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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 Refugio (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 Refugio. 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.

Refugio is located in Refugio County and is the County Seat.

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 Refugio County: Aransas, Bee, Calhoun, Goliad, San Patricio & Victoria.

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

  • Refugio County     (The home county of Refugio)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Refugio, with the one closest to Refugio listed first.
    • Woodsboro
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Woodsboro have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodsboro
      • Woodsboro is located in Refugio County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,376 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Woodsboro <2>
    • Bayside
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bayside have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bayside
      • Bayside is located in Refugio County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 322 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bayside <2>
    • Black Point ‑ Historic
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Black Point have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Black Point
      • Black Point is located in Refugio County
    • Tivoli
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Austwell
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Austwell have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Austwell
      • Austwell is located in Refugio County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 144 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Austwell <2>
  • Aransas County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Refugio, with the one closest to Refugio listed first.
    • Copano Village
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Copano Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Copano Village
      • Copano Village is located in Aransas County
    • Fulton
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Rockport
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rockport have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rockport
      • Rockport is located in Aransas County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 10,847 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Rockport <2>
    • Spanish Village
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Spanish Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spanish Village
      • Spanish Village is located in Aransas County
    • Aransas Pass
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Aransas Pass have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aransas Pass
      • Aransas Pass is located in Aransas County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 8,496 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Aransas Pass <2>
  • Bee County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Refugio, with the one closest to Refugio listed first.
    • Blanconia
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blanconia
      • Blanconia is located in Bee County
      • Former names for Blanconia:
      • Dark Corners
      • Pull Tight
    • Skidmore
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Skidmore have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Skidmore
      • Skidmore is located in Bee County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Skidmore <2>
    • Beeville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
    • Tynan
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
  • Goliad County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Refugio, with the one closest to Refugio listed first.
    • Berclair
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Berclair have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berclair
      • Berclair is located in Goliad County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Berclair <2>
    • Fannin
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
    • Goliad
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Goliad have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goliad
      • Goliad is located in Goliad County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,985 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Goliad <2>
    • Cologne
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cologne
      • Cologne is located in Goliad County
      • Former names for Cologne:
      • Centerville
      • Ira Station
      • Perdido
  • San Patricio County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Refugio, with the one closest to Refugio listed first.
    • Tradewinds
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tradewinds have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tradewinds
      • Tradewinds is located in San Patricio County
    • Saint Paul
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Saint Paul have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Paul
      • Saint Paul is located in San Patricio County
    • Taft
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Taft have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Taft
      • Taft is located in San Patricio County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,886 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Taft <2>
    • Rancho Chico
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rancho Chico have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rancho Chico
      • Rancho Chico is located in San Patricio County
    • Sinton
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sinton
      • Sinton is located in San Patricio County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,281 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sinton <2>
    • Taft Southwest
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Taft Southwest
      • Taft Southwest is located in San Patricio County
    • Del Sol - Loma Linda
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Del Sol - Loma Linda
      • Del Sol - Loma Linda is located in San Patricio County
    • Gregory
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gregory have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gregory
      • Gregory is located in San Patricio County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,866 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Gregory <2>
    • Morgan Farm
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morgan Farm
      • Morgan Farm is located in San Patricio County
      • Morgan Farm has also been known as:
      • Morgan Farm Colonia
    • Doyle
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Doyle have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Doyle
      • Doyle is located in San Patricio County
    • Portland
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Portland
      • Portland is located in San Patricio County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 17,768 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Portland <2>
    • Ingleside
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ingleside have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ingleside
      • Ingleside is located in San Patricio County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 10,043 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ingleside <2>
  • Victoria County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Refugio, with the one closest to Refugio listed first.
    • McFaddin
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
    • Oak Village
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Oak Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Village
      • Oak Village is located in Victoria County

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Refugio ...

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 47 newspapers that have been published in the area around Refugio.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Refugio. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Refugio and those printed in the larger area surrounding Refugio.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<3> of Refugio.

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 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 Refugio:

Cemeteries Near Refugio ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Refugio.

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

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

  • Holy Cross Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Holy Cross Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Holy Cross Cemetery
  • Mt. Calvary Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mt. Calvary Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mt. Calvary Cemetery
  • Heard Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Heard Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Heard Cemetery
  • Oakwood Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Oakwood Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located outside and to the southwest of Refugio.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Oakwood Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #5697 <4>
  • Williams Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Williams Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Williams Cemetery
  • St. Bernard Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Bernard Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Bernard Cemetery
  • La Rosa Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the La Rosa Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the La Rosa Cemetery
  • McGuill Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the McGuill Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the McGuill Cemetery
  • Blanconia Methodist Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for the Blanconia Methodist Cemetery. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<5>
    • The Blanconia Methodist Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Pleasant Grove Cemetery
    • Williams Cemetery
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Blanconia Methodist Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2433430 <4>
  • Blanconia Baptist Church Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
  • Sarco Cemetery
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Sarco Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Sarco Cemetery
  • O'Connor Cemetery
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the O'Connor Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the O'Connor Cemetery
  • Continue List   (52 more) ...
    • Sample Cemetery
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Sample Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Sample Cemetery
    • Mucorrera Cemetery
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mucorrera Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mucorrera Cemetery
    • Papalote Cemetery
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)

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>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Refugio had a population of 582 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service. In 2020, Refugio had a population of 2,711 people.

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

  • Blanconia
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blanconia
    • Blanconia is located in Bee County
    • Former names for Blanconia:
    • Dark Corners
    • Pull Tight
  • Lamar
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lamar have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lamar
    • Lamar is located in Aransas County
  • Papalote
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Papalote have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Papalote
    • Papalote is located in Bee County
  • Rockport
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rockport have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rockport
    • Rockport is located in Aransas County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 10,847 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Rockport <2>
  • Fulton
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Sinton
    (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sinton
    • Sinton is located in San Patricio County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,281 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sinton <2>
  • Berclair
    (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Berclair have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berclair
    • Berclair is located in Goliad County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Berclair <2>
  • Skidmore
    (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Skidmore have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Skidmore
    • Skidmore is located in Bee County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Skidmore <2>
  • Gregory
    (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gregory have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gregory
    • Gregory is located in San Patricio County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,866 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Gregory <2>
  • Fannin
    (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
  • Portland
    (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Portland
    • Portland is located in San Patricio County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 17,768 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Portland <2>
  • Beeville
    (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)

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

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

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 drawn from Point A (ie- Refugio) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Refugio. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 28.3082, Longitude: -97.2746    
<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>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.
<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 Refugio, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024