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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 McAllen (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 McAllen. 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 southeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors and hospitals were in the next county to the east. 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 east 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.

McAllen is located in Hidalgo 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 Hidalgo County: Brooks, Cameron, Kenedy, Starr & Willacy.

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

  • Hidalgo County     (The home county of McAllen)
    • The following are listed by their distance from McAllen, with the one closest to McAllen listed first.
    • Pharr
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pharr
      • Pharr is located in Hidalgo County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 79,513 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Pharr <1>
    • San Juan
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Lopezville
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lopezville
      • Lopezville is located in Hidalgo County
    • Citriana Village
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Citriana Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Citriana Village
      • Citriana Village is located in Hidalgo County
      • Citriana Village has also been known as:
      • Citriana Village Colonia
    • Palmhurst
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Palmhurst have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Palmhurst
      • Palmhurst is located in Hidalgo County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,719 people
    • Mission
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Alamo
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alamo
      • Alamo is located in Hidalgo County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 20,556 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Alamo <1>
    • Campo Alto
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Campo Alto
      • Campo Alto is located in Hidalgo County
    • North Alamo
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Alamo have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Alamo
      • North Alamo is located in Hidalgo County
    • Plumosa Village
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Plumosa Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plumosa Village
      • Plumosa Village is located in Hidalgo County
      • Plumosa Village has also been known as:
      • Plumosa Village Colonia
    • Granjeno
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Granjeno
      • Granjeno is located in Hidalgo County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 317 people
    • Edinburg
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Alton
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Alton have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alton
      • Alton is located in Hidalgo County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 18,785 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Alton <1>
  • Cameron County
    • The following are listed by their distance from McAllen, with the one closest to McAllen listed first.
    • Bixby
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bixby
      • Bixby is located in Cameron County
    • Ratamosa
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ratamosa have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ratamosa
      • Ratamosa is located in Cameron County
      • Ratamosa has also been known as:
      • Ratamosa Colonia
    • Longoria Townsite
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Longoria Townsite have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Longoria Townsite
      • Longoria Townsite is located in Cameron County
      • Longoria Townsite has also been known as:
      • Longoria Townsite Colonia
    • North La Feria Village
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North La Feria Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North La Feria Village
      • North La Feria Village is located in Cameron County
      • North La Feria Village has also been known as:
      • North La Feria Village Colonia
    • Solis
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Solis have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Solis
      • Solis is located in Cameron County
      • Solis has also been known as:
      • Solis Colonia
    • Arroyo Alto
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Arroyo Alto have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arroyo Alto
      • Arroyo Alto is located in Cameron County
    • Grand Acres
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Grand Acres have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grand Acres
      • Grand Acres is located in Cameron County
    • La Feria North
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for La Feria North
      • La Feria North is located in Cameron County
    • La Feria
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
    • Santa Maria
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Santa Maria have been provided by the GNIS.<2> 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 <1>
    • Santa Rosa
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Santa Rosa have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Santa Rosa
      • Santa Rosa is located in Cameron County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,684 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Santa Rosa <1>
    • Tierra Bonita
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tierra Bonita have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tierra Bonita
      • Tierra Bonita is located in Cameron County
      • Tierra Bonita has also been known as:
      • Tierra Bonita Colonia
    • Windsong Village
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Windsong Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Windsong Village
      • Windsong Village is located in Cameron County
      • Windsong Village has also been known as:
      • Windsong Village Colonia
  • Starr County
    • The following are listed by their distance from McAllen, with the one closest to McAllen listed first.
    • La Grulla
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for La Grulla
      • La Grulla is located in Starr County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,682 people
    • Alto Bonito
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alto Bonito
      • Alto Bonito is located in Starr County
      • Alto Bonito has also been known as:
      • Alto Bonito Colonia
    • La Victoria
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for La Victoria
      • La Victoria is located in Starr County
    • West Alto Bonito
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Alto Bonito
      • West Alto Bonito is located in Starr County
      • West Alto Bonito has also been known as:
      • West Alto Bonito Colonia
    • Garciasville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
  • Willacy County
    • The following are listed by their distance from McAllen, with the one closest to McAllen listed first.
    • Lasara
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lasara have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lasara
      • Lasara is located in Willacy County
      • Lasara has also been known as:
      • La Sara
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lasara <1>
    • Zapata Ranch
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Zapata Ranch have been provided by the GNIS.<2> 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
    • Sebastian
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
    • Lyford South
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lyford South have been provided by the GNIS.<2> 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
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lyford have been provided by the GNIS.<2> 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 <1>

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of McAllen ...

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 42 newspapers that have been published in the area around McAllen.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of McAllen. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of McAllen and those printed in the larger area surrounding McAllen.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 7 miles [11.3 km]<3> of McAllen.

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 McAllen:

Cemeteries Near McAllen ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of McAllen.

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

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

  • Roselawn Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
  • La Piedad Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the La Piedad Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the La Piedad Cemetery
  • Temple Emanuel Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Temple Emanuel Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Temple Emanuel Cemetery
  • Guadalupe Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Guadalupe Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Guadalupe Cemetery
  • Palm Valley Memorial Gardens
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Valley Memorial Gardens
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Valley Memorial Gardens have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Valley Memorial Gardens
  • San Juan Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Pharr Memorial Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pharr Memorial Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pharr Memorial Cemetery
  • Granjeno Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Hidalgo Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Hidalgo Cemetery is located in Hidalgo.
    • The Hidalgo Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Hidalgo City Cemetery
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hidalgo Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2313151 <4>
  • Laurel Hill Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Laurel Hill Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Laurel Hill Cemetery
  • St. Joseph Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Joseph Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Joseph Cemetery
  • Continue List   (60 more) ...
    • Capota Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Capota Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Capota Cemetery
    • Eli Jackson Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
      • To give a relative sense of its location, the Eli Jackson Cemetery is located 4 miles [6.4 km]<3> to the west of Hidalgo.
      • The Eli Jackson Cemetery has also been known as:
      • Eli Jackson - Brewster Cemetery
      • Jackson - Brewster Cemetery
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Eli Jackson Cemetery
      • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2650696 <4>
    • Jackson Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Jackson Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Jackson 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 McAllen in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of McAllen.

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

  • Hidalgo
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
  • Havana
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Havana
    • Havana is located in Hidalgo County
  • Santa Maria
    (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Santa Maria have been provided by the GNIS.<2> 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 <1>
  • Los Angeles
    (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Los Angeles have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Los Angeles
    • Los Angeles is located in Hidalgo County

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

The official website for McAllen: www.mcallen.net/

The official website for Hidalgo County: www.co.hidalgo.tx.us/

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 'straight-line' (or point-to-point) distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- McAllen) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in McAllen. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 26.2034, Longitude: -98.2301    
<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 McAllen, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024