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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 La Paloma (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 La Paloma. 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 southwest 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 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.

La Paloma is located in Cameron 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 Cameron County: Hidalgo & Willacy.

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

  • Cameron County     (The home county of La Paloma)
    • The following are listed by their distance from La Paloma, with the one closest to La Paloma listed first.
    • Encantada - Ranchito El Calaboz
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
    • El Camino Angosto
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for El Camino Angosto have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for El Camino Angosto
      • El Camino Angosto is located in Cameron County
      • El Camino Angosto has also been known as:
      • El Camino Angosto Colonia
    • Lago
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lago have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lago
      • Lago is located in Cameron County
      • Lago has also been known as:
      • Lago Colonia
    • Los Indios
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Los Indios have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Los Indios
      • Los Indios is located in Cameron County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,058 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Los Indios <2>
    • Rangerville
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rangerville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rangerville
      • Rangerville is located in Cameron County
      • Population from the 2010 Census: 289 people
      • Rangerville has also been known as:
      • Rangerville Colonia
    • Rancho Viejo
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rancho Viejo have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rancho Viejo
      • Rancho Viejo is located in Cameron County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,446 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Rancho Viejo <2>
    • San Benito
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for San Benito have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for San Benito
      • San Benito is located in Cameron County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 24,085 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for San Benito <2>
    • San Pedro
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for San Pedro have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for San Pedro
      • San Pedro is located in Cameron County
      • San Pedro has also been known as:
      • San Pedro Colonia
    • Olmito
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Olmito have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Olmito
      • Olmito is located in Cameron County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Olmito <2>
    • Green Valley Farms
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Green Valley Farms have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Valley Farms
      • Green Valley Farms is located in Cameron County
      • Green Valley Farms has also been known as:
      • Green Valley Farms Colonia
    • Bluetown - Iglesia Antigua
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Bluetown
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bluetown
      • Bluetown is located in Cameron County
      • Bluetown has also been known as:
      • Blue Town
      • Bluetown Colonia
  • Hidalgo County
    • The following are listed by their distance from La Paloma, with the one closest to La Paloma listed first.
    • Rio Rico
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rio Rico
      • Rio Rico is located in Hidalgo County
    • Relampago
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Relampago have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Relampago
      • Relampago is located in Hidalgo County
    • Heidelberg
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Heidelberg have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Heidelberg
      • Heidelberg is located in Hidalgo County
    • Mercedes
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Indian Hills
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Indian Hills
      • Indian Hills is located in Hidalgo County
    • Progreso Lakes
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Progreso Lakes have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Progreso Lakes
      • Progreso Lakes is located in Hidalgo County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 270 people
    • Progreso
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Progreso have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Progreso
      • Progreso is located in Hidalgo County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,979 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Progreso <2>
    • Llano Grande
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Llano Grande have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Llano Grande
      • Llano Grande is located in Hidalgo County
    • Mila Doce
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mila Doce have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mila Doce
      • Mila Doce is located in Hidalgo County
    • Villa Verde
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Villa Verde have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Villa Verde
      • Villa Verde is located in Hidalgo County
      • Villa Verde has also been known as:
      • Villa Verde Colonia
    • Weslaco
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
    • La Villa
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for La Villa have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for La Villa
      • La Villa is located in Hidalgo County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,935 people
  • Willacy County
    • The following are listed by their distance from La Paloma, with the one closest to La Paloma listed first.
    • Sebastian
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
    • Santa Monica
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Santa Monica have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Santa Monica
      • Santa Monica is located in Willacy County
    • Zapata Ranch
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • 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
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • 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
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • 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>
    • Willamar
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Willamar have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willamar
      • Willamar is located in Willacy County
    • Raymondville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)

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

Newspapers Published in La Paloma ...

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 62 newspapers that have been published in the area around La Paloma.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of La Paloma, there are papers which were published within 16 miles [25.7 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for La Paloma.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we 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 La Paloma:

Cemeteries Near La Paloma ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of La Paloma.

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

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

  • Zepeda Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Zepeda Cemetery is located 2 miles [3.2 km]<3> to the northwest of La Paloma.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Zepeda Cemetery
  • San Benito City Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
  • San Benito Memorial Park Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Harlingan City Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
  • Longoria Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
  • Monte Meta Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Monte Meta Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Monte Meta Cemetery
  • Restlawn Memorial Park
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Restlawn Memorial Park have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Restlawn Memorial Park
  • Rio Hondo City Cemetery
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
  • La Feria Cemetery
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
  • Solis Cemetery
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
  • Old City Cemetery
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Old City Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Old City Cemetery
  • Buena Vista Cemetery
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
  • Continue List   (42 more) ...
    • Soldiers Cemetery
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Soldiers Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Soldiers Cemetery
    • Rio Hondo Community Cemetery
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
      • To give a relative sense of its location, the Rio Hondo Community Cemetery is located outside and to the east of Rio Hondo.
      • The Rio Hondo Community Cemetery has also been known as:
      • Jack Carpenter Cemetery
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Rio Hondo Community Cemetery
      • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2188890 <4>
    • Ashland Memorial Park
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • The Ashland Memorial Park has also been known as:
      • Loma Linda Cemetery
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Ashland Memorial Park

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 La Paloma in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of La Paloma.

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

  • Santa Maria
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
    • 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>
  • Brownsville
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)

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

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

The official website for Cameron County: www.co.cameron.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 from Point A (ie- La Paloma) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in La Paloma. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 26.0486, Longitude: -97.6676    
<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 La Paloma, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024