I would recommend locating your property on your favorite mapping website. Then switch to satellite view and start panning out for ponds on your neighbors' properties. (Around Nacogdoches I believe(?) you will find plenty.)

If your neighbors have ponds, then you can almost certainly build one also. If you use something like Google Earth where you can view the ponds on historical maps, then you can determine approximately when they were built. If they are all recent, then your area may require a pond liner. However, if you see lots of ponds built prior to the 80s, then they probably did it "old school" with compacted clay.

Good luck on your pond project!