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The Commemorative Quarter for Texas





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 Diego (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 Diego. 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 northwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors were in the next county to the west. 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 west 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.

San Diego is primarily located in Duval County and is the County Seat. A portion of San Diego extends into Jim Wells 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 San Diego. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to San Diego:

  • Duval County     (The home county of San Diego)
    • The following are listed by their distance from San Diego, with the one closest to San Diego listed first.
    • Benavides
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Benavides have been provided by the GNIS.<1> 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 <2>
    • Rios
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rios
      • Rios is located in Duval County
    • Santa Cruz
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Santa Cruz
      • Santa Cruz is located in Duval County
    • Freer
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
    • Concepcion
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
    • Realitos
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Realitos have been provided by the GNIS.<1> 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 <2>
  • Jim Wells County
    • The following are listed by their distance from San Diego, with the one closest to San Diego listed first.
    • Loma Linda East
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Loma Linda East have been provided by the GNIS.<1> 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
    • Alice Acres
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Alice Acres have been provided by the GNIS.<1> 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
    • Coyote Acres
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Coyote Acres have been provided by the GNIS.<1> 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
    • Rancho Alegre
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rancho Alegre have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rancho Alegre
      • Rancho Alegre is located in Jim Wells County
    • Alice
      (10 miles [16.1 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 <2>
    • Owl Ranch - Amargosa
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Owl Ranch - Amargosa
      • Owl Ranch - Amargosa is located in Jim Wells County
    • Ben Bolt
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ben Bolt have been provided by the GNIS.<1> 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 <2>
    • Water City Estates
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Water City Estates have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Water City Estates
      • Water City Estates is located in Jim Wells County
      • Water City Estates has also been known as:
      • Water City Estates Colonia
    • Alfred - South La Paloma
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
    • Westdale
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Westdale have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westdale
      • Westdale is located in Jim Wells County
    • Orange Grove
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Orange Grove have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orange Grove
      • Orange Grove is located in Jim Wells County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,296 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Orange Grove <2>
    • K-Bar Ranch
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for K-Bar Ranch have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for K-Bar Ranch
      • K-Bar Ranch is located in Jim Wells County
  • Kleberg County
    • Kingsville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
  • Nueces County
    • The following are listed by their distance from San Diego, with the one closest to San Diego listed first.
    • Agua Dulce
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
    • Rancho Banquete
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rancho Banquete have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rancho Banquete
      • Rancho Banquete is located in Nueces County
    • Banquete
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Banquete have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Banquete
      • Banquete is located in Nueces County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Banquete <2>
    • Bluntzer
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bluntzer
      • Bluntzer is located in Nueces County
    • Sandy Hollow - Escondidas
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Bishop
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Driscoll
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
    • La Paloma - Lost Creek
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)

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

Cemeteries Near San Diego ...

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

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

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

  • Sepulveda Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Sepulveda Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Sepulveda Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Segura - Saenz Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Segura - Saenz Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Segura - Saenz Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Longoria Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Longoria Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Longoria Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Hinojosa Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hinojosa Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hinojosa Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Alice Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
  • Fraternal Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Fraternal Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Fraternal Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Cantu Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Cantu Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Cantu Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Ramirez Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Ramirez Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Ramirez Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Buena Vista Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
  • Barrera Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Barrera Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Barrera Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Hinojosa Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hinojosa Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hinojosa Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Collins Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Collins Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Collins Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (53 more) ...
    • Amargosa Cemetery
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Amargosa Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Amargosa Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Rangel Cemetery
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Rangel Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Rangel Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Pena Cemetery
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pena Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pena Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.

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.<4>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that San Diego had a population of 1,877 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, San Diego had a population of 4,188 people.

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

  • Benavides
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Benavides have been provided by the GNIS.<1> 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 <2>
  • Agua Dulce
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
  • Conception
    (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Conception have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Conception
    • Conception is located in Duval County
  • Banquete
    (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Banquete have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Banquete
    • Banquete is located in Nueces County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Banquete <2>
  • Realitos
    (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Realitos have been provided by the GNIS.<1> 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 <2>

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of San Diego ...

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 31 newspapers that have been published in the area around San Diego.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of San Diego. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of San Diego and those printed in the larger area surrounding San Diego.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<5> of San Diego.

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 San Diego:

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for San Diego. 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>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.
<4>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 Diego, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<5>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a '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- San Diego) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in San Diego. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 27.7601, Longitude: -98.2393       In this case, the coordinates for San Diego have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 29 Apr 2025