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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 La Bolsa (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 La Bolsa. 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 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.

La Bolsa is located in Rio Arriba 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 Rio Arriba County: Archuleta (CO), Conejos (CO), Los Alamos, Mora, San Juan, Sandoval, Santa Fe & Taos.

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

  • Rio Arriba County     (The home county of La Bolsa)
    • The following are listed by their distance from La Bolsa, with the one closest to La Bolsa listed first.
    • Dixon
      (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
    • Apodaca
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Apodaca
      • Apodaca is located in Rio Arriba County
    • Embudo
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Velarde
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Los Luceros
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Los Luceros
      • Los Luceros is located in Rio Arriba County
    • Estaca
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Estaca
      • Estaca is located in Rio Arriba County
    • La Villita
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for La Villita
      • La Villita is located in Rio Arriba County
    • Truchas
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Alcalde
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • LaMadera
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for LaMadera
      • LaMadera is located in Rio Arriba County
    • Chimayo
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
    • Cordova
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
    • Chamita
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chamita
      • Chamita is located in Rio Arriba County
  • Mora County
  • Santa Fe County
    • The following are listed by their distance from La Bolsa, with the one closest to La Bolsa listed first.
    • Rio Chiquito
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rio Chiquito have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rio Chiquito
      • Rio Chiquito is located in Santa Fe County
    • Cuartelez
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cuartelez
      • Cuartelez is located in Santa Fe County
    • La Puebla
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for La Puebla
      • La Puebla is located in Santa Fe County
    • Cundiyo
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
    • Santa Cruz
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Santo Nino
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Santo Nino
      • Santo Nino is located in Santa Fe County
    • Sombrillo
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sombrillo have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sombrillo
      • Sombrillo is located in Santa Fe County
    • Arroyo Seco
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arroyo Seco
      • Arroyo Seco is located in Santa Fe County
    • El Valle de Arroyo Seco
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for El Valle de Arroyo Seco have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for El Valle de Arroyo Seco
      • El Valle de Arroyo Seco is located in Santa Fe County
    • Jacona
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Jacona. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jacona
      • Jacona is located in Santa Fe County
    • Pojoaque
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pojoaque have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pojoaque
      • Pojoaque is located in Santa Fe County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Pojoaque <1>
    • Cuyamungue
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cuyamungue
      • Cuyamungue is located in Santa Fe County
    • El Rancho
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for El Rancho have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for El Rancho
      • El Rancho is located in Santa Fe County
  • Taos County
    • The following are listed by their distance from La Bolsa, with the one closest to La Bolsa listed first.
    • Pilar
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Vallecito
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Chamisal
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Chamisal have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chamisal
      • Chamisal is located in Taos County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Chamisal <1>
    • Ojo Caliente
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Picuris Pueblo
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Picuris Pueblo have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Picuris Pueblo
      • Picuris Pueblo is located in Taos County
    • Rio Lucio
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rio Lucio have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rio Lucio
      • Rio Lucio is located in Taos County
    • Trampas
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Penasco
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Penasco have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Penasco
      • Penasco is located in Taos County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Penasco <1>
    • Carson
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Llano
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • Vadito
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • Ranchos de Taos
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Talpa
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Talpa
      • Talpa is located in Taos County

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

Cemeteries Near La Bolsa ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of La Bolsa.

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

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

  • Father Kauper Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
  • St. Anthony Catholic Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
  • Embudo Presbyterian Church Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Embudo Presbyterian Church Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Embudo Presbyterian Church Cemetery is located outside and to the southeast of Dixon.
    • The Embudo Presbyterian Church Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Dixon Presbyterian Cemetery
    • Embudo Presbyterian Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2424075 <4>
  • St. Anthony Catholic Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
  • El Santuario Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the El Santuario Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the El Santuario Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #38043 <4>
  • Velarde Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Ojo Sarco Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Martinez Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Martinez Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Martinez Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Santa Cruz Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
  • Ojo Caliente Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
  • La Villita Catholic Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
  • Las Trampas Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
  • Continue List   (56 more) ...
    • Las Trampas Cemetery
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Las Trampas Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Las Trampas Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • San Jose de Gracia Catholic Cemetery
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Picuris Pueblo Cemetery
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Picuris Pueblo Cemetery
      • To give a relative sense of its location, the Picuris Pueblo Cemetery is located in Picuris Pueblo.
      • The Picuris Pueblo Cemetery has also been known as:
      • San Lorenzo de Picuris Parish Cemetery
      • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2405843 <4>

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.<5>

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

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

  • Rinconada
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rinconada have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rinconada
    • Rinconada is located in Rio Arriba County
  • Barranca
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Barranca have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barranca
    • Barranca is located in Taos County
  • Embudo
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
  • Velarde
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Ojo Caliente
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
  • Alcalde
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Penasco
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Penasco have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Penasco
    • Penasco is located in Taos County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Penasco <1>
  • Chamita
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chamita
    • Chamita is located in Rio Arriba County
  • Santa Cruz
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Espanola
    (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
  • El Rito
    (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
  • Taos
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Continue List   (7 more) ...
    • Vallecitos
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Jacona
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Jacona. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jacona
      • Jacona is located in Santa Fe County
    • Pojoaque
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pojoaque have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pojoaque
      • Pojoaque is located in Santa Fe County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Pojoaque <1>

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

Newspapers Published in La Bolsa ...

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 33 newspapers that have been published in the area around La Bolsa.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of La Bolsa, there are papers which were published within 22 miles [35.4 km]<6>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for La Bolsa.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first turn to 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 La Bolsa:

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for La Bolsa. 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>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>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.
<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>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 La Bolsa, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<6>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- La Bolsa) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in La Bolsa. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 36.2156, Longitude: -105.9047       In this case, the coordinates for La Bolsa have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).




 

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In closing, please keep in mind that we can not guarantee the accuracy or timeliness of the information on this website, so use with care. We encourage you to double-check the information that is critical to you.

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025