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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 Waterloo (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 Waterloo. 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 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.

Waterloo is located in Williamson 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 Williamson County: Bastrop, Bell, Burnet, Lee, Milam & Travis.

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

  • Williamson County     (The home county of Waterloo)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Waterloo, with the one closest to Waterloo listed first.
    • Hoxie
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Hoxie is located in Williamson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hoxie
    • Taylor
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
      • Taylor is located in Williamson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Taylor
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 17,921 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Taylor <1>
    • Friendship ‑ Historic
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Friendship is located in Williamson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Friendship
    • Granger
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Thrall
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Thrall is located in Williamson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thrall
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,014 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Thrall <1>
    • Laneport
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Laneport is located in Williamson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laneport
    • Beyersville
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
      • Beyersville is located in Williamson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beyersville
    • Hutto
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Hutto is located in Williamson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hutto
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 29,987 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hutto <1>
    • Coupland
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • Weir
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
      • Weir is located in Williamson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weir
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 549 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Weir <1>
    • Walburg
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Schwertner
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Georgetown
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
  • Bastrop County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Waterloo, with the one closest to Waterloo listed first.
    • Elgin
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
      • Elgin is located in Bastrop County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elgin
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 10,756 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Elgin <1>
    • McDade
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
  • Bell County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Waterloo, with the one closest to Waterloo listed first.
    • Bartlett
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Vilas
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Vilas is located in Bell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vilas
    • Holland
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
    • Sparks
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Sparks is located in Bell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sparks
    • Rogers
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Academy
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Academy is located in Bell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Academy
    • Little River Academy
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Little River Academy is located in Bell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little River Academy
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,048 people
    • Salado
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
    • Little River
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
    • Heidenheimer
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
    • Edgeworth
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Edgeworth is located in Bell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edgeworth
    • Belton
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
    • Meeks
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Meeks is located in Bell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meeks
  • Lee County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Waterloo, with the one closest to Waterloo listed first.
    • Blue
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Blue is located in Lee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blue
    • Knobbs Springs
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Knobbs Springs is located in Lee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Knobbs Springs
    • Hicks
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Hicks is located in Lee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hicks
    • Tanglewood
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Tanglewood is located in Lee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tanglewood
    • Lexington
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Fedor
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Fedor is located in Lee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fedor
  • Milam County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Waterloo, with the one closest to Waterloo listed first.
    • Thorndale
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Davilla
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Val Verde
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Val Verde is located in Milam County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Val Verde
    • Tracy
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
      • Tracy is located in Milam County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tracy
    • Rockdale
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
    • Buckholts
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Minerva
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Minerva is located in Milam County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Minerva
    • Cameron
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
  • Travis County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Waterloo, with the one closest to Waterloo listed first.
    • Cele
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Cele is located in Travis County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cele
    • Manda ‑ Historic
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
      • Manda is located in Travis County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manda
    • New Sweden
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
      • New Sweden is located in Travis County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Sweden
    • Pflugerville
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
    • Windemere
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Windemere is located in Travis County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Windemere
    • Three Points
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Three Points is located in Travis County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Three Points
    • Wells Branch
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Wells Branch is located in Travis County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wells Branch
    • Littig
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Littig is located in Travis County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Littig
    • Kings Village
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Kings Village is located in Travis County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kings Village
    • Manor
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Manor is located in Travis County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manor
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 15,767 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Manor <1>
    • Villa Siesta Retirement Village
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Daffan
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Daffan is located in Travis County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Daffan
    • Webberville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)

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

Cemeteries Near Waterloo ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Waterloo.

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 Waterloo - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Wuthrich Hill Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
  • McFadin Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
  • New Bern Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
  • Machu Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
  • Gardner Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
  • St. Marys Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
  • Allison Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Guadalupe Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • Holy Cross Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • Granger Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
  • Young Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
  • Sloan - Easley Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
  • Continue List   (265 more) ...
    • Macedonia Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Christ Church Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • New Calvary Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 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.<2>

While we didn't find Waterloo in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Waterloo.

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

  • Circleville
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
    • Circleville is located in Williamson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Circleville
  • Taylor
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Taylor is located in Williamson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Taylor
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 17,921 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Taylor <1>
  • Granger
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Laneport
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Laneport is located in Williamson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laneport
  • Jonah
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Jonah is located in Williamson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jonah
  • Thorndale
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
  • Hutto
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Hutto is located in Williamson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hutto
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 29,987 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hutto <1>
  • Bartlett
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
  • Rices Crossing
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Rices Crossing is located in Williamson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rices Crossing
  • Coupland
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
  • San Gabriel
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
    • San Gabriel is located in Milam County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for San Gabriel
  • Davilla
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Continue List   (16 more) ...
    • Donahoe
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Donahoe is located in Bell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Donahoe
    • Walburg
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Vilas
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Vilas is located in Bell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vilas

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

Newspapers Published in Waterloo ...

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 28 newspapers that have been published in the area around Waterloo.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Waterloo, 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 Waterloo.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first visit 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 Waterloo:

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>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 Waterloo, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<3>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Waterloo) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.