RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> State of Texas >> Karnes County >> Helena >> Genealogy HelperIndex...










Learn About
The Commemorative
Quarter for
Texas

The Commemorative Quarter for Texas





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 Helena (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 Helena. 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 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.

Helena is located in Karnes 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 Karnes County: Atascosa, Bee, DeWitt, Goliad, Gonzales & Wilson.

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

  • Karnes County     (The home county of Helena)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Helena, with the one closest to Helena listed first.
    • Flaccus ‑ Historic
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Flaccus. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flaccus
      • Flaccus is located in Karnes County
    • Panna Maria
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Panna Maria
      • Panna Maria is located in Karnes County
    • Karnes City
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Karnes City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Karnes City
      • Karnes City is located in Karnes County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,406 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Karnes City <3>
    • Ecleto
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ecleto have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ecleto
      • Ecleto is located in Karnes County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ecleto <3>
    • Runge
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Runge have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Runge
      • Runge is located in Karnes County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,166 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Runge <3>
    • Pawelekville
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pawelekville
      • Pawelekville is located in Karnes County
    • Kenedy
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Hobson
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hobson have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hobson
      • Hobson is located in Karnes County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hobson <3>
    • Gillett
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gillett have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gillett
      • Gillett is located in Karnes County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Gillett <3>
    • Falls City
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Coy City
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Coy City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coy City
      • Coy City is located in Karnes County
  • Atascosa County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Helena, with the one closest to Helena listed first.
    • Fashing
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fashing have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fashing
      • Fashing is located in Atascosa County
    • Peggy
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Peggy have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peggy
      • Peggy is located in Atascosa County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Peggy <3>
    • Black Hill
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Black Hill have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Black Hill
      • Black Hill is located in Atascosa County
  • Bee County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Helena, with the one closest to Helena listed first.
    • Tulsita
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tulsita
      • Tulsita is located in Bee County
    • Pettus
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pettus have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pettus
      • Pettus is located in Bee County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Pettus <3>
    • Pawnee
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
    • Tuleta
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
    • Mineral
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mineral have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mineral
      • Mineral is located in Bee County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mineral <3>
    • Normanna
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Normanna have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Normanna
      • Normanna is located in Bee County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Normanna <3>
  • DeWitt County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Helena, with the one closest to Helena listed first.
    • Nordheim
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Nordheim have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nordheim
      • Nordheim is located in DeWitt County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 303 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Nordheim <3>
    • Yorktown
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
    • Westhoff
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Meyersville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Meyersville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meyersville
      • Meyersville is located in DeWitt County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Meyersville <3>
  • Goliad County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Helena, with the one closest to Helena listed first.
    • Weesatche
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
    • Angel City
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Angel City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Angel City
      • Angel City is located in Goliad County
    • Weser
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weser
      • Weser is located in Goliad County
    • Ander
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ander
      • Ander is located in Goliad County
  • Gonzales County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Helena, with the one closest to Helena listed first.
    • Nixon
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nixon
      • Nixon is located in Gonzales County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,508 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Nixon <3>
    • Smiley
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Dewville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dewville
      • Dewville is located in Gonzales County
  • Wilson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Helena, with the one closest to Helena listed first.
    • Kosciusko
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kosciusko have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kosciusko
      • Kosciusko is located in Wilson County
    • Plummer Crossing ‑ Historic
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Plummer Crossing have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plummer Crossing
      • Plummer Crossing is located in Wilson County
    • Denhawken
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Denhawken
      • Denhawken is located in Wilson County
    • Poth
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Poth have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Poth
      • Poth is located in Wilson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,332 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Poth <3>
    • Sunnyside
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunnyside
      • Sunnyside is located in Wilson County
    • Pandora
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
    • Three Oaks ‑ Historic
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Three Oaks
      • Three Oaks is located in Wilson County
    • Ridout ‑ Historic
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ridout have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ridout
      • Ridout is located in Wilson County
    • Stockdale
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Dewees
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dewees
      • Dewees is located in Wilson County
    • Caddo
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Caddo
      • Caddo is located in Wilson County
    • Floresville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Helena ...

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 29 newspapers that have been published in the area around Helena.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Helena. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Helena and those printed in the larger area surrounding Helena.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 26 miles [41.8 km]<4> of Helena.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we begin 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 Helena:

Cemeteries Near Helena ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Helena.

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

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

  • Helena Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Helena Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Helena Cemetery
  • St. Mary Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Mary Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Mary Cemetery
  • Escondido Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Escondido Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Escondido Cemetery
  • Butler Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Butler Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Butler Cemetery
  • Kennedy Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Kennedy Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Kennedy Cemetery
  • Kenedy Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Kenedy Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located outside and to the southeast of Kenedy.
    • The Kenedy Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Kenedy City Cemetery
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Kenedy Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #4608 <5>
  • Treybig Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Treybig Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Treybig Cemetery
  • Nordheim Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Nordheim Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Nordheim Cemetery
  • Falls City Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Falls City Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Falls City Cemetery
  • Mueller Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mueller Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mueller Cemetery
  • St. Anns Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Anns Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Anns Cemetery
  • New Bremen Cemetery
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the New Bremen Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the New Bremen Cemetery
  • Continue List   (70 more) ...
    • Choate Cemetery
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Choate Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Choate Cemetery
    • House Cemetery
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the House Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the House Cemetery
    • Salt Creek Cemetery
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Salt Creek Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Salt Creek 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.<6>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Helena had a population of 354 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service.

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

  • Panna Maria
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Panna Maria
    • Panna Maria is located in Karnes County
  • Karnes City
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Karnes City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Karnes City
    • Karnes City is located in Karnes County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,406 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Karnes City <3>
  • Cestohowa
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cestohowa have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cestohowa
    • Cestohowa is located in Karnes County
  • Runge
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Runge have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Runge
    • Runge is located in Karnes County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,166 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Runge <3>
  • Charco
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Charco have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Charco
    • Charco is located in Goliad County
  • Yorktown
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
  • Stockdale
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
  • Pettus
    (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pettus have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pettus
    • Pettus is located in Bee County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Pettus <3>
  • Weesatche
    (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
  • Smiley
    (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
  • Floresville
    (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
  • Union
    (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Union have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union
    • Union is located in Wilson County
  • Continue List   (6 more) ...
    • Westhoff
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Sutherland Springs
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Nockenut
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Nockenut have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nockenut
      • Nockenut is located in Wilson County

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

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

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

Footnotes ...

<1>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.
<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>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<4>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- Helena) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Helena. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 28.9539, Longitude: -97.8240    
<5>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.
<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 Helena, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

Copyright 2024
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: 07 Apr 2024