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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 Winter Valley Estates (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 Winter Valley Estates. 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 Winter Valley Estates ...

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.

For example, a typical abbreviation for Winter Valley Estates: Winter Vly. Ests. (or less commonly used: Winter Vally. Ests. or Winter Vlly. Ests.)

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 southwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals 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.

Winter Valley Estates is located in Liberty 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 Liberty County: Chambers, Hardin, Harris, Montgomery, Polk & San Jacinto.

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

  • Liberty County     (The home county of Winter Valley Estates)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Winter Valley Estates, with the one closest to Winter Valley Estates listed first.
    • Kenefick
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Kenefick is located in Liberty County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kenefick
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 722 people
    • Dayton Lakes
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
      • Dayton Lakes is located in Liberty County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dayton Lakes
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 107 people
    • Dayton
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Stilson
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
      • Stilson is located in Liberty County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stilson
    • Liberty
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Gum Grove
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Gum Grove is located in Liberty County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gum Grove
    • Hardin
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Mariam
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Mariam is located in Liberty County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mariam
    • Ames
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Ames is located in Liberty County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ames
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,275 people
    • Coushatta Village
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Coushatta Village is located in Liberty County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coushatta Village
    • Woodson
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
      • Woodson is located in Liberty County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodson
    • Plum Grove
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
      • Plum Grove is located in Liberty County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plum Grove
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 756 people
  • Chambers County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Winter Valley Estates, with the one closest to Winter Valley Estates listed first.
    • Old River - Winfree
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
      • Old River - Winfree is located in Chambers County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Old River - Winfree
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,453 people
    • Mont Belvieu
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
    • Wallisville
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Cove
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Cove is located in Chambers County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cove
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 586 people
    • Hankamer
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Turtle Bayou
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Turtle Bayou is located in Chambers County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Turtle Bayou
    • Beach City
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Beach City is located in Chambers County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beach City
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,825 people
    • Baytown
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
    • Anahuac
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Monroe City
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Monroe City is located in Chambers County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monroe City
  • Hardin County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Winter Valley Estates, with the one closest to Winter Valley Estates listed first.
    • Batson
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
    • Thicket
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
    • Saratoga
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Votaw
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Bragg ‑ Historic
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Bragg is located in Hardin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bragg
    • Grayburg
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Grayburg is located in Hardin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grayburg
    • Sour Lake
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
  • Harris County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Winter Valley Estates, with the one closest to Winter Valley Estates listed first.
    • Huffman
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Crosby
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
    • Elm Grove Village
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
      • Elm Grove Village is located in Harris County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elm Grove Village
    • Greentree Village
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
      • Greentree Village is located in Harris County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greentree Village
    • Atascocita
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Bear Branch Village
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • Bear Branch Village is located in Harris County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bear Branch Village
    • Hunter Ridge Village
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • Hunter Ridge Village is located in Harris County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hunter Ridge Village
    • Sherwood Trails Village
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
    • Barrett
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Woodland Hills Village
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
    • Highlands
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
    • Intercontinental Village
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
  • Jefferson County
    • Nome
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Nome is located in Jefferson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nome
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 592 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Nome <1>
  • Montgomery County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Winter Valley Estates, with the one closest to Winter Valley Estates listed first.
    • Roman Forest
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
      • Roman Forest is located in Montgomery County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roman Forest
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,035 people
    • Splendora
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Patton Village
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Patton Village is located in Montgomery County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Patton Village
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,207 people
    • Woodbranch
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
      • Woodbranch is located in Montgomery County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodbranch
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,498 people
    • New Caney
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
    • Porter
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
    • Porter Heights
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Porter Heights is located in Montgomery County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Porter Heights
    • Grangerland
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
  • Polk County
  • San Jacinto County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Winter Valley Estates, with the one closest to Winter Valley Estates listed first.
    • Shepherd
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Magnolia
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Magnolia is located in San Jacinto County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Magnolia

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

Cemeteries Near Winter Valley Estates ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Winter Valley Estates.

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 Winter Valley Estates - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Linney Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
  • Magnolia Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • Magnolia Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • Neyland Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Branch Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Old Hardin Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
  • St. Annes Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
  • Fairlawn Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Wells Memorial Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Ryan Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
  • Our Mother of Mercy Catholic Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
  • Lums Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
  • Continue List   (100 more) ...
    • Moss Hill Cemetery
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Huffman Cemetery
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Quarters Cemetery
      (13 miles [20.9 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 Winter Valley Estates in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Winter Valley Estates.

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

  • Dayton
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • Liberty
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Ames
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Ames is located in Liberty County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ames
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,275 people
  • Huffman
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
  • Moss Bluff
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Moss Bluff is located in Liberty County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moss Bluff
  • Crosby
    (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
  • Cleveland
    (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
  • Mont Belvieu
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
  • New Caney
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
  • Keno
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Keno is located in Liberty County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keno
  • Wallisville
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
  • Sheldon
    (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
    • Sheldon is located in Harris County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sheldon
  • Continue List   (9 more) ...
    • Felicia
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Felicia is located in Liberty County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Felicia
    • Humble
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
    • Cedar Bayou
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Cedar Bayou is located in Harris County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Bayou

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

Newspapers Published in Winter Valley Estates ...

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 9 newspapers that have been published in the area around Winter Valley Estates.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Winter Valley Estates, there are papers which were published within 21 miles [33.8 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Winter Valley Estates.

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 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 Winter Valley Estates:

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 Winter Valley Estates, 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' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Winter Valley Estates) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.