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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 Speaks (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 Speaks. 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 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.

Speaks is located in Lavaca 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 Lavaca County: Colorado, DeWitt, Fayette, Gonzales, Jackson, Victoria & Wharton.

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

  • Lavaca County     (The home county of Speaks)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Speaks, with the one closest to Speaks listed first.
    • Ezzell
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ezzell
      • Ezzell is located in Lavaca County
    • Sublime
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sublime have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sublime
      • Sublime is located in Lavaca County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sublime <2>
    • Hope
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hope
      • Hope is located in Lavaca County
    • Hallettsville
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Sweet Home
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sweet Home have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sweet Home
      • Sweet Home is located in Lavaca County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sweet Home <2>
    • Hackberry ‑ Historic
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hackberry have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hackberry
      • Hackberry is located in Lavaca County
    • Wied
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wied have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wied
      • Wied is located in Lavaca County
    • Breslau
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Breslau
      • Breslau is located in Lavaca County
    • Moravia
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moravia
      • Moravia is located in Lavaca County
    • Komensky
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Komensky
      • Komensky is located in Lavaca County
    • Shiner
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
  • Colorado County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Speaks, with the one closest to Speaks listed first.
    • Provident City ‑ Historic
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Provident City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Provident City
      • Provident City is located in Colorado County
    • Sheridan
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
    • Rock Island
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rock Island have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock Island
      • Rock Island is located in Colorado County
    • Nada
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Garwood
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Garwood have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garwood
      • Garwood is located in Colorado County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Garwood <2>
    • Oakland
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
    • Altair
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Altair have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Altair
      • Altair is located in Colorado County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Altair <2>
    • Boedecker Junction
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Boedecker Junction have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boedecker Junction
      • Boedecker Junction is located in Colorado County
    • New Bielau ‑ Historic
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for New Bielau have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Bielau
      • New Bielau is located in Colorado County
    • Matthews
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Matthews
      • Matthews is located in Colorado County
    • Borden
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Borden have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Borden
      • Borden is located in Colorado County
    • Weimar
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
  • DeWitt County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Speaks, with the one closest to Speaks listed first.
    • Terryville
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Terryville
      • Terryville is located in DeWitt County
    • Yoakum
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
  • Jackson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Speaks, with the one closest to Speaks listed first.
    • Morales
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morales
      • Morales is located in Jackson County
    • Ganado
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ganado have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ganado
      • Ganado is located in Jackson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,085 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ganado <2>
    • Edna
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Edna have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edna
      • Edna is located in Jackson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,755 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Edna <2>
    • Matilda
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Matilda
      • Matilda is located in Jackson County
    • Lolita
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lolita have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lolita
      • Lolita is located in Jackson County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lolita <2>
    • Vanderbilt
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Vanderbilt have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vanderbilt
      • Vanderbilt is located in Jackson County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Vanderbilt <2>
  • Victoria County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Speaks, with the one closest to Speaks listed first.
    • Inez
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Inez have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Inez
      • Inez is located in Victoria County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Inez <2>
    • Telferner
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
  • Wharton County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Speaks, with the one closest to Speaks listed first.
    • Hahn
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hahn
      • Hahn is located in Wharton County
    • Louise
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Hillje
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hillje
      • Hillje is located in Wharton County
    • El Campo
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for El Campo have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for El Campo
      • El Campo is located in Wharton County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 11,502 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for El Campo <2>
    • Bonus
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bonus
      • Bonus is located in Wharton County
    • Egypt
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
    • Pierce
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pierce have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pierce
      • Pierce is located in Wharton County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Pierce <2>

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

Newspapers Published in Speaks ...

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 45 newspapers that have been published in the area around Speaks.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Speaks, there are papers which were published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Speaks.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first turn to the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These 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 Speaks:

Cemeteries Near Speaks ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Speaks.

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 Speaks covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

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

  • Gandy Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Gandy Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Gandy Cemetery
  • Bright Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bright Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bright Cemetery
  • Hartt Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hartt Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hartt Cemetery
  • Miller Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Miller Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Miller Cemetery
  • Flourney Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Flourney Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Flourney Cemetery
  • Partridge Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Partridge Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Partridge Cemetery
  • Strane Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Strane Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Strane Cemetery
  • Haidusek Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Haidusek Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Haidusek Cemetery
  • Wilkerson Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Wilkerson Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Wilkerson Cemetery
  • Chase Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Chase Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Chase Cemetery
  • Willow Creek Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Willow Creek Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Willow Creek Cemetery
  • Brownson Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Brownson Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Brownson Cemetery
  • Continue List   (110 more) ...
    • Hines Cemetery
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hines Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hines Cemetery
    • Andrews Cemetery
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Andrews Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Andrews Cemetery
    • Wilkerson Cemetery
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Wilkerson Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Wilkerson Cemetery

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

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

  • Vienna
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Vienna have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vienna
    • Vienna is located in Lavaca County
  • Morales
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morales
    • Morales is located in Jackson County
  • Ezzell
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ezzell
    • Ezzell is located in Lavaca County
  • Navidad
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Navidad have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Navidad
    • Navidad is located in Jackson County
  • Sublime
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sublime have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sublime
    • Sublime is located in Lavaca County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sublime <2>
  • Williamsburg
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Williamsburg have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Williamsburg
    • Williamsburg is located in Lavaca County
  • Hope
    (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hope
    • Hope is located in Lavaca County
  • Ganado
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ganado have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ganado
    • Ganado is located in Jackson County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,085 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ganado <2>
  • Hallettsville
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
  • Edna
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Edna have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edna
    • Edna is located in Jackson County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,755 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Edna <2>
  • Louise
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
  • El Toro
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for El Toro have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for El Toro
    • El Toro is located in Jackson County
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Terryville
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Terryville
      • Terryville is located in DeWitt County
    • Kinkler
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kinkler have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kinkler
      • Kinkler is located in Lavaca County
    • Sweet Home
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sweet Home have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sweet Home
      • Sweet Home is located in Lavaca County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sweet Home <2>

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

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Speaks. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.

The official website for State of Texas: https://texas.gov/

Footnotes ...

<1>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.
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<3>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or 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- Speaks) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Speaks. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 29.2629, Longitude: -96.7009    
<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 Speaks, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.









 

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This page was last modified/updated: 10 Mar 2024