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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 Buena Park (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 Buena Park. 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.

Buena Park is located in Orange County.

To see how the shape of California's counties have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Orange County: Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino & San Diego.

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

  • Orange County     (The home county of Buena Park)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Buena Park, with the one closest to Buena Park listed first.
    • La Palma
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Fullerton
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Stanton
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Cypress
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • La Habra
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Anaheim
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Brea
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brea
      • Brea is located in Orange County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 44,484 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Brea <1>
    • Los Alamitos
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Placentia
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Barber City
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Barber City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barber City
      • Barber City is located in Orange County
    • Green Lantern Village
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Green Lantern Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Lantern Village
      • Green Lantern Village is located in Orange County
    • Garden Grove
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Los Angeles County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Buena Park, with the one closest to Buena Park listed first.
    • La Mirada
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Carmenita
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Carmenita have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carmenita
      • Carmenita is located in Los Angeles County
    • Cerritos
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • East La Mirada
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for East La Mirada have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East La Mirada
      • East La Mirada is located in Los Angeles County
    • Hawaiian Gardens
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Artesia
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Artesia
      • Artesia is located in Los Angeles County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 16,168 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Artesia <1>
    • Norwalk
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Norwalk
      • Norwalk is located in Los Angeles County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 102,635 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Norwalk <1>
    • South Whittier
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for South Whittier have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Whittier
      • South Whittier is located in Los Angeles County
    • Studebaker
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Studebaker
      • Studebaker is located in Los Angeles County
    • Bellflower
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • La Habra Heights
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for La Habra Heights have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for La Habra Heights
      • La Habra Heights is located in Los Angeles County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,212 people
    • Santa Fe Springs
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Riverside County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Buena Park, with the one closest to Buena Park listed first.
    • Corona
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Corona
      • Corona is located in Riverside County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 170,996 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Corona <1>
    • Eastvale
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
    • Norco
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Norco
      • Norco is located in Riverside County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 27,892 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Norco <1>
    • Porphyry ‑ Historic
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Porphyry have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Porphyry
      • Porphyry is located in Riverside County
    • El Cerrito
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for El Cerrito have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for El Cerrito
      • El Cerrito is located in Riverside County
    • Home Gardens
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Home Gardens
      • Home Gardens is located in Riverside County
    • Mira Loma
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
    • Pedley
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pedley have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pedley
      • Pedley is located in Riverside County
    • Temescal
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Temescal
      • Temescal is located in Riverside County
  • San Bernardino County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Buena Park, with the one closest to Buena Park listed first.
    • Chino Hills
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Los Serranos
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Los Serranos have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Los Serranos
      • Los Serranos is located in San Bernardino County
    • Chino
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chino
      • Chino is located in San Bernardino County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 92,290 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Chino <1>
    • Montclair
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montclair
      • Montclair is located in San Bernardino County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 40,600 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Montclair <1>
    • Ontario
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ontario
      • Ontario is located in San Bernardino County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 183,393 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ontario <1>
    • Upland
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Upland
      • Upland is located in San Bernardino County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 77,850 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Upland <1>
    • Racimo
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Racimo
      • Racimo is located in San Bernardino County
    • Guasti
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
    • San Antonio Heights
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for San Antonio Heights have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for San Antonio Heights
      • San Antonio Heights is located in San Bernardino County
    • Alta Loma
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Rancho Cucamonga
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Buena Park ...

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 76 newspapers that have been published in the area around Buena Park.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

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

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 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 Buena Park:

Cemeteries Near Buena Park ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Buena Park.

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

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

  • Forest Lawn Memorial Park
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Forest Lawn Memorial Park have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Forest Lawn Memorial Park
  • Holy Cross Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Holy Cross Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Holy Cross Cemetery
  • Magnolia Memorial Park
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Magnolia Memorial Park have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Magnolia Memorial Park
  • Anaheim Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
  • Loma Vista Memorial Park
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Loma Vista Memorial Park have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Loma Vista Memorial Park
  • Artesia Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Artesia Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Artesia Cemetery
  • Olive Grove Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Olive Grove Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Olive Grove Cemetery
  • Little Lake Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Young Israel Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Young Israel Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Young Israel Cemetery
  • Melrose Abbey Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Melrose Abbey Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Melrose Abbey Cemetery
  • Memory Garden Memorial Park
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Memory Garden Memorial Park have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Memory Garden Memorial Park
  • Paradise Memorial Park
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Paradise Memorial Park have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Paradise Memorial Park
  • Continue List   (75 more) ...
    • Westminster Memorial Park
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Mt. Olive Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mt. Olive Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mt. Olive Cemetery
    • Old Downey Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Old Downey Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Old Downey 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.<5>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that in 1895, Buena Park had a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Buena Park had a population of 81,269 people.

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

  • Almond
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Almond have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Almond
    • Almond is located in Orange County
  • Northam ‑ Historic
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Northam have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Northam
    • Northam is located in Orange County
  • Brookhurst
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Brookhurst have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brookhurst
    • Brookhurst is located in Orange County
  • Carmenita
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Carmenita have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carmenita
    • Carmenita is located in Los Angeles County
  • Cerritos
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
  • Fullerton
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
  • Artesia
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Artesia
    • Artesia is located in Los Angeles County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 16,168 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Artesia <1>
  • Anaheim
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
  • Norwalk
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Norwalk
    • Norwalk is located in Los Angeles County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 102,635 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Norwalk <1>
  • Studebaker
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Studebaker
    • Studebaker is located in Los Angeles County
  • Whittier
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
  • Westminster
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Garden Grove
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Miraflores
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Miraflores have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Miraflores
      • Miraflores is located in Orange County
    • Santa Fe Springs
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)

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

The official website for Buena Park: www.buenapark.com/

The official website for Orange County: www.oc.ca.gov/

The official website for State of California: https://www.ca.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 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Buena Park) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Buena Park. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 33.8664, Longitude: -117.9982    
<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 Buena Park, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024