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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 San Benito (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 San Benito. 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.

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

  • Cameron County     (The home county of San Benito)
    • The following are listed by their distance from San Benito, with the one closest to San Benito listed first.
    • El Camino Angosto
      (Less than 2 miles to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for El Camino Angosto have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for El Camino Angosto
      • El Camino Angosto is located in Cameron County
      • El Camino Angosto has also been known as:
      • El Camino Angosto Colonia
    • Arroyo Colorado Estates
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arroyo Colorado Estates
      • Arroyo Colorado Estates is located in Cameron County
      • Arroyo Colorado Estates has also been known as:
      • Arroyo Colorado Estates Colonia
    • Lago
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
      • 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
    • Green Valley Farms
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
      • 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
    • Villa del Sol
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
      • 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
    • Harlingen
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Harlingen have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harlingen
      • Harlingen is located in Cameron County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 65,176 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Harlingen <2>
    • La Paloma
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for La Paloma
      • La Paloma is located in Cameron County
    • Rangerville
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rangerville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rangerville
      • Rangerville is located in Cameron County
      • Population from the 2010 Census: 289 people
      • Rangerville has also been known as:
      • Rangerville Colonia
    • Lozano
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
      • 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>
    • Rio Hondo
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Las Palmas - Juarez
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Las Palmas - Juarez
      • Las Palmas - Juarez is located in Cameron County
    • Encantada - Ranchito El Calaboz
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
  • Hidalgo County
    • The following are listed by their distance from San Benito, with the one closest to San Benito listed first.
    • Heidelberg
      (15 miles [24.1 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
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rio Rico
      • Rio Rico is located in Hidalgo County
    • Indian Hills
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Indian Hills
      • Indian Hills is located in Hidalgo County
    • Mercedes
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
    • Relampago
      (17 miles [27.4 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
      (19 miles [30.6 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>
    • Llano Grande
      (20 miles [32.2 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
      (20 miles [32.2 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
    • Progreso Lakes
      (20 miles [32.2 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
    • La Villa
      (21 miles [33.8 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
    • Weslaco
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
    • Edcouch
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Edcouch have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edcouch
      • Edcouch is located in Hidalgo County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,277 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Edcouch <2>
  • Willacy County
    • The following are listed by their distance from San Benito, with the one closest to San Benito listed first.
    • Santa Monica
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Santa Monica have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Santa Monica
      • Santa Monica is located in Willacy County
    • Sebastian
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Zapata Ranch
      (19 miles [30.6 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
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lyford South have been provided by the GNIS.<1> 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
      (21 miles [33.8 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>
    • Willamar
      (22 miles [35.4 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
    • Raymondville
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • San Perlita
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Los Angeles Subdivision
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Los Angeles Subdivision have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Los Angeles Subdivision
      • Los Angeles Subdivision is located in Willacy County
    • Ranchette Estates
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ranchette Estates have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ranchette Estates
      • Ranchette Estates is located in Willacy County
      • Ranchette Estates has also been known as:
      • Ranchette Estates Colonia
    • Lasara
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lasara have been provided by the GNIS.<1> 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 <2>

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of San Benito ...

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 9 newspapers that have been published in the area around San Benito.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of San Benito. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of San Benito and those printed in the larger area surrounding San Benito.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 11 miles [17.7 km]<3> of San Benito.

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 San Benito:

Cemeteries Near San Benito ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of San Benito.

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

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

  • San Benito City Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
  • San Benito Memorial Park Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
  • Monte Meta Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • 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.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Monte Meta Cemetery
  • Harlingan City Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
  • Zepeda Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Zepeda Cemetery is located 2 miles [3.2 km]<3> to the northwest of La Paloma.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Zepeda Cemetery
  • Rio Hondo City Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Ashland Memorial Park
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • The Ashland Memorial Park has also been known as:
    • Loma Linda Cemetery
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Ashland Memorial Park
  • Los Omales Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
  • Rio Hondo Community Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • 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 our Gazetteer entry for the Rio Hondo Community Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2188890 <4>
  • Restlawn Memorial Park
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Restlawn Memorial Park have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Restlawn Memorial Park
  • Soldiers Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • 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.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Soldiers Cemetery
  • Longoria Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
  • Continue List   (47 more) ...
    • San Antonio Cemetery
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the San Antonio Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the San Antonio Cemetery
    • San Rafael Cemetery
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the San Rafael Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the San Rafael Cemetery
    • Hinojosa Cemetery
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)

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

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

  • Santa Maria
    (13 miles [20.9 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>
  • Brownsville
    (18 miles [29 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 San Benito. See our List of 1890's Communities around San Benito.

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for San Benito. 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>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- San Benito) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in San Benito. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 26.1354, Longitude: -97.6371       In this case, the coordinates for San Benito 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 San Benito, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024