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The Commemorative Quarter for Texas





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 West Point (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 West Point. 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 West Point ...

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 West Point: W. Point

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 northwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most 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.

West Point is located in Fayette 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 Fayette County: Austin, Bastrop, Caldwell, Colorado, Gonzales, Lavaca, Lee & Washington.

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

  • Fayette County     (The home county of West Point)
  • Austin County
    • Shelby
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Shelby. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shelby
      • Shelby is located in Austin County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Shelby
      • From West Point to Shelby
  • Bastrop County
  • Caldwell County
    • The following are listed by their distance from West Point, with the one closest to West Point listed first.
    • Delhi
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
    • Pettytown
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Pettytown. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pettytown
      • Pettytown is located in Caldwell County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Pettytown
      • From West Point to Pettytown
    • Elm Grove
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Elm Grove. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elm Grove
      • Elm Grove is located in Caldwell County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Elm Grove
      • From West Point to Elm Grove
    • Taylorsville
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
    • McMahan
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for McMahan have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McMahan
      • McMahan is located in Caldwell County
  • Colorado County
    • The following are listed by their distance from West Point, with the one closest to West Point listed first.
    • Weimar
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Borden
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Borden. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Borden
      • Borden is located in Colorado County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Borden
      • From West Point to Borden
    • New Bielau ‑ Historic
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for New Bielau. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Bielau
      • New Bielau is located in Colorado County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to New Bielau
      • From West Point to New Bielau
    • Oakland
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Pisek ‑ Historic
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pisek have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pisek
      • Pisek is located in Colorado County
    • Hillcrest
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Frelsburg
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
  • Gonzales County
  • Lavaca County
  • Lee County
  • Washington County
    • The following are listed by their distance from West Point, with the one closest to West Point listed first.
    • La Bahia
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Greenvine
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Greenvine. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenvine
      • Greenvine is located in Washington County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Greenvine
      • From West Point to Greenvine

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

Cemeteries Near West Point ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of West Point.

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 West Point covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

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

  • Plum Grove Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Plum Grove Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Plum Grove Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Mt. Olive Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
  • Woods Prairie Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Woods Prairie Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Woods Prairie Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Plum Grove Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Plum Grove Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Plum Grove Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Williams Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Williams Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Williams Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Shiloh Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
  • Winchester Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
  • Colorado Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Colorado Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Colorado Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Mantan Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mantan Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mantan Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Henson Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
  • Pitman Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
  • Black Jack Springs Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Continue List   (169 more) ...
    • Cedar Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Cedar Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Cedar Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Oak Hill Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Oak Hill Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Oak Hill Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Taylor Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Taylor Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Taylor Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.

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.<6>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that West Point had a population of 382 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service.

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

  • Plum
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Plum have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plum
    • Plum is located in Fayette County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Plum <2>
  • Winchester
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Winchester have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winchester
    • Winchester is located in Fayette County
  • Stellar
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Stellar. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stellar
    • Stellar is located in Fayette County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Stellar
    • From West Point to Stellar
  • Smithville
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Smithville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smithville
    • Smithville is located in Bastrop County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,664 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Smithville <2>
  • Muldoon
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
  • O'Quinn
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for O'Quinn have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for O'Quinn
    • O'Quinn is located in Fayette County
  • La Grange
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
  • Warda
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
  • Serbin ‑ Historic
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
  • Cistern
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
  • Freyburg
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Freyburg. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Freyburg
    • Freyburg is located in Fayette County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Freyburg
    • From West Point to Freyburg
  • Swiss Alp
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Swiss Alp have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Swiss Alp
    • Swiss Alp is located in Fayette County
  • Continue List   (17 more) ...
    • Alum Creek
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Alum Creek have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alum Creek
      • Alum Creek is located in Bastrop County
    • Colony
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Colony. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colony
      • Colony is located in Fayette County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Colony
      • From West Point to Colony
    • Rutersville
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)

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

Newspapers Published in West Point ...

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 59 newspapers that have been published in the area around West Point.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of West Point, there are papers which were published within 26 miles [41.8 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for West Point.

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 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 West Point:

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

The official website for Fayette County: www.co.fayette.tx.us/

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>An 'estimated' location is one where we have been given GPS coordinates, but are unable to verify the accuracy of those coordinates. That said, we have some confidence that we have placed the marker near the actual location. A typical reason for being unable to verify a location is that it might be on private property or maybe historic and gone without an obvious trace.
<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 from Point A (ie- West Point) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in West Point. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 29.9436, Longitude: -97.0371       In this case, the coordinates for West Point have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<5>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.
<6>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 West Point, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 29 Apr 2025