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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 Laureles (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 Laureles. 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.

Laureles 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 Laureles. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Laureles:

  • Cameron County     (The home county of Laureles)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Laureles, with the one closest to Laureles listed first.
    • Indian Lake
      (Less than 2 miles to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Indian Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Indian Lake
      • Indian Lake is located in Cameron County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 864 people
    • Los Fresnos
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Los Fresnos have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Los Fresnos
      • Los Fresnos is located in Cameron County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 7,826 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Los Fresnos <2>
    • Chula Vista - Orason
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chula Vista - Orason
      • Chula Vista - Orason is located in Cameron County
    • Green Valley Farms
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
      • 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
    • Del Mar Heights
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Del Mar Heights have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Del Mar Heights
      • Del Mar Heights is located in Cameron County
      • Del Mar Heights has also been known as:
      • Del Mar Heights Colonia
    • Bayview
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Lozano
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lozano have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lozano
      • Lozano is located in Cameron County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lozano <2>
    • Olmito
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
      • 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>
    • Rancho Viejo
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
      • 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>
    • Arroyo Gardens - La Tina Ranch
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Villa del Sol
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Villa del Sol have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Villa del Sol
      • Villa del Sol is located in Cameron County
      • Villa del Sol has also been known as:
      • Villa del Sol Colonia
    • Lago
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
      • 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
  • Hidalgo County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Laureles, with the one closest to Laureles listed first.
    • Heidelberg
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • 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
    • Rio Rico
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rio Rico
      • Rio Rico is located in Hidalgo County
    • Indian Hills
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Indian Hills
      • Indian Hills is located in Hidalgo County
    • Mercedes
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
    • Relampago
      (26 miles [41.8 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
    • Progreso Lakes
      (28 miles [45.1 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
      (28 miles [45.1 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>
    • La Villa
      (29 miles [46.7 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
    • Llano Grande
      (29 miles [46.7 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
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • 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
    • Weslaco
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
  • Willacy County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Laureles, with the one closest to Laureles listed first.
    • Santa Monica
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Santa Monica. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Santa Monica
      • Santa Monica is located in Willacy County
    • Sebastian
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Willamar
      (25 miles [40.2 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
    • Zapata Ranch
      (26 miles [41.8 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
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Lyford South. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • 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
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • 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>
    • San Perlita
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)

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

Cemeteries Near Laureles ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Laureles.

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

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

  • Soldiers Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Soldiers Cemetery
    • 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.
  • Monte Meta Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Monte Meta Cemetery
    • 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.
  • San Benito Memorial Park Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
  • San Benito City Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
  • Rio Hondo City Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
  • Zepeda Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Zepeda Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Zepeda Cemetery is located 2 miles [3.2 km]<5> to the northwest of La Paloma.
  • Rio Hondo Community Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Rio Hondo Community Cemetery
    • 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 Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2188890 <4>
  • La Leona Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the La Leona Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the La Leona Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Old City Cemetery
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Old City Cemetery
    • 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.
  • Buena Vista Cemetery
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
  • Harlingan City Cemetery
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
  • Santa Rosalia Cemetery
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Santa Rosalia Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Santa Rosalia Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (35 more) ...
    • San Antonio Cemetery
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the San Antonio Cemetery
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for the San Antonio Cemetery. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #6681 <4>
    • Los Omales Cemetery
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Ashland Memorial Park
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Ashland Memorial Park
      • The Ashland Memorial Park has also been known as:
      • Loma Linda 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>

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

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

  • Brownsville
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
  • Santa Maria
    (22 miles [35.4 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>

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

Newspapers Published in Laureles ...

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 60 newspapers that have been published in the area around Laureles.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Laureles, there are papers which were published within 20 miles [32.2 km]<5>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Laureles.

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 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 Laureles:

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Laureles. 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>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>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- Laureles) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Laureles. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 26.1092, Longitude: -97.4942       In this case, the coordinates for Laureles have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<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 Laureles, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 29 Apr 2025