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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 Surf Oaks (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 Surf Oaks. 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 southeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals were in the next county to the east. 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 east 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.

Surf Oaks 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 Surf Oaks. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Surf Oaks:

  • Harris County     (The home county of Surf Oaks)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Surf Oaks, with the one closest to Surf Oaks listed first.
    • Mystic Village
      (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
      • Mystic Village is located in Harris County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mystic Village
    • Gateway Village
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Gateway Village is located in Harris County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gateway Village
    • El Lago
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Taylor Lake Village
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • La Porte
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Morgan's Point
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
      • Morgan's Point is located in Harris County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morgan's Point
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 337 people
    • Nassau Bay
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Clear Lake City
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Webster
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Deer Park
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Baybrook Village
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
      • Baybrook Village is located in Harris County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baybrook Village
    • Chaparral Village
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Chaparral Village is located in Harris County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chaparral Village
    • Genoa
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
      • Genoa is located in Harris County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Genoa
  • Brazoria County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Surf Oaks, with the one closest to Surf Oaks listed first.
    • Woodcreek
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
      • Woodcreek is located in Brazoria County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodcreek
    • Pearland
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
    • Alvin
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
      • 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>
    • Westwood Village
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
      • Westwood Village is located in Brazoria County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westwood Village
    • Hillcrest
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Hillcrest is located in Brazoria County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hillcrest
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 706 people
    • Brookside Village
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
    • West Oaks Village
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • West Oaks Village is located in Brazoria County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Oaks Village
    • Fairway Village
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Fairway Village is located in Brazoria County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairway Village
    • Manvel
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • 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>
    • Liverpool
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Iowa Colony
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Iowa Colony is located in Brazoria County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Iowa Colony
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,888 people
  • Chambers County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Surf Oaks, with the one closest to Surf Oaks listed first.
    • Shoreacres
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Shoreacres is located in Chambers County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shoreacres
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,578 people
    • Seabrook
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Baytown
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Beach City
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Beach City is located in Chambers County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beach City
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,825 people
    • Smith Point
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • Smith Point is located in Chambers County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smith Point
    • Mont Belvieu
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
    • Cove
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Cove is located in Chambers County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cove
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 586 people
    • Anahuac
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Old River - Winfree
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Old River - Winfree is located in Chambers County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Old River - Winfree
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,453 people
    • Wallisville
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Double Bayou
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Double Bayou is located in Chambers County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Double Bayou
    • Turtle Bayou
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Turtle Bayou is located in Chambers County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Turtle Bayou
    • Hankamer
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
  • Fort Bend County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Surf Oaks, with the one closest to Surf Oaks listed first.
    • Fresno
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
    • Arcola
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • 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>
    • Hawdon
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Hawdon is located in Fort Bend County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hawdon
      • Hawdon has also been known as:
      • Hawdon Junction
    • Juliff
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Juliff is located in Fort Bend County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Juliff
  • Galveston County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Surf Oaks, with the one closest to Surf Oaks listed first.
    • Clear Lake Shores
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Kemah
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
      • 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
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • South Shore Village
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
      • South Shore Village is located in Galveston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Shore Village
    • San Leon
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • League City
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Dickinson
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Parkwood Village
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Parkwood Village is located in Galveston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parkwood Village
    • Quaker Village
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
      • Quaker Village is located in Galveston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Quaker Village
    • Friendswood
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Texas City
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
    • La Marque
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
    • Carmel Village
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Carmel Village is located in Galveston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carmel Village
  • Liberty County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Surf Oaks, with the one closest to Surf Oaks listed first.
    • Moss Bluff
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Moss Bluff is located in Liberty County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moss Bluff
    • Stilson
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Stilson is located in Liberty County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stilson

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

Cemeteries Near Surf Oaks ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Surf Oaks.

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 Surf Oaks - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Seabrook Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
  • Larrabee Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
  • Cedarhurst Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedarhurst Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Cedarhurst Cemetery is located in La Porte.
    • The Cedarhurst Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Cedar Hurst Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2277733 <2>
  • La Porte Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Fairview Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Betheny Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
  • Forest Park East Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
  • Hill of Rest Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
  • Thompson Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Magnolia Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Mt. Olivet Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Texas City Memorial Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
  • Continue List   (116 more) ...
    • Cedar Crest Cemetery
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • Old Arcadia Cemetery
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
    • DeZavalla Cemetery
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)

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

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

  • Dickinson
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
  • Genoa
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Genoa is located in Harris County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Genoa
  • Cedar Bayou
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
    • Cedar Bayou is located in Harris County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Bayou
  • Red Bluff
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Red Bluff is located in Harris County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Bluff
  • Lynchburg
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Lynchburg is located in Harris County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lynchburg
  • Smith Point
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
    • Smith Point is located in Chambers County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smith Point
  • La Marque
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
  • Arcadia
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Arcadia is located in Galveston County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arcadia
  • Alvin
    (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
    • 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>
  • Mont Belvieu
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
  • Harrisburg
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Harrisburg is located in Harris County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harrisburg
  • Virginia Point
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • Virginia Point is located in Galveston County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Virginia Point
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Sheldon
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Sheldon is located in Harris County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sheldon
    • Magnolia Park
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Magnolia Park is located in Harris County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Magnolia Park
    • Crosby
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)

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

Newspapers Published in Surf Oaks ...

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 24 newspapers that have been published in the area around Surf Oaks.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Surf Oaks, there are papers which were published within 13 miles [20.9 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Surf Oaks.

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 Surf Oaks:

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