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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 Valley Spring (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 Valley Spring. 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.

Name Variations for Valley Spring ...

When searching records, keep in mind that names and their spelling can change over time. Our sources include documents like maps, railroad schedules, Travel, Express and Shipping Guides. Many of these documents date from the 1800's and it's common to find spelling differences.

Although we can't give a definitive list, hopefully the following will give you a feel for the variations that might have occurred.

For example, a typical abbreviation for Valley Spring: Valley Spg. (or less commonly used: Valley Spng. or Valley Sprng.)

If you have information about these names (such as the reason for the change, date of change, the origin of the name), please Contact Us.

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 and doctors 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.

Valley Spring is located in Llano 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 Llano County: Blanco, Burnet, Gillespie, Mason & San Saba.

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

  • Llano County     (The home county of Valley Spring)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Valley Spring, with the one closest to Valley Spring listed first.
    • Baby Head ‑ Historic
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Baby Head have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baby Head
      • Baby Head is located in Llano County
    • Llano
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Castell
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Castell have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Castell
      • Castell is located in Llano County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Castell <2>
    • Lone Grove
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lone Grove have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lone Grove
      • Lone Grove is located in Llano County
    • Bluffton
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
    • Tow
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
    • Buchanan Lake Village
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Buchanan Lake Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buchanan Lake Village
      • Buchanan Lake Village is located in Llano County
    • Buchanan Dam
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
    • Click ‑ Historic
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Click have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Click
      • Click is located in Llano County
    • Kingsland
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kingsland have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kingsland
      • Kingsland is located in Llano County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Kingsland <2>
    • Sunrise Beach Village
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sunrise Beach Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunrise Beach Village
      • Sunrise Beach Village is located in Llano County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 810 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sunrise Beach Village <2>
  • Burnet County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Valley Spring, with the one closest to Valley Spring listed first.
    • Silver Creek Village
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Silver Creek Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Silver Creek Village
      • Silver Creek Village is located in Burnet County
    • Highland Haven
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Highland Haven have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Highland Haven
      • Highland Haven is located in Burnet County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 445 people
  • Mason County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Valley Spring, with the one closest to Valley Spring listed first.
    • Pontotoc
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Fredonia
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
    • Art
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Art have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Art
      • Art is located in Mason County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Art <2>
    • Hedwigs Hill ‑ Historic
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hedwigs Hill have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hedwigs Hill
      • Hedwigs Hill is located in Mason County
    • Loyal Valley
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loyal Valley
      • Loyal Valley is located in Mason County
    • Hilda
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hilda
      • Hilda is located in Mason County
    • Mason
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
    • Koockville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Koockville
      • Koockville is located in Mason County
    • Grit
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grit
      • Grit is located in Mason County
  • McCulloch County
    • Voca
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Voca have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Voca
      • Voca is located in McCulloch County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Voca <2>
  • San Saba County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Valley Spring, with the one closest to Valley Spring listed first.
    • Cherokee
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • San Saba
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
    • Bend
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Richland Springs
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Richland Springs have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Richland Springs
      • Richland Springs is located in San Saba County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 310 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Richland Springs <2>

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

Newspapers Published in Valley Spring ...

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 20 newspapers that have been published in the area around Valley Spring.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Valley Spring, there are papers which were published within 29 miles [46.7 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Valley Spring.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we start with the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These websites either 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 Valley Spring:

Cemeteries Near Valley Spring ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Valley Spring.

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 Valley Spring covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

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

  • Valley Spring Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Valley Spring Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Valley Spring Cemetery
  • Koger Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Koger Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Koger Cemetery
  • Salem Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Salem Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Salem Cemetery
  • Cold Creek Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Cold Creek Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Cold Creek Cemetery
  • Gray Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
  • Wrights Creek Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Wrights Creek Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Wrights Creek Cemetery
  • Mayes Chapel Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mayes Chapel Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mayes Chapel Cemetery
  • Baby Head Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Baby Head Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Baby Head Cemetery
  • Kuykendall Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
  • Wooten Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Wooten Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Wooten Cemetery
  • Honig Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Honig Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Honig Cemetery
  • Otto & Offer Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Otto & Offer Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Otto & Offer Cemetery
  • Continue List   (98 more) ...
    • Old Pontotoc Cemetery
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Old Pontotoc Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Old Pontotoc Cemetery
    • New Pontotoc Cemetery
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the New Pontotoc Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the New Pontotoc Cemetery
    • Newsom Cemetery
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Newsom Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Newsom Cemetery

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>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Valley Spring had a population of 244 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service.

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

  • Field Creek
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Field Creek have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Field Creek
    • Field Creek is located in Llano County
  • Baby Head ‑ Historic
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Baby Head have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baby Head
    • Baby Head is located in Llano County
  • Llano
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
  • Pontotoc
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
  • Castell
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Castell have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Castell
    • Castell is located in Llano County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Castell <2>
  • Lone Grove
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lone Grove have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lone Grove
    • Lone Grove is located in Llano County
  • Oxford ‑ Historic
    (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Oxford have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oxford
    • Oxford is located in Llano County
  • Fredonia
    (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
  • Bluffton
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
  • Hedwigs Hill ‑ Historic
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hedwigs Hill have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hedwigs Hill
    • Hedwigs Hill is located in Mason County
  • Loyal Valley
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loyal Valley
    • Loyal Valley is located in Mason County
  • San Saba
    (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
  • Continue List   (8 more) ...
    • Bend
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Voca
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Voca have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Voca
      • Voca is located in McCulloch County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Voca <2>
    • Mason
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)

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

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Valley Spring. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.

The official website for State of Texas: https://texas.gov/

Footnotes ...

<1>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.
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<3>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 from Point A (ie- Valley Spring) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Valley Spring. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 30.8594, Longitude: -98.8185    
<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 Valley Spring, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024