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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 Zella (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 Zella. 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 southwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals and doctors were in the next county to the west. 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 west 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.

Zella is located in McMullen 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 McMullen County: Atascosa, Duval, Frio, La Salle, Live Oak & Webb.

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

  • McMullen County     (The home county of Zella)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Zella, with the one closest to Zella listed first.
    • Tilden
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Calliham
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
  • Atascosa County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Zella, with the one closest to Zella listed first.
    • Hindes
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hindes have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hindes
      • Hindes is located in Atascosa County
    • Davis
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Davis have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Davis
      • Davis is located in Atascosa County
    • Charlotte
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
    • Christine
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
    • La Parita
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for La Parita have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for La Parita
      • La Parita is located in Atascosa County
    • Dobrowolski
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dobrowolski have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dobrowolski
      • Dobrowolski is located in Atascosa County
    • Crown
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Crown have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crown
      • Crown is located in Atascosa County
    • Jourdanton
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
  • Frio County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Zella, with the one closest to Zella listed first.
    • Dilley
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dilley have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dilley
      • Dilley is located in Frio County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,527 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Dilley <1>
    • Hilltop
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hilltop have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hilltop
      • Hilltop is located in Frio County
      • Hilltop has also been known as:
      • Hilltop Colonia
    • Derby
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Derby
      • Derby is located in Frio County
      • Derby has also been known as:
      • Derby Colonia
    • Pearsall
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pearsall have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pearsall
      • Pearsall is located in Frio County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 10,620 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Pearsall <1>
    • North Pearsall
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Pearsall have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Pearsall
      • North Pearsall is located in Frio County
    • West Pearsall
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for West Pearsall have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Pearsall
      • West Pearsall is located in Frio County
  • La Salle County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Zella, with the one closest to Zella listed first.
    • Fowlerton
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fowlerton have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fowlerton
      • Fowlerton is located in La Salle County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Fowlerton <1>
    • Los Angeles
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Millett
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millett
      • Millett is located in La Salle County
    • Cotulla
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cotulla have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cotulla
      • Cotulla is located in La Salle County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,133 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cotulla <1>

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

Newspapers Published in Zella ...

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 11 newspapers that have been published in the area around Zella.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Zella, there are papers which were published within 29 miles [46.7 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Zella.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first turn to 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 Zella:

Cemeteries Near Zella ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Zella.

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

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

  • Fowlerton Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
  • Cross Cemetery
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Cross Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Cross Cemetery
  • Luna Cemetery
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
  • Cross Cemetery
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
  • Community Cemetery of Charlotte
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Community Cemetery of Charlotte is located outside and to the west of Charlotte.
    • The Community Cemetery of Charlotte has also been known as:
    • Mexican Cemetery of Charlotte
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Community Cemetery of Charlotte
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #1452055 <4>
  • Buckhorn Cemetery
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Buckhorn Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Buckhorn Cemetery
  • Garcia Cemetery
    (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
  • Derby Cemetery
    (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Derby Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Derby Cemetery
  • Bautista Cemetery
    (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
  • Diller Cemetery
    (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Diller Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Diller Cemetery
  • Miguel Cemetery
    (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Miguel Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Miguel Cemetery
  • Cementerio Catolico San Jose
    (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
  • Continue List   (10 more) ...

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

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

  • Tilden
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Dilley
    (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dilley have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dilley
    • Dilley is located in Frio County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,527 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Dilley <1>
  • Millett
    (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millett
    • Millett is located in La Salle County
  • Derby
    (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Derby
    • Derby is located in Frio County
    • Derby has also been known as:
    • Derby Colonia
  • Cotulla
    (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cotulla have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cotulla
    • Cotulla is located in La Salle County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,133 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cotulla <1>
  • Pearsall
    (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pearsall have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pearsall
    • Pearsall is located in Frio County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 10,620 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Pearsall <1>

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

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Zella. 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 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Zella) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Zella. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 28.5630, Longitude: -98.7931       In this case, the coordinates for Zella 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 Zella, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024