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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 Willow (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 Willow. 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 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.

Willow is located in Harris 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 Harris County: Brazoria, Chambers, Fort Bend, Galveston, Liberty, Montgomery & Waller.

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

  • Harris County     (The home county of Willow)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Willow, with the one closest to Willow listed first.
    • Pinewood Place
      (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
      • Pinewood Place is located in Harris County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pinewood Place
    • Klein
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Hufsmith
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Forest North
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
      • Forest North is located in Harris County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forest North
    • Tomball
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Louetta ‑ Historic
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
      • Louetta is located in Harris County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Louetta
    • Westbourne
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Westbourne is located in Harris County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westbourne
    • Spring
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Bammel
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Bammel is located in Harris County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bammel
    • Oak Creek Village
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Oak Creek Village is located in Harris County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Creek Village
    • Deco
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Greenwood Forest
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
      • Greenwood Forest is located in Harris County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenwood Forest
  • Fort Bend County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Willow, with the one closest to Willow listed first.
    • Katy
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Katy is located in Fort Bend County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Katy
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 23,889 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Katy <1>
    • Clodine
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
    • Mission Bend
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Mission Bend is located in Fort Bend County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mission Bend
    • Cinco Ranch
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Cinco Ranch is located in Fort Bend County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cinco Ranch
    • Pin Oak Village
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Pin Oak Village is located in Fort Bend County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pin Oak Village
    • West Oaks Village
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • West Oaks Village is located in Fort Bend County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Oaks Village
    • Town West
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Town West is located in Fort Bend County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Town West
  • Grimes County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Willow, with the one closest to Willow listed first.
    • Todd Mission
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Todd Mission is located in Grimes County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Todd Mission
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 112 people
    • Plantersville
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Stoneham
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Stoneham is located in Grimes County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stoneham
  • Liberty County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Willow, with the one closest to Willow listed first.
    • Plum Grove
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Plum Grove is located in Liberty County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plum Grove
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 756 people
    • Nimrod ‑ Historic
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Nimrod is located in Liberty County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nimrod
  • Montgomery County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Willow, with the one closest to Willow listed first.
    • Oak Ridge North
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • The Woodlands
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Chateau Woods
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Chateau Woods is located in Montgomery County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chateau Woods
    • Shenandoah
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Sleepy Hollow
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Sleepy Hollow is located in Montgomery County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sleepy Hollow
    • Pinehurst
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Woodloch
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Woodloch is located in Montgomery County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodloch
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 207 people
    • Stagecoach
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
      • Stagecoach is located in Montgomery County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stagecoach
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 604 people
    • Porter Heights
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
      • Porter Heights is located in Montgomery County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Porter Heights
    • Karen
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Karen is located in Montgomery County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Karen
    • Magnolia
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Conroe
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
      • Conroe is located in Montgomery County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Conroe
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 96,214 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Conroe <1>
  • Walker County
    • New Waverly
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
  • Waller County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Willow, with the one closest to Willow listed first.
    • Fields Store
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Fields Store is located in Waller County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fields Store
    • Prairie View
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
    • Pine Island
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Pine Island is located in Waller County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Island
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,205 people

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

Cemeteries Near Willow ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Willow.

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

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

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

  • Huckabee Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
  • Bonin Family Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
  • Willow Creek Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
  • Klein Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
  • Zion Lutheran Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
  • Bogs Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bogs Cemetery
    • The Bogs Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Bogs - Hufsmith Community Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #626407 <2>
  • Hufsmith Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hufsmith Cemetery
    • The Hufsmith Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Hufsmith - McCall Cemetery
    • McCall Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #5097 <2>
  • Pillot Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
  • McDougle Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
  • Pate Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
  • Juergens - Martens Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
  • Budde Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Continue List   (138 more) ...
    • Decker Prairie Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Clow Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Ehrhardt Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)

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 Willow in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Willow.

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

  • Spring
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
  • Egypt
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Egypt is located in Montgomery County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Egypt
  • Rose Hill
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Rose Hill is located in Harris County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rose Hill
  • Cypress
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Conroe
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
    • Conroe is located in Montgomery County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Conroe
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 96,214 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Conroe <1>
  • Aldine
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Humble
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Hockley
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
  • New Caney
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
  • Westfield
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Westfield is located in Harris County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westfield
  • Addicks
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
    • Addicks is located in Harris County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Addicks
  • Montgomery
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Willis
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • 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>
    • Piney Point Village
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • 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>
    • Waller
      (23 miles [37 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 Willow. See our List of 1890's Communities around Willow.

Newspapers Published in Willow ...

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 2 newspapers that have been published in the area around Willow.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Willow, there are papers which were published within 7 miles [11.3 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Willow.

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 helpful 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 Willow:

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 Willow, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<4>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Willow) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.