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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 Ratcliff (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 Ratcliff. 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 hospitals and doctors 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.

Ratcliff is located in Starr 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 Starr County: Brooks, Hidalgo, Jim Hogg & Zapata.

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

  • Starr County     (The home county of Ratcliff)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ratcliff, with the one closest to Ratcliff listed first.
    • La Grulla
      (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
      • 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
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
      • 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
    • West Alto Bonito
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
      • 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
    • La Victoria
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for La Victoria
      • La Victoria is located in Starr County
    • Garciasville
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • El Refugio
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for El Refugio have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for El Refugio
      • El Refugio is located in Starr County
      • El Refugio has also been known as:
      • El Refugio Colonia
    • La Puerta
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for La Puerta
      • La Puerta is located in Starr County
    • Las Lomas
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Las Lomas
      • Las Lomas is located in Starr County
    • La Carla
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for La Carla
      • La Carla is located in Starr County
      • La Carla has also been known as:
      • La Carla Colonia
    • Rio Grande City
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Los Villareales
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Los Villareales have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Los Villareales
      • Los Villareales is located in Starr County
    • Los Alvarez
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Los Alvarez have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Los Alvarez
      • Los Alvarez is located in Starr County
    • La Rosita
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for La Rosita have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for La Rosita
      • La Rosita is located in Starr County
  • Hidalgo County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ratcliff, with the one closest to Ratcliff listed first.
    • Sullivan City
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Cuevitas
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cuevitas have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cuevitas
      • Cuevitas is located in Hidalgo County
    • Los Ebanos
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Los Ebanos have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Los Ebanos
      • Los Ebanos is located in Hidalgo County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Los Ebanos <1>
    • Sam Fordyce ‑ Historic
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sam Fordyce have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sam Fordyce
      • Sam Fordyce is located in Hidalgo County
    • Havana
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Havana
      • Havana is located in Hidalgo County
    • La Joya
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Penitas
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Chihuahua
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chihuahua
      • Chihuahua is located in Hidalgo County
      • Chihuahua has also been known as:
      • Chihuahua Colonia
    • Doffing
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Doffing have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Doffing
      • Doffing is located in Hidalgo County
    • Abram
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Abram
      • Abram is located in Hidalgo County
    • Citrus City
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Citrus City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Citrus City
      • Citrus City is located in Hidalgo County
    • Palmview
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Palmview have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Palmview
      • Palmview is located in Hidalgo County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,839 people
    • La Homa
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for La Homa have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for La Homa
      • La Homa is located in Hidalgo County

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

Newspapers Published in Ratcliff ...

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 4 newspapers that have been published in the area around Ratcliff.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Ratcliff, there are papers which were published within 13 miles [20.9 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Ratcliff.

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 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 Ratcliff:

Cemeteries Near Ratcliff ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Ratcliff.

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

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

  • Longoria Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Longoria Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Longoria Cemetery
  • Solizes Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Solizes Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Solizes Cemetery
  • San Vicente Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
  • Cuevitas Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
  • Garciasville Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Lakeview Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
  • Olmos Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Olmos Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Olmos Cemetery
  • San Antonio Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the San Antonio Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the San Antonio Cemetery
  • San Jose Cemetery
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
    • The San Jose Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Abram Cemetery
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the San Jose Cemetery
  • Los Garzas Cemetery
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Los Garzas Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Los Garzas Cemetery
  • Laurel Hill Cemetery
    (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
    • 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
  • Immaculate Conception Cemetery
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Immaculate Conception Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Immaculate Conception Cemetery
  • Continue List   (31 more) ...
    • Granjeno Cemetery
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Valley Memorial Gardens
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • 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
    • Cementerio San Antonio de Escobares Cemetery
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)

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

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

  • Havana
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Havana
    • Havana is located in Hidalgo County
  • Rio Grande City
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
  • Roma
    (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roma
    • Roma is located in Starr County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 11,476 people
    • Roma has also been known as:
    • Roma - Los Saenz
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Roma <1>
  • Hidalgo
    (26 miles [41.8 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 Ratcliff. See our List of 1890's Communities around Ratcliff.

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Ratcliff. 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>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 drawn from Point A (ie- Ratcliff) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Ratcliff. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 26.2823, Longitude: -98.6267       In this case, the coordinates for Ratcliff have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<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 Ratcliff, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024