoreacres is located in Chambers County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shoreacres
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,578 people
  • Fort Bend County
    • The following are listed by their distance from South Main Plaza, with the one closest to South Main Plaza listed first.
    • Missouri City
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Fifth Street
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
      • Fifth Street is located in Fort Bend County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fifth Street
    • Missouri City Estates
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
      • Missouri City Estates is located in Fort Bend County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Missouri City Estates
    • Stafford
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Fresno
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Dewalt
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
      • Dewalt is located in Fort Bend County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dewalt
    • Meadows
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Meadows is located in Fort Bend County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meadows
    • Trammels
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Trammels is located in Fort Bend County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trammels
    • Meadows Place
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
      • Meadows Place is located in Fort Bend County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meadows Place
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,813 people
    • Arcola
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
      • Arcola is located in Fort Bend County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arcola
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,775 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Arcola <1>
    • Sienna Plantation
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
      • Sienna Plantation is located in Fort Bend County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sienna Plantation
    • First Colony
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
      • First Colony is located in Fort Bend County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for First Colony
  • Galveston County
    • The following are listed by their distance from South Main Plaza, with the one closest to South Main Plaza listed first.
    • Quaker Village
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Quaker Village is located in Galveston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Quaker Village
    • Friendswood
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
    • Carmel Village
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
      • Carmel Village is located in Galveston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carmel Village
    • Parkwood Village
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
      • Parkwood Village is located in Galveston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parkwood Village
    • League City
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
    • South Shore Village
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • South Shore Village is located in Galveston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Shore Village
    • Arcadia
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Arcadia is located in Galveston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arcadia
    • Clear Lake Shores
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
    • Dickinson
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Santa Fe
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Kemah
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Kemah is located in Galveston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kemah
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,048 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Kemah <1>
    • Bacliff
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
  • Waller County
    • Brookshire
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)

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

Cemeteries Near South Main Plaza ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of South Main Plaza.

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 South Main Plaza - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

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 South Main Plaza in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of South Main Plaza.

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

  • Stafford
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
  • Pierce Junction
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Pierce Junction is located in Harris County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pierce Junction
  • Duke
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Duke is located in Fort Bend County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Duke
  • Arcola
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Arcola is located in Fort Bend County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arcola
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,775 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Arcola <1>
  • Arcola Junction
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Arcola Junction is located in Fort Bend County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arcola Junction
  • Jeanetta
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Jeanetta is located in Harris County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jeanetta
  • Sugar Land
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
  • Piney Point Village
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Piney Point Village is located in Harris County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Piney Point Village
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,416 people
    • Piney Point Village has also been known as:
    • Piney Point
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Piney Point Village <1>
  • Thompsons
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Houston
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Harlem
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
    • Harlem is located in Fort Bend County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harlem
  • Crabb
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
    • Crabb is located in Fort Bend County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crabb
  • Continue List   (13 more) ...
    • Harrisburg
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Harrisburg is located in Harris County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harrisburg
    • Magnolia Park
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Magnolia Park is located in Harris County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Magnolia Park
    • Clodine
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)

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

Newspapers Published in South Main Plaza ...

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 3 newspapers that have been published in the area around South Main Plaza.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of South Main Plaza, there are papers which were published within 8 miles [12.9 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for South Main Plaza.

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 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 South Main Plaza:

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 South Main Plaza, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<4>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or point-to-point) distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- South Main Plaza) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.