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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 Chowchilla (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 Chowchilla. 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 northeast 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 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 east 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.

Chowchilla is located in Madera 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 Madera County: Fresno, Mariposa, Merced & Mono.

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

  • Madera County     (The home county of Chowchilla)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Chowchilla, with the one closest to Chowchilla listed first.
    • Berenda
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berenda
      • Berenda is located in Madera County
    • Lincoln ‑ Historic
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lincoln have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lincoln
      • Lincoln is located in Madera County
    • Madera Acres
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Madera Acres
      • Madera Acres is located in Madera County
    • Madera
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
    • La Vina
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for La Vina
      • La Vina is located in Madera County
    • Parksdale
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parksdale
      • Parksdale is located in Madera County
    • Parkwood
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parkwood
      • Parkwood is located in Madera County
    • Knowles Junction
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Knowles Junction
      • Knowles Junction is located in Madera County
    • Raymond
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Raymond
      • Raymond is located in Madera County
    • Knowles ‑ Historic
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Knowles have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Knowles
      • Knowles is located in Madera County
    • Bonadelle Ranchos - Madera Ranchos
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
    • Yosemite Lakes Park
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yosemite Lakes Park
      • Yosemite Lakes Park is located in Madera County
      • Yosemite Lakes Park has also been known as:
      • Yosemite Lakes
  • Fresno County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Chowchilla, with the one closest to Chowchilla listed first.
    • Firebaugh
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Benito
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Benito
      • Benito is located in Fresno County
    • Biola
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Mendota
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
    • Barstow
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Barstow have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barstow
      • Barstow is located in Fresno County
    • Herndon
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Herndon
      • Herndon is located in Fresno County
    • Raco
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Raco
      • Raco is located in Fresno County
    • Oro Loma ‑ Historic
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oro Loma
      • Oro Loma is located in Fresno County
    • Highway City
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Highway City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Highway City
      • Highway City is located in Fresno County
    • Kerman
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Floyd
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Floyd
      • Floyd is located in Fresno County
  • Mariposa County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Chowchilla, with the one closest to Chowchilla listed first.
    • Catheys Valley
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
    • Hornitos
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
    • Mount Bullion
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Bullion
      • Mount Bullion is located in Mariposa County
    • Mariposa
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Merced County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Chowchilla, with the one closest to Chowchilla listed first.
    • Le Grand
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Athlone
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Athlone have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Athlone
      • Athlone is located in Merced County
    • Plainsburg
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Plainsburg have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plainsburg
      • Plainsburg is located in Merced County
    • Planada
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • El Nido
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Tuttle
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tuttle
      • Tuttle is located in Merced County
    • Merced
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Santa Rita Park
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
    • Dos Palos
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Atwater
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Fluhr
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fluhr
      • Fluhr is located in Merced County
    • South Dos Palos
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Chowchilla ...

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 88 newspapers that have been published in the area around Chowchilla.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Chowchilla. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Chowchilla and those printed in the larger area surrounding Chowchilla.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<3> of Chowchilla.

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 Chowchilla:

Cemeteries Near Chowchilla ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Chowchilla.

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

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

  • Chowchilla Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Chowchilla Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located 2 miles [3.2 km]<3> to the northeast of Chowchilla.
    • The Chowchilla Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Chowchilla District Cemetery
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Chowchilla Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #7906 <4>
  • Helm - Turner Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Helm - Turner Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Helm - Turner Cemetery
  • Arbor Vitae Cemetery
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
  • New Hope Cemetery
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
  • Pate Cemetery
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pate Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pate Cemetery
  • Evergreen Cemetery
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Evergreen Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Evergreen Cemetery
  • Calvary Cemetery
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Calvary Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Calvary Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located in Merced.
    • The Calvary Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Calvary Catholic Cemetery
    • Calvary Merced Cemetery District
    • Be careful not to confuse this cemetery with another one that is also named Calvary Cemetery (located 56 miles to the north).
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Calvary Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #7873 <4>
  • Borden's Chinese Cemetery
    (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
  • Raymond Cemetery
    (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
  • White Rock Cemetery
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the White Rock Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the White Rock Cemetery
  • Dos Palos Cemetery
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Santa Cruz Cemetery
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Santa Cruz Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Santa Cruz Cemetery
  • Continue List   (8 more) ...
    • Bethany Cemetery
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bethany Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bethany Cemetery
    • Catheys Valley Cemetery
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Catheys Valley Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Catheys Valley Cemetery
    • Winton Cemetery
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • To give a relative sense of its location, the Winton Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located outside and to the southwest of Winton.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Winton Cemetery
      • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #8453 <4>

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

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

  • Athlone
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Athlone have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Athlone
    • Athlone is located in Merced County
  • Plainsburg
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Plainsburg have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plainsburg
    • Plainsburg is located in Merced County
  • Merced
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
  • La Vina
    (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for La Vina
    • La Vina is located in Madera County
  • Firebaugh
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
  • Raymond
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Raymond
    • Raymond is located in Madera County
  • Dos Palos
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Knowles ‑ Historic
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Knowles have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Knowles
    • Knowles is located in Madera County
  • Ben Hur
    (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ben Hur have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ben Hur
    • Ben Hur is located in Mariposa County
  • Atwater
    (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
  • Hornitos
    (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
  • Herndon
    (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Herndon
    • Herndon is located in Fresno County
  • Continue List   (5 more) ...
    • Arena
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Arena have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arena
      • Arena is located in Merced County
    • Merced Falls
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Merced Falls
      • Merced Falls is located in Merced County
    • Snelling
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)

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

The official website for Chowchilla: www.ci.chowchilla.ca.us/

The official website for Madera County: www.madera-county.com/

The official website for State of California: https://www.ca.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 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Chowchilla) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Chowchilla. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 37.1208, Longitude: -120.2627    
<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 Chowchilla, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024