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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 Marvel (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 Marvel. 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 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.

Marvel is located in La Plata County.

To see how the shape of Colorado's counties have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of La Plata County: Archuleta, Dolores, Hinsdale, Montezuma, San Juan & San Juan (NM).

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

  • La Plata County     (The home county of Marvel)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Marvel, with the one closest to Marvel listed first.
    • Fort Lewis ‑ Historic
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Fort Lewis. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fort Lewis
      • Fort Lewis is located in La Plata County
    • Hesperus
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • Bondad
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bondad have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bondad
      • Bondad is located in La Plata County
    • Carbon Junction
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carbon Junction
      • Carbon Junction is located in La Plata County
    • Durango
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Florida
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Florida
      • Florida is located in La Plata County
    • Hermosa
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hermosa
      • Hermosa is located in La Plata County
    • Gem Village
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gem Village
      • Gem Village is located in La Plata County
    • Ignacio
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
    • La Boca
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for La Boca have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for La Boca
      • La Boca is located in La Plata County
    • Bayfield
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bayfield have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bayfield
      • Bayfield is located in La Plata County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,586 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bayfield <2>
  • Montezuma County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Marvel, with the one closest to Marvel listed first.
    • Mancos
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mancos have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mancos
      • Mancos is located in Montezuma County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,398 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mancos <2>
    • Cortez
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cortez have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cortez
      • Cortez is located in Montezuma County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 8,734 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cortez <2>
  • San Juan County (NM)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Marvel, with the one closest to Marvel listed first.
    • La Plata
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • Aztec
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aztec
      • Aztec is located in San Juan County (NM)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 6,332 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Aztec <2>
    • Flora Vista
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Flora Vista have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flora Vista
      • Flora Vista is located in San Juan County (NM)
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Flora Vista <2>
    • Farmington
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
    • Bloomfield
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bloomfield have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bloomfield
      • Bloomfield is located in San Juan County (NM)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 7,643 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bloomfield <2>
    • Upper Fruitland
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Upper Fruitland
      • Upper Fruitland is located in San Juan County (NM)
    • Fruitland
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Kirtland
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kirtland have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kirtland
      • Kirtland is located in San Juan County (NM)
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Kirtland <2>
    • Nenahnezad
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Nenahnezad have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nenahnezad
      • Nenahnezad is located in San Juan County (NM)

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

Newspapers Published in Marvel ...

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 86 newspapers that have been published in the area around Marvel.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Marvel, there are papers which were published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Marvel.

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 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 Marvel:

Cemeteries Near Marvel ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Marvel.

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

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

  • Marvel Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
  • Kline Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Kline Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Kline Cemetery
  • Hay Gulch Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hay Gulch Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hay Gulch Cemetery
  • Greenhorn Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
  • Hesperus Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hesperus Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hesperus Cemetery
  • Elco Cemetery
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Elco Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Elco Cemetery
  • La Plata Cemetery
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
  • Thompson Park Cemetery
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Thompson Park Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Thompson Park Cemetery
  • Webber Cemetery
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Cedar Grove Cemetery
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Mancos Pioneer Cemetery
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Green Mtn. Cemetery
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Green Mtn. Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Green Mtn. Cemetery
  • Continue List   (19 more) ...

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>

While we didn't find Marvel in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Marvel.

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

  • Fort Lewis ‑ Historic
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Fort Lewis. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fort Lewis
    • Fort Lewis is located in La Plata County
  • La Plata
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
  • Durango
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Aztec
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aztec
    • Aztec is located in San Juan County (NM)
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 6,332 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Aztec <2>
  • Flora Vista
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Flora Vista have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flora Vista
    • Flora Vista is located in San Juan County (NM)
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Flora Vista <2>
  • Trimble
    (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Trimble have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trimble
    • Trimble is located in La Plata County
  • Farmington
    (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
  • Hermosa
    (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hermosa
    • Hermosa is located in La Plata County
  • Bloomfield
    (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bloomfield have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bloomfield
    • Bloomfield is located in San Juan County (NM)
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 7,643 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bloomfield <2>
  • Ignacio
    (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
  • Fruitland
    (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
  • La Boca
    (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for La Boca have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for La Boca
    • La Boca is located in La Plata County
  • Cortez
    (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cortez have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cortez
    • Cortez is located in Montezuma County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 8,734 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cortez <2>

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

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

The official website for La Plata County: www.co.laplata.co.us/

The official website for State of Colorado: https://www.colorado.gov/

Footnotes ...

<1>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.
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<3>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.
<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- Marvel) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Marvel. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 37.1125, Longitude: -108.1267       In this case, the coordinates for Marvel 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 Marvel, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024