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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 Americana (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 Americana. 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 Americana ...

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.

Americana has also been known as: Americana Colonia.

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 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.

Americana is located in Hidalgo County.

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

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Hidalgo County: Brooks, Cameron, Kenedy, Starr & Willacy.

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

  • Hidalgo County     (The home county of Americana)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Americana, with the one closest to Americana listed first.
    • Doolittle
      (Less than 2 miles to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Doolittle
      • Doolittle is located in Hidalgo County
    • Seminary Village
      (Less than 2 miles to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Seminary Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seminary Village
      • Seminary Village is located in Hidalgo County
      • Seminary Village has also been known as:
      • Seminary Village Colonia
    • Faysville
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Faysville
      • Faysville is located in Hidalgo County
    • Cesar Chavez
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cesar Chavez have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cesar Chavez
      • Cesar Chavez is located in Hidalgo County
    • Edinburg
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Gate City Acres
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gate City Acres have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gate City Acres
      • Gate City Acres is located in Hidalgo County
      • Gate City Acres has also been known as:
      • Gate City Acres Colonia
    • Nurillo
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nurillo
      • Nurillo is located in Hidalgo County
    • San Carlos
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for San Carlos have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for San Carlos
      • San Carlos is located in Hidalgo County
    • Murillo
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Murillo
      • Murillo is located in Hidalgo County
      • Murillo has also been known as:
      • Murillo Colonia
    • La Blanca
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Muniz
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Muniz have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Muniz
      • Muniz is located in Hidalgo County
      • Muniz has also been known as:
      • Muniz Colonia
    • Lopezville
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lopezville
      • Lopezville is located in Hidalgo County
    • Elsa
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Elsa have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elsa
      • Elsa is located in Hidalgo County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 7,120 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Elsa <2>
  • Cameron County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Americana, with the one closest to Americana listed first.
    • Grand Acres
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Grand Acres have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grand Acres
      • Grand Acres is located in Cameron County
    • Santa Rosa
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Santa Rosa have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Santa Rosa
      • Santa Rosa is located in Cameron County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,684 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Santa Rosa <2>
    • Tierra Bonita
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tierra Bonita have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tierra Bonita
      • Tierra Bonita is located in Cameron County
      • Tierra Bonita has also been known as:
      • Tierra Bonita Colonia
    • Yznaga
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Yznaga have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yznaga
      • Yznaga is located in Cameron County
    • Ratamosa
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ratamosa have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ratamosa
      • Ratamosa is located in Cameron County
      • Ratamosa has also been known as:
      • Ratamosa Colonia
    • Bixby
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bixby
      • Bixby is located in Cameron County
    • Solis
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Solis have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Solis
      • Solis is located in Cameron County
      • Solis has also been known as:
      • Solis Colonia
    • La Feria North
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for La Feria North
      • La Feria North is located in Cameron County
    • La Feria
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
    • North La Feria Village
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North La Feria Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North La Feria Village
      • North La Feria Village is located in Cameron County
      • North La Feria Village has also been known as:
      • North La Feria Village Colonia
    • Windsong Village
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Windsong Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Windsong Village
      • Windsong Village is located in Cameron County
      • Windsong Village has also been known as:
      • Windsong Village Colonia
    • Arroyo Alto
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Arroyo Alto have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arroyo Alto
      • Arroyo Alto is located in Cameron County
    • Primera
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Primera have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Primera
      • Primera is located in Cameron County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,271 people
  • Starr County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Americana, with the one closest to Americana listed first.
    • Arkansas City
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Arkansas City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arkansas City
      • Arkansas City is located in Starr County
    • Delmita
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
    • La Victoria
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for La Victoria
      • La Victoria is located in Starr County
  • Willacy County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Americana, with the one closest to Americana listed first.
    • Lasara
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lasara have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lasara
      • Lasara is located in Willacy County
      • Lasara has also been known as:
      • La Sara
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lasara <2>
    • Zapata Ranch
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Zapata Ranch have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zapata Ranch
      • Zapata Ranch is located in Willacy County
      • Zapata Ranch has also been known as:
      • Zapata Ranch Colonia
    • Lyford South
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lyford South have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lyford South
      • Lyford South is located in Willacy County
      • Lyford South has also been known as:
      • Lyford South Colonia
    • Lyford
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lyford have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lyford
      • Lyford is located in Willacy County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,513 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lyford <2>
    • Sebastian
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
    • Ranchette Estates
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ranchette Estates have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ranchette Estates
      • Ranchette Estates is located in Willacy County
      • Ranchette Estates has also been known as:
      • Ranchette Estates Colonia
    • Raymondville
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
    • Los Angeles Subdivision
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Los Angeles Subdivision have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Los Angeles Subdivision
      • Los Angeles Subdivision is located in Willacy County

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

Newspapers Published in Americana ...

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 15 newspapers that have been published in the area around Americana.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Americana, there are papers which were published within 4 miles [6.4 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Americana.

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 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 Americana:

Cemeteries Near Americana ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Americana.

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

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

  • Restlawn Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Restlawn Cemetery is located outside and to the northeast of Edinburg.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Restlawn Cemetery
  • Hillcrest Memorial Park
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hillcrest Memorial Park have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hillcrest Memorial Park
  • Old Edinburg Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Old Edinburg Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Old Edinburg Cemetery
  • Cibilo Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Cibilo Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Cibilo Cemetery
  • Cavazos Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Cavazos Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Cavazos Cemetery
  • Palm Valley Memorial Gardens
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
  • Vela Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Vela Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Vela Cemetery
  • Valle De La Paz Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
  • Valley Memorial Gardens
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Valley Memorial Gardens have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Valley Memorial Gardens
  • Guadalupe Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Guadalupe Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Guadalupe Cemetery
  • Cementerio Anahuac Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Cementerio Anahuac Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Cementerio Anahuac Cemetery
  • Roselawn Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Continue List   (72 more) ...
    • St. Joseph Cemetery
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Joseph Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Joseph Cemetery
    • Highland Memorial Cemetery
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • La Piedad Cemetery
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the La Piedad Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the La Piedad 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.<5>

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

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

  • Los Angeles
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Los Angeles have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Los Angeles
    • Los Angeles is located in Hidalgo County
  • Hidalgo
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
  • Havana
    (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Havana
    • Havana is located in Hidalgo County
  • Santa Maria
    (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Santa Maria have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Santa Maria
    • Santa Maria is located in Cameron County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Santa Maria <2>

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

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

The official website for Hidalgo County: www.co.hidalgo.tx.us/

The official website for State of Texas: https://texas.gov/

Footnotes ...

<1>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.
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<3>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- Americana) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Americana. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 26.3592, Longitude: -98.1392       In this case, the coordinates for Americana have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<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 Americana, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024