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Our Genealogy Helper

Introduction ...

So far, we found very little information about Afton. The little that we've found leads us believe that the community is historic.<1>

We've added Afton to our Gazetteer with the hope that we can develop more information. If you can help us with Afton, please Contact Us.

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 Afton (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 Afton. 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.

Although our information shows that the community of Afton is historic, it would have been located within present day Dona Ana County.

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

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Dona Ana County: Luna, Otero, Sierra & El Paso (TX).

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

  • Dona Ana County     (The home county of Afton)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Afton, with the one closest to Afton listed first.
    • Lanark ‑ Historic
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lanark have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lanark
      • Lanark is located in Dona Ana County
    • La Mesa
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
    • Chamberino
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chamberino
      • Chamberino is located in Dona Ana County
    • Mesquite
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mesquite have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mesquite
      • Mesquite is located in Dona Ana County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mesquite <3>
    • Vado
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Vado have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vado
      • Vado is located in Dona Ana County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Vado <3>
    • Fairacres
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
    • Mesilla
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Mesilla Park
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Berino
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
    • University Park
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for University Park have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for University Park
      • University Park is located in Dona Ana County
    • La Union
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for La Union
      • La Union is located in Dona Ana County
    • Anthony
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
  • El Paso County (TX)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Afton, with the one closest to Afton listed first.
    • Anthony
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Anthony have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Anthony
      • Anthony is located in El Paso County (TX)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,257 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Anthony <3>
    • Vinton
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Vinton have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vinton
      • Vinton is located in El Paso County (TX)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,168 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Vinton <3>
    • Westway
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Westway have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westway
      • Westway is located in El Paso County (TX)
    • Canutillo
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
    • Prado Verde
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Prado Verde have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prado Verde
      • Prado Verde is located in El Paso County (TX)

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

Newspapers Published in Afton ...

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 53 newspapers that have been published in the area around Afton.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Afton, there are papers which were published within 20 miles [32.2 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Afton.

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 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 Afton:

Cemeteries Near Afton ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Afton.

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

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

  • St. Josephs Cemetery
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Josephs Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Josephs Cemetery
  • Chamberino Cemetery
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
    • The Chamberino Cemetery has also been known as:
    • San Luis Cemetery
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Chamberino Cemetery
  • San Albino Cemetery
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
    • The San Albino Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Mesilla Valley Cemetery
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the San Albino Cemetery
  • Hillcrest Memorial Gardens Cemetery
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hillcrest Memorial Gardens Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hillcrest Memorial Gardens Cemetery
  • Tortugas Cemetery
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Tortugas Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Tortugas Cemetery
  • Old Berino Cemetery
    (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Old Berino Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Old Berino Cemetery
  • Dona Ana County Cemetery
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
  • St. Joseph Cemetery
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
  • Odd Fellow Cemetery
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Odd Fellow Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Odd Fellow Cemetery
  • Community Cemetery
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
  • Canutillo Cemetery
    (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Canutillo Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Canutillo Cemetery

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.

Afton itself is historic and was described in the Rand McNally Atlas as having railroad service and no post office.

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

  • Lanark ‑ Historic
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lanark have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lanark
    • Lanark is located in Dona Ana County
  • Aden ‑ Historic
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Aden have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aden
    • Aden is located in Dona Ana County
  • Mesquite
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mesquite have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mesquite
    • Mesquite is located in Dona Ana County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mesquite <3>
  • Mesilla
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Mesilla Park
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Strauss ‑ Historic
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Strauss have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Strauss
    • Strauss is located in Dona Ana County
  • Anthony
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
  • Las Cruces
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
  • Canutillo
    (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
  • Dona Ana
    (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dona Ana have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dona Ana
    • Dona Ana is located in Dona Ana County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Dona Ana <3>
  • Montoya
    (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Montoya have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montoya
    • Montoya is located in El Paso County (TX)
  • Leasburg ‑ Historic
    (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Leasburg have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leasburg
    • Leasburg is located in Dona Ana County

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

The official website for Dona Ana County: www.co.dona-ana.nm.us/

The official website for State of New Mexico: www.newmexico.gov/

Footnotes ...

<1>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 Afton, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<2>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.
<3>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<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 from Point A (ie- Afton) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Afton. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 32.0729, Longitude: -106.9442       In this case, the coordinates for Afton 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.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024