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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 Spindletop (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 Spindletop. 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 and doctors 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.

Spindletop is located in Jefferson 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 Jefferson County: Chambers, Hardin, Liberty & Orange.

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

  • Jefferson County     (The home county of Spindletop)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Spindletop, with the one closest to Spindletop listed first.
    • Higgins
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Higgins is located in Jefferson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Higgins
    • Central Gardens
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Central Gardens is located in Jefferson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Central Gardens
    • Beaumont
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Nederland
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Port Neches
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Amelia
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
      • Amelia is located in Jefferson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amelia
    • Port Acres
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Groves
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Groves is located in Jefferson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Groves
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 15,268 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Groves <1>
    • Taylor Landing
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
      • Taylor Landing is located in Jefferson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Taylor Landing
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 237 people
    • Port Arthur
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • La Belle
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
      • La Belle is located in Jefferson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for La Belle
    • Pine Island
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
      • Pine Island is located in Jefferson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Island
  • Chambers County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Spindletop, with the one closest to Spindletop listed first.
    • Winnie
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Stowell
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
  • Hardin County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Spindletop, with the one closest to Spindletop listed first.
    • Loeb
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Loeb is located in Hardin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loeb
    • Rose Hill Acres
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Rose Hill Acres is located in Hardin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rose Hill Acres
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 435 people
    • Lumberton
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
    • Pinewood Estates
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
      • Pinewood Estates is located in Hardin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pinewood Estates
    • Grayburg
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Grayburg is located in Hardin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grayburg
    • Silsbee
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
    • Sour Lake
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
    • Kountze
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
  • Jasper County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Spindletop, with the one closest to Spindletop listed first.
    • Evadale
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
    • Bunker Hill
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Bunker Hill is located in Jasper County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bunker Hill
    • Buna
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
  • Newton County
  • Orange County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Spindletop, with the one closest to Spindletop listed first.
    • Rose City
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
      • Rose City is located in Orange County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rose City
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 489 people
    • Vidor
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Vidor is located in Orange County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vidor
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 10,310 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Vidor <1>
    • Terry
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Terry is located in Orange County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Terry
    • Pine Forest
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
      • Pine Forest is located in Orange County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Forest
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 516 people
    • Pine Grove
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
      • Pine Grove is located in Orange County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Grove
    • Orangefield
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
    • Bridge City
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • Mauriceville
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Texla
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Texla is located in Orange County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Texla
    • Pinehurst
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Pinehurst is located in Orange County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pinehurst
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,959 people
    • West Orange
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
    • Lemonville ‑ Historic
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
      • Lemonville is located in Orange County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lemonville
  • Calcasieu Parish (LA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Spindletop, with the one closest to Spindletop listed first.
    • Vinton
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Vinton is located in Calcasieu Parish (LA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vinton
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,211 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Vinton <1>
    • Starks
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)

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

Cemeteries Near Spindletop ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Spindletop.

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

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

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

  • Forest Lawn Memorial Park
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Floyd Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
  • Sullivan Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
  • Magnolia Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
  • Mansfield Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
  • Hebert Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
  • Anthony Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Anthony Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Anthony Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located in Beaumont.
    • The Anthony Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Dan Gill Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2130 <2>
  • Adcock Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
  • Stephenson Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Broussard Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Hillebrandt Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Forest Lawn Memorial Park
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
  • Continue List   (63 more) ...
    • Thomas Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Kishi Colony Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Restlawn Memorial Park
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)

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

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

  • Beaumont
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
  • Terry
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Terry is located in Orange County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Terry
  • Amelia
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Amelia is located in Jefferson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amelia
  • Rosedale
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Rosedale is located in Jefferson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rosedale
  • La Belle
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • La Belle is located in Jefferson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for La Belle
  • Pine Island
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Pine Island is located in Jefferson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Island
  • Tulane
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • Tulane is located in Orange County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tulane
  • China
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
    • China is located in Jefferson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for China
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,204 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for China <1>
  • Orange
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
  • Continue List   (6 more) ...
    • Echo
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Echo is located in Orange County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Echo
    • Sabine Pass
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Sour Lake
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
    • Nona
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Nona is located in Hardin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nona
    • Felicia
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Felicia is located in Liberty County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Felicia
    • Kountze
      (28 miles [45.1 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 Spindletop. See our List of 1890's Communities around Spindletop.

Newspapers Published in Spindletop ...

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 71 newspapers that have been published in the area around Spindletop.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Spindletop, there are papers which were published within 28 miles [45.1 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Spindletop.

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 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 Spindletop:

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 Spindletop, 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- Spindletop) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.