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 Thunderbird West (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 Thunderbird West. 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 northwest 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 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 west 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.
Thunderbird West is located in Fort Bend 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 Fort Bend County: Austin, Brazoria, Harris, Waller & Wharton.
Below are the counties that are near Thunderbird West. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Thunderbird West:
- Fort Bend County (The home county of Thunderbird West)
- The following are listed by their distance from Thunderbird West, with the one closest to Thunderbird West listed first.
- Fifth Street
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Fifth Street is located in Fort Bend County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fifth Street
- Dewalt
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Dewalt is located in Fort Bend County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dewalt
- Missouri City
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Trammels
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Trammels is located in Fort Bend County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trammels
- Stafford
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- First Colony
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- First Colony is located in Fort Bend County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for First Colony
- Missouri City Estates
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Missouri City Estates is located in Fort Bend County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Missouri City Estates
- Sugar Land
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Meadows Place
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Meadows Place is located in Fort Bend County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meadows Place
- Population from the 2020 Census: 4,813 people
- Meadows
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Meadows is located in Fort Bend County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meadows
- Fresno
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Sienna Plantation
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Sienna Plantation is located in Fort Bend County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sienna Plantation
- Booth
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Austin County
- Wallis
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Brazoria County
- The following are listed by their distance from Thunderbird West, with the one closest to Thunderbird West listed first.
- Fairway Village
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Fairway Village is located in Brazoria County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairway Village
- Iowa Colony
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Iowa Colony is located in Brazoria County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Iowa Colony
- Population from the 2020 Census: 4,888 people
- Sandy Point
(13 miles [20.9 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
- Manvel
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Brookside Village
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- West Oaks Village
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- West Oaks Village is located in Brazoria County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Oaks Village
- Westwood Village
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Westwood Village is located in Brazoria County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westwood Village
- Lochridge
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Lochridge is located in Brazoria County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lochridge
- Pearland
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
- Rosharon
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Bonney
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Bonney is located in Brazoria County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bonney
- Population from the 2020 Census: 380 people
- Woodcreek
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Woodcreek is located in Brazoria County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodcreek
- Alvin
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Galveston County
- The following are listed by their distance from Thunderbird West, with the one closest to Thunderbird West listed first.
- Carmel Village
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Carmel Village is located in Galveston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carmel Village
- Friendswood
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Quaker Village
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Quaker Village is located in Galveston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Quaker Village
- Parkwood Village
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Parkwood Village is located in Galveston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parkwood Village
- League City
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Arcadia
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Arcadia is located in Galveston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arcadia
- Santa Fe
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- South Shore Village
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- South Shore Village is located in Galveston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Shore Village
- Harris County
- The following are listed by their distance from Thunderbird West, with the one closest to Thunderbird West listed first.
- Post Oak Village
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Post Oak Village is located in Harris County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Post Oak Village
- Cambridge Village
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Cambridge Village is located in Harris County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cambridge Village
- Canterbury Village
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Canterbury Village is located in Harris County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Canterbury Village
- Alief
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Brays Village East
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Brays Village East is located in Harris County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brays Village East
- Catalina Village
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Catalina Village is located in Harris County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Catalina Village
- Bellaire
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Ashford Village
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Ashford Village is located in Harris County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ashford Village
- Westpark Village
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Westpark Village is located in Harris County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westpark Village
- Southside Place
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- 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
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Buckner Haven
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Buckner Haven is located in Harris County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buckner Haven
- Bunker Hill Village
(13 miles [20.9 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
- Waller County
- Brookshire
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Wharton County
- The following are listed by their distance from Thunderbird West, with the one closest to Thunderbird West listed first.
- Newgulf
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- East Bernard
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Thunderbird West, see our County-by-County Page for Thunderbird West.
Cemeteries Near Thunderbird West ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Thunderbird West.
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 Thunderbird West - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Thunderbird West covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Thunderbird West, with the one closest to Thunderbird West listed first.
- New Hope Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Dewalt Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Cementerio San Isidro Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Arcola - Fresno Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Riceville Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Emanuel Memorial Park
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Sandberry Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- New Home Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Alief Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Beth Jacob Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- San Grabiel Cemetery
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Jones Cemetery
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Continue List (128 more) ...
- Addicks Cemetery
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Czech Moravian Brethren Cemetery
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Brown - Beard Cemetery
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
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 Thunderbird West in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Thunderbird West.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Thunderbird West, with the one closest to Thunderbird West listed first.
- Stafford
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Sugar Land
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Duke
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Duke is located in Fort Bend County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Duke
- Thompsons
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Arcola
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Arcola Junction
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Arcola Junction is located in Fort Bend County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arcola Junction
- Crabb
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Crabb is located in Fort Bend County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crabb
- Harlem
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Harlem is located in Fort Bend County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harlem
- Jeanetta
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Jeanetta is located in Harris County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jeanetta
- Pierce Junction
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Pierce Junction is located in Harris County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pierce Junction
- Clodine
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Richmond
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Continue List (14 more) ...
- Sandy Point
(13 miles [20.9 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
- Piney Point Village
(13 miles [20.9 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>
- Addicks
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Addicks is located in Harris County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Addicks
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Thunderbird West. See our List of 1890's Communities around Thunderbird West.
Newspapers Published in Thunderbird West ...
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 Thunderbird West.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Thunderbird West, there are papers which were published within 4 miles [6.4 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Thunderbird West.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we begin with 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 Thunderbird West:
- Websites specific to Texas
- Pages specific to Fort Bend County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Austin County
- Brazoria County
- Galveston County
- Harris County
- Waller County
- Wharton County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Texas
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 Thunderbird West, 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- Thunderbird West) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |