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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 Fort Bliss (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 Fort Bliss. 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 Fort Bliss ...

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 Fort Bliss: Ft. Bliss

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 southwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals were in the next county to the west. 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 west 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.

Fort Bliss is located in El Paso 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 El Paso County: Dona Ana (NM), Otero (NM) & Hudspeth.

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

  • El Paso County     (The home county of Fort Bliss)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Fort Bliss, with the one closest to Fort Bliss listed first.
    • El Paso
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Smelter Town
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Smelter Town have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smelter Town
      • Smelter Town is located in El Paso County
    • Belen
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Belen have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belen
      • Belen is located in El Paso County
    • Canutillo
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Prado Verde
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Prado Verde have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prado Verde
      • Prado Verde is located in El Paso County
    • Westway
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Westway have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westway
      • Westway is located in El Paso County
    • Vinton
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Vinton have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vinton
      • Vinton is located in El Paso County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,168 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Vinton <1>
    • Socorro
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Socorro have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Socorro
      • Socorro is located in El Paso County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 35,883 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Socorro <1>
    • Sparks
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sparks
      • Sparks is located in El Paso County
    • Homestead Meadows North
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
    • Homestead Meadows South
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
    • Homestead Meadows
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Homestead Meadows have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Homestead Meadows
      • Homestead Meadows is located in El Paso County
    • Anthony
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Anthony have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Anthony
      • Anthony is located in El Paso County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,257 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Anthony <1>
  • Dona Ana County (NM)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Fort Bliss, with the one closest to Fort Bliss listed first.
    • Sunland Park
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sunland Park have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunland Park
      • Sunland Park is located in Dona Ana County (NM)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 18,449 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sunland Park <1>
    • Santa Teresa
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Santa Teresa have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Santa Teresa
      • Santa Teresa is located in Dona Ana County (NM)
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Santa Teresa <1>
    • Chaparral
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Chaparral have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chaparral
      • Chaparral is located in Dona Ana County (NM)
    • Anthony
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
    • La Union
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for La Union
      • La Union is located in Dona Ana County (NM)
    • Berino
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Chamberino
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chamberino
      • Chamberino is located in Dona Ana County (NM)
    • Vado
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Vado have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vado
      • Vado is located in Dona Ana County (NM)
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Vado <1>
    • Lanark ‑ Historic
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lanark have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lanark
      • Lanark is located in Dona Ana County (NM)
    • La Mesa
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Mesquite
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mesquite have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mesquite
      • Mesquite is located in Dona Ana County (NM)
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mesquite <1>

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Fort Bliss ...

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 86 newspapers that have been published in the area around Fort Bliss.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Fort Bliss. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Fort Bliss and those printed in the larger area surrounding Fort Bliss.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 16 miles [25.7 km]<3> of Fort Bliss.

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 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 Fort Bliss:

Cemeteries Near Fort Bliss ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Fort Bliss.

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

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

  • Ft. Bliss National Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Ft. Bliss National Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Ft. Bliss National Cemetery
  • Concordia Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
  • Temple Mount Sinai Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
  • Evergreen Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
  • Restlawn Memorial Park
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
  • Rest Lawn Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Rest Lawn Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Rest Lawn Cemetery
  • Mt. Carmel Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • The Mt. Carmel Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Our Lady of Mt. Carmel
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mt. Carmel Cemetery
  • Evergreen Cemetery East
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
  • Canutillo Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Canutillo Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Canutillo Cemetery
  • San Lorenzo Cemetery
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the San Lorenzo Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the San Lorenzo Cemetery
  • Old Berino Cemetery
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Old Berino Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Old Berino Cemetery
  • Chamberino Cemetery
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
    • The Chamberino Cemetery has also been known as:
    • San Luis Cemetery
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Chamberino Cemetery
  • St. Josephs Cemetery
    (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Josephs Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Josephs Cemetery
  • Helm Cemetery
    (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Helm Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Helm 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 Fort Bliss in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Fort Bliss.

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

  • El Paso
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Alfalfa
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Alfalfa have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alfalfa
    • Alfalfa is located in El Paso County
  • Courchesne
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Courchesne have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Courchesne
    • Courchesne is located in El Paso County
  • Ysleta
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ysleta have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ysleta
    • Ysleta is located in El Paso County
  • Montoya
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Montoya have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montoya
    • Montoya is located in El Paso County
  • Belen
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Belen have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belen
    • Belen is located in El Paso County
  • Canutillo
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Anthony
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Strauss ‑ Historic
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Strauss have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Strauss
    • Strauss is located in Dona Ana County (NM)
  • San Elizario
    (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for San Elizario have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for San Elizario
    • San Elizario is located in El Paso County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for San Elizario <1>
  • Clint
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Clint have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clint
    • Clint is located in El Paso County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,115 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Clint <1>
  • Lanark ‑ Historic
    (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lanark have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lanark
    • Lanark is located in Dona Ana County (NM)
  • Fabens
    (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
  • Mesquite
    (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mesquite have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mesquite
    • Mesquite is located in Dona Ana County (NM)
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mesquite <1>

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

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

The official website for El Paso County: www.epcounty.com/

The official website for State of Texas: https://texas.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>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Fort Bliss) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Fort Bliss. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 31.8072, Longitude: -106.4341    
<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 Fort Bliss, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024