RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> State of Texas >> Polk County >> Tobacco Patch >> Genealogy HelperIndex...

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 Tobacco Patch (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 Tobacco Patch. 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.

Tobacco Patch is located in Polk 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 Polk County: Angelina, Hardin, Liberty, San Jacinto, Trinity & Tyler.

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

  • Polk County     (The home county of Tobacco Patch)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Tobacco Patch, with the one closest to Tobacco Patch listed first.
    • Onalaska
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • West Livingston
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
      • West Livingston is located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Livingston
    • Swartout ‑ Historic
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Swartout is located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Swartout
    • Livingston
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Bold Springs
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Bold Springs is located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bold Springs
    • Lamont
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Lamont is located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lamont
    • Goodrich
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • New Willard
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
      • New Willard is located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Willard
    • Leggett
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Seven Oaks
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Seven Oaks is located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seven Oaks
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 131 people
    • Schwab City
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
      • Schwab City is located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Schwab City
    • Ace
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
  • Liberty County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Tobacco Patch, with the one closest to Tobacco Patch listed first.
    • Africa ‑ Historic
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Africa is located in Liberty County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Africa
    • Rayburn
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • Rayburn is located in Liberty County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rayburn
    • Romayor
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
    • North Cleveland
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • North Cleveland is located in Liberty County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Cleveland
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 313 people
    • Big Thicket Creekmore Village
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Cleveland
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
    • Rye
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Nimrod ‑ Historic
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Nimrod is located in Liberty County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nimrod
    • Fuqua ‑ Historic
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Fuqua is located in Liberty County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fuqua
  • Montgomery County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Tobacco Patch, with the one closest to Tobacco Patch listed first.
    • Danville ‑ Historic
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Danville is located in Montgomery County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Danville
    • Cut and Shoot
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Willis
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Willis is located in Montgomery County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willis
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 7,122 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Willis <1>
  • San Jacinto County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Tobacco Patch, with the one closest to Tobacco Patch listed first.
    • Point Blank
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Coldspring
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Laurel Hill
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Laurel Hill is located in San Jacinto County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laurel Hill
    • Oakhurst
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Evergreen
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Evergreen is located in San Jacinto County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Evergreen
    • Magnolia
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
      • Magnolia is located in San Jacinto County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Magnolia
    • Shepherd
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
  • Trinity County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Tobacco Patch, with the one closest to Tobacco Patch listed first.
    • Carlisle
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Carlisle is located in Trinity County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carlisle
    • Chita
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Chita is located in Trinity County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chita
    • Sumpter ‑ Historic
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Sumpter is located in Trinity County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sumpter
    • Woodlake
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Woodlake is located in Trinity County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodlake
    • Mill Town
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Mill Town is located in Trinity County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mill Town
    • Trinity
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Groveton
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
    • Glendale
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Glendale is located in Trinity County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glendale
    • Lacy
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Lacy is located in Trinity County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lacy
      • Lacy has also been known as:
      • Lacey
    • Friday
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Friday is located in Trinity County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Friday
  • Walker County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Tobacco Patch, with the one closest to Tobacco Patch listed first.
    • Dodge
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
    • Riverside
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Barado
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Barado is located in Walker County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barado
    • Elmina
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Elmina is located in Walker County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elmina
    • New Waverly
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Huntsville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
    • Kittrell
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Kittrell is located in Walker County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kittrell

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

Cemeteries Near Tobacco Patch ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Tobacco Patch.

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 Tobacco Patch - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Harrell Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
  • Mt. Zion Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
  • Wright Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
  • Robinson Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
  • Carter Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
  • St. Andrew Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
  • Liberty Hill Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
  • Butler Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
  • Rose Hill Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
  • Mitchell Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
  • Milby Hill Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
  • Robinett Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
  • Continue List   (122 more) ...
    • Ellis Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Greenfield Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • McGown Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 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 Tobacco Patch in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Tobacco Patch.

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

  • Point Blank
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
  • Coldspring
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
  • Livingston
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
  • Goodrich
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Colita
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Colita is located in Polk County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colita
  • Evergreen
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Evergreen is located in San Jacinto County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Evergreen
  • Leggett
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
  • Shepherd
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
  • Seven Oaks
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Seven Oaks is located in Polk County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seven Oaks
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 131 people
  • Dodge
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
  • Maynard
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Maynard is located in San Jacinto County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maynard
  • Riverside
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Carmona
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Carmona is located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carmona
    • Phelps
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
      • Phelps is located in Walker County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Phelps
    • Moscow
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)

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

Newspapers Published in Tobacco Patch ...

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 55 newspapers that have been published in the area around Tobacco Patch.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Tobacco Patch, there are papers which were published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Tobacco Patch.

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 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 Tobacco Patch:

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 Tobacco Patch, 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 obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Tobacco Patch) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.