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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 Los Angeles (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 Los Angeles. 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.

A Few Details for Los Angeles ...

While it's still very early in our research, we found that:

  • Los Angeles was founded in August 1781.
  • It was incorporated on April 4, 1850.

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 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.

Los Angeles is located in Los Angeles County and is the County Seat.

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 Los Angeles County: Kern, Orange, San Bernardino & Ventura.

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

  • Los Angeles County     (The home county of Los Angeles)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Los Angeles, with the one closest to Los Angeles listed first.
    • Little Tokyo
      (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Little Tokyo have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little Tokyo
      • Little Tokyo is located in Los Angeles County
    • Pico Gardens
      (Less than 2 miles to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pico Gardens have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pico Gardens
      • Pico Gardens is located in Los Angeles County
    • New Chinatown
      (Less than 2 miles to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for New Chinatown have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Chinatown
      • New Chinatown is located in Los Angeles County
    • Aliso Village
      (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Aliso Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aliso Village
      • Aliso Village is located in Los Angeles County
    • Old Chinatown ‑ Historic
      (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Old Chinatown have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Old Chinatown
      • Old Chinatown is located in Los Angeles County
    • Clement Junction
      (Less than 2 miles to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clement Junction
      • Clement Junction is located in Los Angeles County
    • Boyle Heights
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boyle Heights
      • Boyle Heights is located in Los Angeles County
    • Vernon
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vernon
      • Vernon is located in Los Angeles County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 285 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Vernon <2>
    • Jefferson
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Jefferson have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jefferson
      • Jefferson is located in Los Angeles County
    • Lincoln Heights
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lincoln Heights
      • Lincoln Heights is located in Los Angeles County
    • Koreatown
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Koreatown have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Koreatown
      • Koreatown is located in Los Angeles County
    • East Los Angeles
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Cienega
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cienega
      • Cienega is located in Los Angeles County
  • Orange County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Los Angeles, with the one closest to Los Angeles listed first.
    • La Palma
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Buena Park
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
    • La Habra
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
    • Cypress
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Los Alamitos
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Rossmoor
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rossmoor have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rossmoor
      • Rossmoor is located in Orange County
    • Brea
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • 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 <2>
    • Fullerton
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Stanton
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Seal Beach
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Anaheim
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
    • Barber City
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Barber City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barber City
      • Barber City is located in Orange County
    • Surfside
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
  • San Bernardino County
    • Chino Hills
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
  • Ventura County

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Los Angeles ...

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 653 newspapers that have been published in the area around Los Angeles.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Los Angeles. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Los Angeles and those printed in the larger area surrounding Los Angeles.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 8 miles [12.9 km]<3> of Los Angeles.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we like to start with the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These 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 Los Angeles:

Cemeteries Near Los Angeles ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Los Angeles.

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

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

  • Evergreen Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
  • Angelus Rosedale Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Angelus Rosedale Cemetery is a very large cemetery that is located in Los Angeles.
    • The Angelus Rosedale Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Rosedale Cemetery
    • Rosedale Memorial Park
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Angelus Rosedale Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #8309 <4>
  • IOOF Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the IOOF Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the IOOF Cemetery
  • Beth Israel Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Beth Israel Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Beth Israel Cemetery
  • Mt. Zion Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mt. Zion Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mt. Zion Cemetery
  • Home of Peace Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Home of Peace Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Home of Peace Cemetery
  • Calvary Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
  • Mausoleum of the Golden West
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mausoleum of the Golden West have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mausoleum of the Golden West
  • Serbian Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Serbian Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Serbian Cemetery
  • Chinese Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Chinese Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Chinese Cemetery
  • Glendale Forest Lawn Memorial Park
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • The Glendale Forest Lawn Memorial Park has also been known as:
    • Forest Lawn Memorial Cemetery - Glendale
    • Forest Lawn Memorial Park - Glendale
    • Glendale Forest Lawn Memorial Cemetery
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Glendale Forest Lawn Memorial Park
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #7974 <4>
  • Hollywood Forever Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • The Hollywood Forever Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Beth Olam Cemetery
    • Beth Olam Mausoleum
    • Hollywood Memorial Cemetery
    • Hollywood Memorial Park Cemetery
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hollywood Forever Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #8033 <4>
  • Continue List   (78 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>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Los Angeles had a population of 50,395 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Los Angeles had a population of 3,970,219 people.

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

  • Clement Junction
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clement Junction
    • Clement Junction is located in Los Angeles County
  • Mission Junction
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mission Junction have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mission Junction
    • Mission Junction is located in Los Angeles County
  • Naud Junction
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Naud Junction have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Naud Junction
    • Naud Junction is located in Los Angeles County
  • Florence
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Florence
    • Florence is located in Los Angeles County
  • East Los Angeles
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
  • Bandini
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bandini
    • Bandini is located in Los Angeles County
  • Aurant
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Aurant have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aurant
    • Aurant is located in Los Angeles County
  • Hyde Park
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hyde Park
    • Hyde Park is located in Los Angeles County
  • Shorb
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Shorb have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shorb
    • Shorb is located in Los Angeles County
  • Garvanza
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garvanza
    • Garvanza is located in Los Angeles County
  • Highland Park
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
  • West Glendale
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for West Glendale have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Glendale
    • West Glendale is located in Los Angeles County
  • Continue List   (16 more) ...
    • South Los Angeles
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Los Angeles
      • South Los Angeles is located in Los Angeles County
    • Lynwood
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lynwood
      • Lynwood is located in Los Angeles County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 68,508 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lynwood <2>
    • Vinvale
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vinvale
      • Vinvale is located in Los Angeles County

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

The official website for Los Angeles: www.lacity.org/

The official website for Los Angeles County: www.lacounty.info/

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' (or point-to-point) distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Los Angeles) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Los Angeles. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 34.0407, Longitude: -118.2467    
<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 Los Angeles, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024