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Our Genealogy Helper

Introduction ...

So far, we found very little information about Ely. The little that we've found leads us believe that the community is historic.<1>

We've added Ely to our Gazetteer with the hope that we can develop more information. If you can help us with Ely, please Contact Us.

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 Ely (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 Ely. 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 southeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals were in the next county to the east. 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 east 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.

Although our information shows that the community of Ely is historic, it would have been located within present day Sonoma 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 Sonoma County: Contra Costa, Lake, Marin, Mendocino, Napa & Solano.

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

  • Sonoma County     (The home county of Ely)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ely, with the one closest to Ely listed first.
    • Penngrove
      (Less than 2 miles to the north)
    • Petaluma
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Cotati
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Rohnert Park
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Stony Point
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stony Point
      • Stony Point is located in Sonoma County
    • Bellevue
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bellevue
      • Bellevue is located in Sonoma County
    • El Verano
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Temelec
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Temelec have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Temelec
      • Temelec is located in Sonoma County
    • South Santa Rosa
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for South Santa Rosa have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Santa Rosa
      • South Santa Rosa is located in Sonoma County
    • Eldridge
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Glen Ellen
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Bloomfield
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bloomfield
      • Bloomfield is located in Sonoma County
  • Contra Costa County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ely, with the one closest to Ely listed first.
    • Bayview
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bayview have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bayview
      • Bayview is located in Contra Costa County
    • Gateley
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gateley
      • Gateley is located in Contra Costa County
    • Hercules
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hercules
      • Hercules is located in Contra Costa County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 26,221 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hercules <2>
    • Pinole
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pinole
      • Pinole is located in Contra Costa County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 19,207 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Pinole <2>
    • Rodeo
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
    • San Pablo
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Tara Hills
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tara Hills
      • Tara Hills is located in Contra Costa County
    • Tormey
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tormey have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tormey
      • Tormey is located in Contra Costa County
    • Atchison Village
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Atchison Village have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Atchison Village
      • Atchison Village is located in Contra Costa County
    • El Sobrante
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Point Richmond
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Rollingwood
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rollingwood have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rollingwood
      • Rollingwood is located in Contra Costa County
  • Marin County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ely, with the one closest to Ely listed first.
    • Novato
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Old Town
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Old Town have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Old Town
      • Old Town is located in Marin County
    • Tomales
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
    • Black Point - Green Point
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Marshall
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Hamlet
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hamlet have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hamlet
      • Hamlet is located in Marin County
    • Nicks Cove
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nicks Cove
      • Nicks Cove is located in Marin County
    • Nicasio
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
    • Rafael Village
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rafael Village have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rafael Village
      • Rafael Village is located in Marin County
    • Millerton
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millerton
      • Millerton is located in Marin County
    • Inverness
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Dillon Beach
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
  • Napa County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ely, with the one closest to Ely listed first.
    • Merazo
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Merazo
      • Merazo is located in Napa County
    • Oakville
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Rutherford
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
    • Saint Helena
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
    • Yountville
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
    • Union
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union
      • Union is located in Napa County
    • Napa
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Napa
      • Napa is located in Napa County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 77,032 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Napa <2>
    • Suscol ‑ Historic
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Suscol have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Suscol
      • Suscol is located in Napa County
      • Suscol has also been known as:
      • Soscol
      • Susqual
    • Deer Park
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Calistoga
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
    • Woodleaf
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Woodleaf have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodleaf
      • Woodleaf is located in Napa County
    • Middleton
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Middleton
      • Middleton is located in Napa County
  • Solano County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ely, with the one closest to Ely listed first.
    • Guadalcanal Village
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Guadalcanal Village have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Guadalcanal Village
      • Guadalcanal Village is located in Solano County
    • Mare Island ‑ Historic
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Mare Island. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mare Island
      • Mare Island is located in Solano County
    • Vallejo
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Green Valley
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
    • Mankas Corner
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mankas Corner
      • Mankas Corner is located in Solano County

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

Newspapers Published in Ely ...

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 61 newspapers that have been published in the area around Ely.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Ely, there are papers which were published within 17 miles [27.4 km]<5>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Ely.

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 Ely:

Cemeteries Near Ely ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Ely.

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

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

  • Cypress Hill Memorial Park
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Cypress Hill Memorial Park have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Cypress Hill Memorial Park
  • B'nai Israel Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the B'nai Israel Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the B'nai Israel Cemetery
  • Petaluma Calvary Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
  • Liberty Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Liberty Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Liberty Cemetery
  • Two Rock Presbyterian Church Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Two Rock Presbyterian Church Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Two Rock Presbyterian Church Cemetery
  • Thompson Family Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for the Thompson Family Cemetery. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Thompson Family Cemetery
  • Macedonia Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Macedonia Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Macedonia Cemetery
  • Chapel of the Chimes Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Chapel of the Chimes Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Chapel of the Chimes Cemetery
  • Eldridge Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Eldridge Cemetery is located outside and to the west of Eldridge.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Eldridge Cemetery
  • Bennett Valley Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bennett Valley Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bennett Valley Cemetery
  • Canfield Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Canfield Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Canfield Cemetery
  • Calvary Catholic Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
  • Continue List   (74 more) ...
    • Santa Rosa Calvary Cemetery
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Santa Rosa Calvary Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Santa Rosa Calvary Cemetery
    • Bloomfield Cemetery
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
      • To give a relative sense of its location, the Bloomfield Cemetery is located outside and to the west of Bloomfield.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bloomfield Cemetery
    • Valley Cemetery
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Valley Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Valley 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.

Ely itself is historic and was described in the Rand McNally Atlas as having railroad service and no post office.

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

  • Penngrove
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
  • Petaluma
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
  • Cotati
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Stony Point
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stony Point
    • Stony Point is located in Sonoma County
  • Lakeville
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lakeville have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lakeville
    • Lakeville is located in Sonoma County
  • Donahue ‑ Historic
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Donahue have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Donahue
    • Donahue is located in Sonoma County
  • Madrone ‑ Historic
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Madrone have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Madrone
    • Madrone is located in Sonoma County
  • Yulupa ‑ Historic
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Yulupa have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yulupa
    • Yulupa is located in Sonoma County
  • Glen Ellen
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
  • Wildwood ‑ Historic
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wildwood have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wildwood
    • Wildwood is located in Sonoma County
  • Bloomfield
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bloomfield
    • Bloomfield is located in Sonoma County
  • Santa Rosa
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Sonoma
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Schellville
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Schellville have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Schellville
      • Schellville is located in Sonoma County
    • Buena Vista
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Buena Vista have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buena Vista
      • Buena Vista is located in Sonoma County

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

The official website for Sonoma County: www.sonoma-county.org/

The official website for State of California: https://www.ca.gov/

Footnotes ...

<1>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 Ely, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<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 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.
<4>An 'estimated' location is one where we have been given GPS coordinates, but are unable to verify the accuracy of those coordinates. That said, we have some confidence that we have placed the marker near the actual location. A typical reason for being unable to verify a location is that it might be on private property or maybe historic and gone without an obvious trace.
<5>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- Ely) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Ely. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 38.2791, Longitude: -122.6655       In this case, the coordinates for Ely have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<6>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.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024