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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 Woodson (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 Woodson. 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 and 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.

Woodson 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 Woodson. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Woodson:

  • Liberty County     (The home county of Woodson)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Woodson, with the one closest to Woodson listed first.
    • Raywood
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
    • Daisetta
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Ames
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
      • Ames is located in Liberty County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ames
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,275 people
    • Hull
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Devers
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Hardin
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Liberty
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Dayton Lakes
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Dayton Lakes is located in Liberty County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dayton Lakes
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 107 people
    • Mariam
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Mariam is located in Liberty County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mariam
    • Moss Bluff
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Moss Bluff is located in Liberty County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moss Bluff
    • Kenefick
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
      • Kenefick is located in Liberty County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kenefick
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 722 people
    • Dayton
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
  • Chambers County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Woodson, with the one closest to Woodson listed first.
    • Hankamer
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
    • Turtle Bayou
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
      • Turtle Bayou is located in Chambers County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Turtle Bayou
    • Wallisville
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
    • Old River - Winfree
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • 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
    • Cove
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Cove is located in Chambers County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cove
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 586 people
    • Mont Belvieu
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Anahuac
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • Monroe City
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
      • Monroe City is located in Chambers County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monroe City
    • Winnie
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Beach City
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Beach City is located in Chambers County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beach City
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,825 people
    • Double Bayou
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Double Bayou is located in Chambers County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Double Bayou
    • Stowell
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
  • Hardin County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Woodson, with the one closest to Woodson listed first.
    • Batson
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • Grayburg
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
      • Grayburg is located in Hardin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grayburg
    • Sour Lake
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
    • Saratoga
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Pinewood Estates
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Pinewood Estates is located in Hardin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pinewood Estates
    • Thicket
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
    • Bragg ‑ Historic
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Bragg is located in Hardin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bragg
    • Votaw
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Rose Hill Acres
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Rose Hill Acres is located in Hardin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rose Hill Acres
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 435 people
    • Kountze
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Loeb
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Loeb is located in Hardin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loeb
  • Harris County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Woodson, with the one closest to Woodson listed first.
    • Huffman
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
    • Crosby
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Barrett
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Cedar Bayou
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Cedar Bayou is located in Harris County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Bayou
    • Chaparral Village
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Chaparral Village is located in Harris County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chaparral Village
    • Highlands
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Sheldon
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Sheldon is located in Harris County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sheldon
    • Atascocita
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
    • Greentree Village
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Greentree Village is located in Harris County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greentree Village
  • Jefferson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Woodson, with the one closest to Woodson listed first.
    • Nome
      (16 miles [25.7 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>
    • China
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • China is located in Jefferson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for China
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,204 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for China <1>
    • Bevil Oaks
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Bevil Oaks is located in Jefferson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bevil Oaks
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,209 people
    • Pine Island
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Pine Island is located in Jefferson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Island
    • Hamshire
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Amelia
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Amelia is located in Jefferson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amelia
    • Voth
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
  • Montgomery County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Woodson, with the one closest to Woodson listed first.
    • Roman Forest
      (29 miles [46.7 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
    • Patton Village
      (30 miles [48.3 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

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

Cemeteries Near Woodson ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Woodson.

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

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

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

  • Oak Dale Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
  • Our Mother of Mercy Catholic Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
  • Old Hardin Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
  • Wells Memorial Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
  • Fairlawn Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
  • Miller Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Wood Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
  • Branch Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
  • Neyland Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
  • Quarters Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
  • Albritton Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
  • Norris Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
  • Continue List   (88 more) ...
    • Pine Grove Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Speight Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Sahara Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 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 Woodson in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Woodson.

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

  • Ames
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Ames is located in Liberty County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ames
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,275 people
  • Liberty
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
  • Moss Bluff
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Moss Bluff is located in Liberty County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moss Bluff
  • Felicia
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Felicia is located in Liberty County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Felicia
  • Dayton
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
  • Wallisville
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
  • Turtle Bayou
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
    • Turtle Bayou is located in Chambers County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Turtle Bayou
  • Sour Lake
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
  • Saratoga
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Mont Belvieu
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
  • Anahuac
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
  • China
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
    • China is located in Jefferson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for China
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,204 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for China <1>
  • Continue List   (8 more) ...
    • Pine Island
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Pine Island is located in Jefferson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Island
    • Huffman
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
    • Crosby
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)

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

Newspapers Published in Woodson ...

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 15 newspapers that have been published in the area around Woodson.

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

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 professional and volunteer 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 Woodson:

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