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 Pila Blanca (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 Pila Blanca. 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.

Pila Blanca is located in Duval 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 Duval County: Brooks, Jim Hogg, Jim Wells, La Salle, Live Oak, McMullen & Webb.

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

• Duval County     (The home county of Pila Blanca)
  • The following are listed by their distance from Pila Blanca, with the one closest to Pila Blanca listed first.
  • Freer
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Freer
    • Freer is located in Duval County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,620 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Freer <1>
  • San Diego
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for San Diego have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for San Diego
    • San Diego is located in Duval County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,188 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for San Diego <1>
  • Benavides
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Benavides have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Benavides
    • Benavides is located in Duval County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,391 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Benavides <1>
  • Realitos
    (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Realitos have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Realitos
    • Realitos is located in Duval County
    • Realitos has also been known as:
    • Realitos Colonia
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Realitos <1>
  • Rios
    (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rios
    • Rios is located in Duval County
  • Concepcion
    (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Concepcion have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Concepcion
    • Concepcion is located in Duval County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Concepcion <1>
  • Santa Cruz
    (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Santa Cruz
    • Santa Cruz is located in Duval County
• Jim Wells County
  • The following are listed by their distance from Pila Blanca, with the one closest to Pila Blanca listed first.
  • Loma Linda East
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Loma Linda East have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loma Linda East
    • Loma Linda East is located in Jim Wells County
    • Loma Linda East has also been known as:
    • Loma Linda East Colonia
  • Coyote Acres
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Coyote Acres have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coyote Acres
    • Coyote Acres is located in Jim Wells County
    • Coyote Acres has also been known as:
    • Coyote Acres Colonia
  • Alice Acres
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Alice Acres have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alice Acres
    • Alice Acres is located in Jim Wells County
    • Alice Acres has also been known as:
    • Alice Acres Colonia
  • Owl Ranch - Amargosa
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Owl Ranch - Amargosa
    • Owl Ranch - Amargosa is located in Jim Wells County
  • Rancho Alegre
    (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rancho Alegre have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rancho Alegre
    • Rancho Alegre is located in Jim Wells County
  • Alice
    (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alice
    • Alice is located in Jim Wells County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 18,591 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Alice <1>
  • Ben Bolt
    (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ben Bolt have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ben Bolt
    • Ben Bolt is located in Jim Wells County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ben Bolt <1>

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

Newspapers Published in Pila Blanca ...

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 16 newspapers that have been published in the area around Pila Blanca.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Pila Blanca, there are papers which were published within 14 miles [22.5 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Pila Blanca.

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 Pila Blanca:

• Websites specific to Texas
  • Jump to Cyndi's List
  • Jump to Family Search
  • Jump to Genealogy Trails
  • Website for the //www.tsl.texas.gov/

• Pages specific to Duval County
  • Jump to Cyndi's List
  • Jump to Family Search
  • Jump to Genealogy Trails

• Genealogy information for nearby counties
  • Jim Wells County
    • Jump to Cyndi's List
    • Jump to Family Search
    • Jump to Genealogy Trails

• Cemetery Information and Directories for Texas
  • Cemetery Junction: Cemeteries of Texas
  • Cyndi's List
  • Cemeteries of Texas
  • Cemeteries of Duval County
  • FamilySearch.org: Cemeteries of Texas
  • Find-A-Grave: Home Page
  • Interment.net
  • Cemeteries of Texas

Cemeteries Near Pila Blanca ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Pila Blanca.

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

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

• Alaniz Cemetery
  (Less than 2 miles to the east)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Alaniz Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Alaniz Cemetery
• Ruiz Cemetery
  (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Ruiz Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Ruiz Cemetery
• Pena Cemetery
  (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pena Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pena Cemetery
• Rangel Cemetery
  (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Rangel Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Rangel Cemetery
• Reyes Cemetery
  (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Reyes Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Reyes Cemetery
• Buena Vista Cemetery
  (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Buena Vista Cemetery
• Cantu Cemetery
  (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Cantu Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Cantu Cemetery
• Sepulveda Cemetery
  (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Sepulveda Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Sepulveda Cemetery
• Guerra Cemetery
  (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Guerra Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Guerra Cemetery
• Hahl Memorial Cemetery
  (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hahl Memorial Cemetery
  • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #4011 <4>
• Tinney Piedras Pintas Cemetery
  (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Tinney Piedras Pintas Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Tinney Piedras Pintas Cemetery
• San Isidro Cemetery
  (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the San Isidro Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the San Isidro Cemetery
• Continue List   (43 more) ...
  • Campos Cemetery
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Campos Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2739 <4>
  • Benavides Cemetery
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Benavides Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #1255029 <4>
  • Segura - Saenz Cemetery
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Segura - Saenz Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Segura - Saenz 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 Pila Blanca in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Pila Blanca.

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

• Benavides
  (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Benavides have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Benavides
  • Benavides is located in Duval County
  • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,391 people
  • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Benavides <1>
• San Diego
  (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for San Diego have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for San Diego
  • San Diego is located in Duval County
  • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,188 people
  • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for San Diego <1>
• Realitos
  (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Realitos have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Realitos
  • Realitos is located in Duval County
  • Realitos has also been known as:
  • Realitos Colonia
  • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Realitos <1>
• Conception
  (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Conception have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Conception
  • Conception is located in Duval County

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

Off-the-Road Links ...

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

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