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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 Sunshine Valley (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 Sunshine Valley. 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.

Name Variations for Sunshine Valley ...

When searching records, keep in mind that names and their spelling can change over time. Our sources include documents like maps, railroad schedules, Travel, Express and Shipping Guides. Many of these documents date from the 1800's and it's common to find spelling differences.

Although we can't give a definitive list, hopefully the following will give you a feel for the variations that might have occurred.

For example, a typical abbreviation for Sunshine Valley: Sunshine Vly. (or less commonly used: Sunshine Vally. or Sunshine Vlly.)

If you have information about these names (such as the reason for the change, date of change, the origin of the name), please Contact Us.

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 doctors and 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.

Sunshine Valley is located in Taos 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 Taos County: Conejos (CO), Costilla (CO), Colfax, Mora & Rio Arriba.

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

  • Taos County     (The home county of Sunshine Valley)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sunshine Valley, with the one closest to Sunshine Valley listed first.
    • Buena Vista
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Cerro
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Questa
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Questa have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Questa
      • Questa is located in Taos County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,741 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Questa <1>
    • Costilla
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Amalia
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amalia
      • Amalia is located in Taos County
    • Lama
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lama
      • Lama is located in Taos County
    • Ventero
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ventero
      • Ventero is located in Taos County
    • San Cristobal
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
    • Red River
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Kiowa Village
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kiowa Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kiowa Village
      • Kiowa Village is located in Taos County
    • Arroyo Hondo
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
    • Taos Ski Valley
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Taos Ski Valley have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Taos Ski Valley
      • Taos Ski Valley is located in Taos County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 76 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Taos Ski Valley <1>
    • Tres Piedras
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Colfax County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sunshine Valley, with the one closest to Sunshine Valley listed first.
    • Idlewild
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Idlewild
      • Idlewild is located in Colfax County
    • Eagle Nest
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Eagle Nest have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eagle Nest
      • Eagle Nest is located in Colfax County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 251 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Eagle Nest <1>
    • Virginia City ‑ Historic
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Virginia City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Virginia City
      • Virginia City is located in Colfax County
    • Lakeview Pines
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lakeview Pines
      • Lakeview Pines is located in Colfax County
  • Rio Arriba County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sunshine Valley, with the one closest to Sunshine Valley listed first.
    • Lava ‑ Historic
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Lava. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lava
      • Lava is located in Rio Arriba County
    • Petaca
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Conejos County (CO)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sunshine Valley, with the one closest to Sunshine Valley listed first.
    • Ortiz
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ortiz
      • Ortiz is located in Conejos County (CO)
    • Antonito
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Conejos
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Manassa
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manassa
      • Manassa is located in Conejos County (CO)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,019 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Manassa <1>
    • Paisaje
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Paisaje. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paisaje
      • Paisaje is located in Conejos County (CO)
    • Mogote
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mogote
      • Mogote is located in Conejos County (CO)
    • Romeo
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Romeo have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Romeo
      • Romeo is located in Conejos County (CO)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 417 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Romeo <1>
  • Costilla County (CO)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sunshine Valley, with the one closest to Sunshine Valley listed first.
    • Jaroso
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Jaroso have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jaroso
      • Jaroso is located in Costilla County (CO)
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Jaroso <1>
    • Garcia
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Garcia have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garcia
      • Garcia is located in Costilla County (CO)
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Garcia <1>
    • San Pablo
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for San Pablo have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for San Pablo
      • San Pablo is located in Costilla County (CO)
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for San Pablo <1>
    • San Acacio
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
    • Chama
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Chama have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chama
      • Chama is located in Costilla County (CO)
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Chama <1>
    • San Luis
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for San Luis have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for San Luis
      • San Luis is located in Costilla County (CO)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 692 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for San Luis <1>

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

Cemeteries Near Sunshine Valley ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Sunshine Valley.

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

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

  • Sunshine Valley Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
  • Latir Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Latir Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Latir Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #38177 <4>
  • El Cerro Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the El Cerro Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the El Cerro Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Chapel of Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
  • St. Anthony Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
  • Veterans Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Veterans Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Veterans Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Sacred Heart Catholic Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Jaroso Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Jaroso Cemetery
    • The Jaroso Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Mountain View Cemetery
  • Garcia Cemetery
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
  • Red River Cemetery
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
  • Rael Cemetery
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Rael Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Rael Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Lobatos Cemetery
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lobatos Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lobatos Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (29 more) ...
    • San Antonio Cemetery
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
    • Old Ortiz Cemetery
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Ortiz Cemetery
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Ortiz Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Ortiz Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.

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

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

  • Cerro
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • Questa
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Questa have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Questa
    • Questa is located in Taos County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,741 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Questa <1>
  • Costilla
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
  • No Agua
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for No Agua have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for No Agua
    • No Agua is located in Taos County
  • Tres Piedras
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Arroyo Hondo
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
  • Arroyo Seco
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
  • Ortiz
    (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ortiz
    • Ortiz is located in Conejos County (CO)
  • Servilleta
    (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Servilleta. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Servilleta
    • Servilleta is located in Taos County
  • Elizabethtown ‑ Historic
    (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Elizabethtown have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elizabethtown
    • Elizabethtown is located in Colfax County
  • Los Cerritos
    (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Los Cerritos have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Los Cerritos
    • Los Cerritos is located in Conejos County (CO)
  • Antonito
    (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
  • Continue List   (5 more) ...
    • Lava ‑ Historic
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Lava. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lava
      • Lava is located in Rio Arriba County
    • Conejos
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • San Luis
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for San Luis have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for San Luis
      • San Luis is located in Costilla County (CO)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 692 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for San Luis <1>

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

Newspapers Published in Sunshine Valley ...

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 44 newspapers that have been published in the area around Sunshine Valley.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Sunshine Valley, there are papers which were published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<5>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Sunshine Valley.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we start with 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 Sunshine Valley:

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Sunshine Valley. 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>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Sunshine Valley) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Sunshine Valley. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 36.8417, Longitude: -105.6589       In this case, the coordinates for Sunshine Valley 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 Sunshine Valley, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025