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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 Keota (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 Keota. 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 southeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals and doctors were in the next county to the east. 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 east 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.

Keota is located in Colfax 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 Colfax County: Costilla (CO), Las Animas (CO), Harding, Mora, Taos & Union.

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

  • Colfax County     (The home county of Keota)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Keota, with the one closest to Keota listed first.
    • Brilliant ‑ Historic
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brilliant
      • Brilliant is located in Colfax County
    • Raton
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Dawson ‑ Historic
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dawson
      • Dawson is located in Colfax County
    • Lauretta ‑ Historic
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Lauretta. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lauretta
      • Lauretta is located in Colfax County
    • Maxwell
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Maxwell have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maxwell
      • Maxwell is located in Colfax County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 213 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Maxwell <1>
    • Kiowa ‑ Historic
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Kiowa. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kiowa
      • Kiowa is located in Colfax County
  • Union County
  • Las Animas County (CO)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Keota, with the one closest to Keota listed first.
    • Wootton
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wootton have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wootton
      • Wootton is located in Las Animas County (CO)
    • Morley
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Morley have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morley
      • Morley is located in Las Animas County (CO)
    • San Miguel ‑ Historic
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for San Miguel have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for San Miguel
      • San Miguel is located in Las Animas County (CO)
    • Starkville
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Engleville
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Engleville. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Engleville
      • Engleville is located in Las Animas County (CO)
    • Sopris ‑ Historic
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Sopris. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sopris
      • Sopris is located in Las Animas County (CO)
    • Trinidad
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trinidad
      • Trinidad is located in Las Animas County (CO)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 8,127 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Trinidad <1>
    • Cokedale
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cokedale
      • Cokedale is located in Las Animas County (CO)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 121 people
    • Madrid ‑ Historic
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Madrid
      • Madrid is located in Las Animas County (CO)
    • Segundo
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Valdez
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Valdez
      • Valdez is located in Las Animas County (CO)
    • Beshoar
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Beshoar. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beshoar
      • Beshoar is located in Las Animas County (CO)
    • El Moro
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for El Moro
      • El Moro is located in Las Animas County (CO)

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

Cemeteries Near Keota ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Keota.

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

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

  • Mt. Calvary Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mt. Calvary Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mt. Calvary Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • St. Johns Methodist Church Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Johns Methodist Church Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Johns Methodist Church Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Fairmont Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Fairmont Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Fairmont Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Starkville Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Starkville Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Starkville Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Vigil Cemetery
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Vigil Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Vigil Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jansen Cemetery
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Jansen Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Jansen Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Carpios Cemetery
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Carpios Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Carpios Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Garcia Cemetery
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Garcia Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Garcia Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Catholic Cemetery
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
  • Johnson Park Cemetery
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Johnson Park Cemetery
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for the Johnson Park Cemetery. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Johnson Park Cemetery is located 12 miles [19.3 km]<5> to the west of Raton.
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2237532 <4>
  • Barela Cemetery
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Barela Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Barela Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Cordova Cemetery
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Cordova Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Cordova Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (31 more) ...
    • Tijeras Cemetery
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Tijeras Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Tijeras Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Lucero Cemetery
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lucero Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lucero Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #57406 <4>
    • Tapia Cemetery
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)

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 Keota in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Keota.

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

  • Wootton
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wootton have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wootton
    • Wootton is located in Las Animas County (CO)
  • Raton
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Morley
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Morley have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morley
    • Morley is located in Las Animas County (CO)
  • Dillon
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dillon have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dillon
    • Dillon is located in Colfax County
  • Starkville
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
  • Sopris ‑ Historic
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Sopris. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sopris
    • Sopris is located in Las Animas County (CO)
  • Engleville
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Engleville. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Engleville
    • Engleville is located in Las Animas County (CO)
  • Trinidad
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trinidad
    • Trinidad is located in Las Animas County (CO)
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 8,127 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Trinidad <1>
  • Madrid ‑ Historic
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Madrid
    • Madrid is located in Las Animas County (CO)
  • Barela
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Barela have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barela
    • Barela is located in Las Animas County (CO)
  • El Moro
    (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for El Moro
    • El Moro is located in Las Animas County (CO)
  • Forbes ‑ Historic
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Forbes have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forbes
    • Forbes is located in Las Animas County (CO)
  • Continue List   (6 more) ...
    • Weston
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
    • Trinchera
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
    • Maxwell
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Maxwell have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maxwell
      • Maxwell is located in Colfax County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 213 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Maxwell <1>

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

Newspapers Published in Keota ...

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 72 newspapers that have been published in the area around Keota.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Keota, there are papers which were published within 28 miles [45.1 km]<5>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Keota.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we like to start with the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These websites either 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 Keota:

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

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

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>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.
<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>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.
<5>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 drawn from Point A (ie- Keota) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Keota. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 36.9545, Longitude: -104.4764       In this case, the coordinates for Keota have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<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 Keota, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025