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 Willamar (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 Willamar. 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 and hospitals 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.

Willamar is located in Willacy 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 Willacy County: Cameron, Hidalgo & Kenedy.

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

• Willacy County     (The home county of Willamar)
  • The following are listed by their distance from Willamar, with the one closest to Willamar listed first.
  • San Perlita
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for San Perlita
    • San Perlita is located in Willacy County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 552 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for San Perlita <1>
  • Santa Monica
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Santa Monica. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Santa Monica
    • Santa Monica is located in Willacy County
  • Los Angeles Subdivision
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Los Angeles Subdivision have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Los Angeles Subdivision
    • Los Angeles Subdivision is located in Willacy County
  • Lyford
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lyford have been provided by the GNIS.<3> 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 <1>
  • Raymondville
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Raymondville
    • Raymondville is located in Willacy County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 10,767 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Raymondville <1>
  • Lyford South
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Lyford South. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
    • 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
  • Ranchette Estates
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ranchette Estates have been provided by the GNIS.<3> 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
  • Port Mansfield
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Port Mansfield have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Port Mansfield
    • Port Mansfield is located in Willacy County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Port Mansfield <1>
  • Sebastian
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sebastian
    • Sebastian is located in Willacy County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sebastian <1>
  • Zapata Ranch
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Zapata Ranch have been provided by the GNIS.<3> 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
  • Lasara
    (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lasara have been provided by the GNIS.<3> 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 <1>
• Cameron County
  • The following are listed by their distance from Willamar, with the one closest to Willamar listed first.
  • Lasana
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lasana have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lasana
    • Lasana is located in Cameron County
    • Lasana has also been known as:
    • Lasana Colonia
  • Arroyo City
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Arroyo City have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arroyo City
    • Arroyo City is located in Cameron County
  • Rio Hondo
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rio Hondo
    • Rio Hondo is located in Cameron County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,639 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Rio Hondo <1>
  • Yznaga
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Yznaga have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yznaga
    • Yznaga is located in Cameron County
  • Combes
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Combes have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Combes
    • Combes is located in Cameron County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,037 people
    • Combes has also been known as:
    • Combes Colonia
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Combes <1>
  • Arroyo Colorado Estates
    (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
    • 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
  • Harlingen
    (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Harlingen have been provided by the GNIS.<3> 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 <1>
  • Villa del Sol
    (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Villa del Sol have been provided by the GNIS.<3> 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
  • Arroyo Gardens - La Tina Ranch
    (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arroyo Gardens - La Tina Ranch
    • Arroyo Gardens - La Tina Ranch is located in Cameron County
  • Primera
    (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Primera have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Primera
    • Primera is located in Cameron County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,271 people
  • Santa Rosa
    (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Santa Rosa have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Santa Rosa
    • Santa Rosa is located in Cameron County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,684 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Santa Rosa <1>
  • Tierra Bonita
    (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tierra Bonita have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tierra Bonita
    • Tierra Bonita is located in Cameron County
    • Tierra Bonita has also been known as:
    • Tierra Bonita Colonia
• Hidalgo County
  • The following are listed by their distance from Willamar, with the one closest to Willamar listed first.
  • La Villa
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for La Villa have been provided by the GNIS.<3> 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
  • Monte Alto
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Monte Alto have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monte Alto
    • Monte Alto is located in Hidalgo County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Monte Alto <1>
  • Edcouch
    (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Edcouch have been provided by the GNIS.<3> 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 <1>
  • Heidelberg
    (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Heidelberg have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Heidelberg
    • Heidelberg is located in Hidalgo County
  • Indian Hills
    (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Indian Hills
    • Indian Hills is located in Hidalgo County
  • Hargill
    (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hargill have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hargill
    • Hargill is located in Hidalgo County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hargill <1>
  • Elsa
    (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Elsa have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elsa
    • Elsa is located in Hidalgo County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 7,120 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Elsa <1>
  • Mila Doce
    (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mila Doce have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mila Doce
    • Mila Doce is located in Hidalgo County
  • Mercedes
    (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mercedes
    • Mercedes is located in Hidalgo County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 16,598 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mercedes <1>
  • Olivarez
    (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Olivarez have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Olivarez
    • Olivarez is located in Hidalgo County
  • La Blanca
    (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for La Blanca
    • La Blanca is located in Hidalgo County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for La Blanca <1>
  • Midway North
    (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Midway North
    • Midway North is located in Hidalgo County

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

Cemeteries Near Willamar ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Willamar.

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

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

• El Toro Cemetery
  (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the El Toro Cemetery
  • To give a relative sense of its location, the El Toro Cemetery is located 2 miles [3.2 km]<4> to the west of San Perlita.
  • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #3394 <5>
• Las Rucias Cemetery
  (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Las Rucias Cemetery
  • To give a relative sense of its location, the Las Rucias Cemetery is located 10 miles [16.1 km]<4> to the west of Lyford.
  • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2200982 <5>
• La Jarita Cemetery
  (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the La Jarita Cemetery
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the La Jarita Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
• Noyola Cemetery
  (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Noyola Cemetery
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Noyola Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
• Tanquesitos Cemetery
  (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Tanquesitos Cemetery
  • To give a relative sense of its location, the Tanquesitos Cemetery is located less than 2 miles<4> to the north of Santa Monica.
• Cavazos Family Cemetery
  (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Cavazos Family Cemetery
  • To give a relative sense of its location, the Cavazos Family Cemetery is located 11 miles [17.7 km]<4> to the northwest of San Perlita.
  • The Cavazos Family Cemetery has also been known as:
  • Sabino Cemetery
  • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2492338 <5>
• Raymondville Cemetery
  (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Raymondville Cemetery
  • To give a relative sense of its location, the Raymondville Cemetery is located outside and to the east of Raymondville.
• San Antonio Cemetery
  (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the San Antonio Cemetery
  • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for the San Antonio Cemetery. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
  • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #6681 <5>
• La Piedad Cementerio #2 Cemetery
  (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the La Piedad Cementerio #2 Cemetery
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the La Piedad Cementerio #2 Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
• La Piedad Cementerio #1 Cemetery
  (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the La Piedad Cementerio #1 Cemetery
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the La Piedad Cementerio #1 Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
• Evergreen Cemetery
  (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Evergreen Cemetery
  • To give a relative sense of its location, the Evergreen Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located outside and to the west of Lyford.
  • The Evergreen Cemetery has also been known as:
  • Lyford Cemetery
  • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2207123 <5>
• Guadalupe Cemetery
  (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Guadalupe Cemetery
  • To give a relative sense of its location, the Guadalupe Cemetery is located outside and to the northwest of Lyford.
  • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2422545 <5>
• Continue List   (43 more) ...
  • Santa Rita Cemetery
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Santa Rita Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Santa Rita Cemetery is located 2 miles [3.2 km]<4> to the east of Sebastian.
  • Ashland Memorial Park
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Ashland Memorial Park
    • The Ashland Memorial Park has also been known as:
    • Loma Linda Cemetery
  • Los Omales Cemetery
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Los Omales 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.<6>

While we didn't find Willamar in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Willamar.

• Santa Maria
  (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Santa Maria have been provided by the GNIS.<3> 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 <1>

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

Newspapers Published in Willamar ...

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 20 newspapers that have been published in the area around Willamar.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Willamar, there are papers which were published within 25 miles [40.2 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Willamar.

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 websites either 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 Willamar:

• 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 Willacy County
  • Jump to Cyndi's List
  • Jump to Family Search
  • Jump to Genealogy Trails

• Genealogy information for nearby counties
  • Cameron County
    • Jump to Cyndi's List
    • Jump to Family Search
  • Hidalgo 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 Willacy County
  • FamilySearch.org: Cemeteries of Texas
  • Find-A-Grave: Home Page
  • Interment.net
  • Cemeteries of Texas

Off-the-Road Links ...

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

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