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 Summerville (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 Summerville. 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 doctors and 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.
Summerville 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 Summerville. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Summerville:
- Gonzales County (The home county of Summerville)
- The following are listed by their distance from Summerville, with the one closest to Summerville listed first.
- Gonzales
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Cost
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- 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
- Oak Forest
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- 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.<3>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Forest
- Oak Forest is located in Gonzales County
- Wrightsboro
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- 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 <1>
- Hamon
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hamon
- Hamon is located in Gonzales County
- Monthalia ‑ Historic
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- 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
- Bebe
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Glaze City
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Glaze City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glaze City
- Glaze City is located in Gonzales County
- Ottine
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- 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 <1>
- Kokernot
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Kokernot. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kokernot
- Kokernot is located in Gonzales County
- Cheapside
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cheapside
- Cheapside is located in Gonzales County
- Belmont
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Bastrop County
- Jeddo
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- 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.<3>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jeddo
- Jeddo is located in Bastrop County
- Caldwell County
- The following are listed by their distance from Summerville, with the one closest to Summerville listed first.
- McNeil
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McNeil
- McNeil is located in Caldwell County
- Luling
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Soda Springs
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- 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.<3>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Soda Springs
- Soda Springs is located in Caldwell County
- Stairtown
(23 miles [37 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
- Brownsboro
(24 miles [38.6 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
- Tilmon
(24 miles [38.6 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.<3>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tilmon
- Tilmon is located in Caldwell County
- Delhi
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Delhi
- Delhi is located in Caldwell County
- Joliet
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- 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.<3>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Joliet
- Joliet is located in Caldwell County
- Mineral Springs ‑ Historic
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- 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
- Prairie Lea
(25 miles [40.2 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 <1>
- Seawillow
(26 miles [41.8 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
- Fentress
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- DeWitt County
- The following are listed by their distance from Summerville, with the one closest to Summerville listed first.
- Hochheim
(14 miles [22.5 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.<3>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hochheim
- Hochheim is located in DeWitt County
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hochheim <1>
- Pearl City
(16 miles [25.7 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
- Westhoff
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Edgar
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edgar
- Edgar is located in DeWitt County
- Yoakum
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Cuero
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Terryville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Terryville
- Terryville is located in DeWitt County
- Fayette County
- The following are listed by their distance from Summerville, with the one closest to Summerville listed first.
- Colony
(27 miles [43.5 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.<3>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colony
- Colony is located in Fayette County
- Flatonia
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Praha
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Praha
- Praha is located in Fayette County
- Praha has also been known as:
- Hottentot
- Cistern
(29 miles [46.7 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
- Guadalupe County
- The following are listed by their distance from Summerville, with the one closest to Summerville listed first.
- Kingsbury
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Weinert
(29 miles [46.7 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.<3>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weinert
- Weinert is located in Guadalupe County
- Dugger
(29 miles [46.7 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.<3>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dugger
- Dugger is located in Guadalupe County
- Lauback
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- 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
- Jakes Colony
(30 miles [48.3 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
- Seguin
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Karnes County
- Gillett
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- 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 <1>
- Lavaca County
- The following are listed by their distance from Summerville, with the one closest to Summerville listed first.
- Shiner
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Moulton
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Wied
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Wied. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wied
- Wied is located in Lavaca County
- Sweet Home
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sweet Home have been provided by the GNIS.<2> 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 <1>
- Komensky
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Komensky
- Komensky is located in Lavaca County
- Breslau
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Breslau
- Breslau is located in Lavaca County
- Moravia
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moravia
- Moravia is located in Lavaca County
- Wilson County
- The following are listed by their distance from Summerville, with the one closest to Summerville listed first.
- Union
(24 miles [38.6 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.<3>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union
- Union is located in Wilson County
- Pandora
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Nockenut
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- 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.<3>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nockenut
- Nockenut is located in Wilson County
- Caddo
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Caddo
- Caddo is located in Wilson County
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Summerville, see our County-by-County Page for Summerville.
Cemeteries Near Summerville ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Summerville.
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 Summerville covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Summerville, with the one closest to Summerville listed first.
- DeWitt Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the DeWitt Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the DeWitt Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Lone Oak Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Union Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Union Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Union Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Pecan Branch Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- 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.
- Gonzales Memorial Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Oso Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Oso Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Oso Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Watson Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Watson Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Watson Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Terrysville Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Terrysville Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Terrysville Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Camp Brazil Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Camp Brazil Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Camp Brazil Cemetery is located outside and to the north of Gonzales.
- The Camp Brazil Cemetery has also been known as:
- Woodmen of the World Spanish Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2718 <4>
- Storey Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- 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
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Hodge Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- 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.
- Continue List (172 more) ...
- Princeville Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- 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>
- McKeller Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- 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.
- Gates Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 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.<5>
While we didn't find Summerville in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Summerville.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Summerville, with the one closest to Summerville listed first.
- Gonzales
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Wrightsboro
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- 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 <1>
- Oak Forest
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- 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.<3>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Forest
- Oak Forest is located in Gonzales County
- Hamon
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hamon
- Hamon is located in Gonzales County
- Slayden
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- 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
- Cheapside
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cheapside
- Cheapside is located in Gonzales County
- Kokernot
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Kokernot. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kokernot
- Kokernot is located in Gonzales County
- Belmont
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Hochheim
(14 miles [22.5 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.<3>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hochheim
- Hochheim is located in DeWitt County
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hochheim <1>
- Harwood
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Leesville
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Smiley
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Continue List (13 more) ...
- Nickel ‑ Historic
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Nickel have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nickel
- Nickel is located in Gonzales County
- Sandy Fork
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandy Fork
- Sandy Fork is located in Gonzales County
- Westhoff
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Summerville. See our List of 1890's Communities around Summerville.
Newspapers Published in Summerville ...
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 Summerville.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Summerville, there are papers which were published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<6>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Summerville.
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 helpful 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 Summerville:
- Websites specific to Texas
- Pages specific to Gonzales County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Bastrop County
- Caldwell 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 Summerville. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for State of Texas: https://texas.gov/
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 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> | 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. |
<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 Summerville, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
<6> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Summerville) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Summerville. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 29.4552, Longitude: -97.4705 In this case, the coordinates for Summerville have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). |