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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 Hondo (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 Hondo. 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 northwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals and doctors were in the next county to the west. 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 west 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.

Hondo is located in Medina County and is the County Seat.

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 Medina County: Atascosa, Bandera, Bexar, Frio, Uvalde & Zavala.

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

  • Medina County     (The home county of Hondo)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Hondo, with the one closest to Hondo listed first.
    • New Fountain
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Quihi
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • D'Hanis
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Yancey
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Yancey have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yancey
      • Yancey is located in Medina County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Yancey <1>
    • Castroville
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Castroville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Castroville
      • Castroville is located in Medina County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,199 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Castroville <1>
    • Rio Medina
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Pearson
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
    • Mico
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mico have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mico
      • Mico is located in Medina County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mico <1>
    • Devine
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Devine have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Devine
      • Devine is located in Medina County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,938 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Devine <1>
    • LaCoste
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for LaCoste have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for LaCoste
      • LaCoste is located in Medina County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,263 people
      • LaCoste has also been known as:
      • La Coste
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for LaCoste <1>
    • Natalia
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Natalia have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Natalia
      • Natalia is located in Medina County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,622 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Natalia <1>
  • Atascosa County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Hondo, with the one closest to Hondo listed first.
    • Lytle
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lytle have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lytle
      • Lytle is located in Atascosa County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,061 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lytle <1>
    • Kyote
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Bandera County
  • Bexar County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Hondo, with the one closest to Hondo listed first.
    • Atascosa
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
    • Macdona
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Macdona have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Macdona
      • Macdona is located in Bexar County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Macdona <1>
    • Bexar
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
    • Lackland City
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lackland City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lackland City
      • Lackland City is located in Bexar County
    • Lackland Heights
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
    • Von Ormy
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Von Ormy have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Von Ormy
      • Von Ormy is located in Bexar County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,260 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Von Ormy <1>
    • Somerset
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
    • Westwood Village
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Westwood Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westwood Village
      • Westwood Village is located in Bexar County
    • Helotes
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Helotes have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Helotes
      • Helotes is located in Bexar County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 10,277 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Helotes <1>
  • Frio County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Hondo, with the one closest to Hondo listed first.
    • Moore
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
    • Frio Town ‑ Historic
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Frio Town. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frio Town
      • Frio Town is located in Frio County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Frio Town
      • From Hondo to Frio Town
    • Bigfoot
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
    • North Pearsall
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Pearsall have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Pearsall
      • North Pearsall is located in Frio County
  • Uvalde County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Hondo, with the one closest to Hondo listed first.
    • Sabinal
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sabinal have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sabinal
      • Sabinal is located in Uvalde County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,676 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sabinal <1>
    • Utopia
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Utopia have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Utopia
      • Utopia is located in Uvalde County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Utopia <1>
    • Knippa
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)

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

Cemeteries Near Hondo ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Hondo.

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

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

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>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that in 1895, Hondo had a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Hondo had a population of 9,492 people.

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

  • New Fountain
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
  • D'Hanis
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
  • Noonan
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Noonan. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Noonan
    • Noonan is located in Medina County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Noonan
    • From Hondo to Noonan
  • Castroville
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Castroville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Castroville
    • Castroville is located in Medina County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,199 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Castroville <1>
  • Devine
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Devine have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Devine
    • Devine is located in Medina County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,938 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Devine <1>
  • Sabinal
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sabinal have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sabinal
    • Sabinal is located in Uvalde County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,676 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sabinal <1>
  • Moore
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
  • Lytle
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lytle have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lytle
    • Lytle is located in Atascosa County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,061 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lytle <1>
  • Frio Town ‑ Historic
    (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Frio Town. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frio Town
    • Frio Town is located in Frio County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Frio Town
    • From Hondo to Frio Town
  • Atascosa
    (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
  • Bigfoot
    (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
  • Bandera
    (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
  • Continue List   (5 more) ...
    • Macdona
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Macdona have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Macdona
      • Macdona is located in Bexar County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Macdona <1>
    • Bexar
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
    • Von Ormy
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Von Ormy have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Von Ormy
      • Von Ormy is located in Bexar County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,260 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Von Ormy <1>

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Hondo ...

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 38 newspapers that have been published in the area around Hondo.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Hondo. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Hondo and those printed in the larger area surrounding Hondo.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<6> of Hondo.

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 Hondo:

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

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>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>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 Hondo, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<6>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- Hondo) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Hondo. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 29.3476, Longitude: -99.1417    









 

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This page was last modified/updated: 29 Apr 2025