RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> State of New Mexico >> Lincoln County >> Vera Cruz >> Genealogy HelperIndex...










Learn About
The Commemorative
Quarter for
New Mexico

The Commemorative Quarter for New Mexico





Our Genealogy Helper

Introduction ...

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

We've added Vera Cruz to our Gazetteer with the hope that we can develop more information. If you can help us with Vera Cruz, 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 Vera Cruz (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 Vera Cruz. 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 Vera Cruz ...

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.

Another variation: Veracruz.

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 northeast 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 north.

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 north 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 Vera Cruz is historic, it would have been located within present day Lincoln 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 Lincoln County: Chaves, DeBaca, Guadalupe, Otero, Sierra, Socorro & Torrance.

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

  • Lincoln County     (The home county of Vera Cruz)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Vera Cruz, with the one closest to Vera Cruz listed first.
    • Nogal
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Capitan
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Capitan have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Capitan
      • Capitan is located in Lincoln County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,457 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Capitan <2>
    • Bonito
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bonito
      • Bonito is located in Lincoln County
    • Carrizozo
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Fort Stanton ‑ Historic
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fort Stanton
      • Fort Stanton is located in Lincoln County
    • Sierra Vista
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sierra Vista
      • Sierra Vista is located in Lincoln County
    • Sun Valley
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Sun Valley. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sun Valley
      • Sun Valley is located in Lincoln County
    • Alto
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
    • Alpine Cellars Village
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Alpine Cellars Village have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alpine Cellars Village
      • Alpine Cellars Village is located in Lincoln County
    • Ruidoso
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
    • Hollywood
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hollywood
      • Hollywood is located in Lincoln County
    • Glencoe
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Lincoln
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lincoln
      • Lincoln is located in Lincoln County
  • Otero County
    • Carrizo
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carrizo
      • Carrizo is located in Otero County

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

Cemeteries Near Vera Cruz ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Vera Cruz.

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

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

  • Nogal Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Nogal Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Nogal Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Silva Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Silva Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Silva Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Cedarvale Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Cedarvale Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Cedarvale Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located 10 miles [16.1 km]<5> to the southwest of Carrizozo.
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #37992 <6>
  • Our Lady of Guadalupe Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Our Lady of Guadalupe Cemetery
    • The Our Lady of Guadalupe Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Guadalupe Catholic Church Cemetery
    • Santa Rita Cemetery
  • Evergreen Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Evergreen Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Evergreen Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Encinoso Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Encinoso Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Encinoso Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Reventon Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Reventon Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Reventon Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • West - Box Cemetery
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the West - Box Cemetery
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for the West - Box Cemetery. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the West - Box Cemetery is located 7 miles [11.3 km]<5> to the north of Capitan.
    • The West - Box Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Pioneer Little Creek Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2176448 <6>
  • Patos Cemetery
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Patos Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Patos Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Forest Lawn Cemetery
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
  • Jicarilla Cemetery
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Jicarilla Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Jicarilla Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Griego Cemetery
    (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Griego Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Griego Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (15 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.

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

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

  • Nogal
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
  • White Oaks ‑ Historic
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for White Oaks have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Oaks
    • White Oaks is located in Lincoln County
  • Bonito
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bonito
    • Bonito is located in Lincoln County
  • Fort Stanton ‑ Historic
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fort Stanton
    • Fort Stanton is located in Lincoln County
  • Ruidoso
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
  • Lincoln
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lincoln
    • Lincoln is located in Lincoln County
  • Luna
    (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Luna have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Luna
    • Luna is located in Lincoln County

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

Newspapers Published in Vera Cruz ...

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 32 newspapers that have been published in the area around Vera Cruz.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Vera Cruz, there are papers which were published within 19 miles [30.6 km]<5>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Vera Cruz.

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 professional and volunteer 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 Vera Cruz:

The official website for State of New Mexico: https://www.nm.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 Vera Cruz, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<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>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.
<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 from Point A (ie- Vera Cruz) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Vera Cruz. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 33.6062, Longitude: -105.7014       In this case, the coordinates for Vera Cruz have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<6>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.




 

Copyright 2025
All Rights Reserved

Thank you for visiting our website.

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.

If you've found an error or have additional information that you would like to share, please don't hesitate to write: Click here to contact us.

This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025