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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 Fort Ross (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 Fort Ross. 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.

Name Variations for Fort Ross ...

When searching records, keep in mind that names and their spelling can change over time. Our sources include documents like maps, railroad schedules, Travel, Express and Shipping Guides. Many of these documents date from the 1800's and it's common to find spelling differences.

Although we can't give a definitive list, hopefully the following will give you a feel for the variations that might have occurred.

For example, a typical abbreviation for Fort Ross: Ft. Ross

If you have information about these names (such as the reason for the change, date of change, the origin of the name), please Contact Us.

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.

Fort Ross is located in 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 Fort Ross. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Fort Ross:

  • Sonoma County     (The home county of Fort Ross)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Fort Ross, with the one closest to Fort Ross listed first.
    • Cazadero
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Jenner
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Duncans Mills
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Monte Rio
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
    • Villa Grande
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
    • Stewarts Point
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Serena Del Mar
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Serena Del Mar. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Serena Del Mar
      • Serena Del Mar is located in Sonoma County
    • Guerneville
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • Carmet
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carmet
      • Carmet is located in Sonoma County
    • Rio Nido
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
    • Salmon Creek
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salmon Creek
      • Salmon Creek is located in Sonoma County
    • Annapolis
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
  • Marin County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Fort Ross, with the one closest to Fort Ross listed first.
    • Dillon Beach
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
    • Tomales
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Hamlet
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • 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
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nicks Cove
      • Nicks Cove is located in Marin County
    • Marshall
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Mendocino County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Fort Ross, with the one closest to Fort Ross listed first.
    • Gualala
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
    • Hermitage ‑ Historic
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Hermitage. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hermitage
      • Hermitage is located in Mendocino County
    • Yorkville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
    • Anchor Bay
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Fish Rock
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fish Rock
      • Fish Rock is located in Mendocino County
    • Signal Port
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Signal Port
      • Signal Port is located in Mendocino County
      • Signal Port has also been known as:
      • Hardscratch

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

Newspapers Published in Fort Ross ...

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 38 newspapers that have been published in the area around Fort Ross.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Fort Ross, there are papers which were published within 28 miles [45.1 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Fort Ross.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first visit the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These helpful websites 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 Fort Ross:

Cemeteries Near Fort Ross ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Fort Ross.

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

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

  • Benitz Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Benitz Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Benitz Cemetery
  • Seaview Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Seaview Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Seaview Cemetery
  • Ruoff - Thomas Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Ruoff - Thomas Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Ruoff - Thomas Cemetery
  • Cooper Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Cooper Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Cooper Cemetery
  • Sugarloaf Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Sugarloaf Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Sugarloaf Cemetery
  • Duncans Mills Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Duncans Mills Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Duncans Mills Cemetery
  • Stewarts Point Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Redwood Memorial Gardens
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Redwood Memorial Gardens have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Redwood Memorial Gardens
  • Annapolis Church Cemetery
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
  • Bodega Bay Cemetery
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bodega Bay Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bodega Bay Cemetery
  • Druids Occidental Cemetery
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Druids Occidental Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Druids Occidental Cemetery
  • McPeak Cemetery
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the McPeak Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the McPeak Cemetery
  • Continue List   (34 more) ...
    • Bodega Calvary Cemetery
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bodega Calvary Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • To give a relative sense of its location, the Bodega Calvary Cemetery is located outside and to the south of Bodega.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bodega Calvary Cemetery
    • Green Valley Cemetery
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Green Valley Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Green Valley Cemetery
    • Forestview Cemetery
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Forestview Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Forestview 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>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Fort Ross had a population of 235 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service.

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

  • Seaview
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Seaview have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seaview
    • Seaview is located in Sonoma County
  • Cazadero
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
  • Duncans Mills
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
  • Guerneville
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
  • Occidental
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Forestville
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
  • Freestone
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
  • Valley Ford
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
  • Trenton
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trenton
    • Trenton is located in Sonoma County
  • Geyserville
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Asti
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Asti have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Asti
    • Asti is located in Sonoma County
  • Windsor
    (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
  • Continue List   (12 more) ...
    • Cloverdale
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
    • Gualala
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
    • Bloomfield
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bloomfield
      • Bloomfield 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 Fort Ross. See our List of 1890's Communities around Fort Ross.

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

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

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>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.
<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>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Fort Ross) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Fort Ross. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 38.5141, Longitude: -123.2436       In this case, the coordinates for Fort Ross have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<5>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.
<6>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 Fort Ross, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024