RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> State of California >> Merced County >> Los Banos >> Genealogy HelperIndex...










Learn About
The Commemorative
Quarter for
California

The Commemorative Quarter for California





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 Banos (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 Banos. 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 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.

Los Banos is located in Merced 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 Merced County: Fresno, Madera, Mariposa, San Benito, Santa Clara & Stanislaus.

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

  • Merced County     (The home county of Los Banos)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Los Banos, with the one closest to Los Banos listed first.
    • Abbato ‑ Historic
      (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Abbato have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Abbato
      • Abbato is located in Merced County
    • Trent
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trent
      • Trent is located in Merced County
    • Volta
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Volta
      • Volta is located in Merced County
    • Santa Nella Village
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Santa Nella
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • South Dos Palos
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Dos Palos
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • Santa Rita Park
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • Gustine
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Stevinson
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
    • El Nido
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
    • Hilmar
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
    • Livingston
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
  • Fresno County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Los Banos, with the one closest to Los Banos listed first.
    • Oro Loma ‑ Historic
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oro Loma
      • Oro Loma is located in Fresno County
    • Mercey Hot Springs
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mercey Hot Springs
      • Mercey Hot Springs is located in Fresno County
      • Former name for Mercey Hot Springs:
      • Mercy Hot Springs
    • Firebaugh
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Benito
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Benito
      • Benito is located in Fresno County
  • Madera County
    • Lincoln ‑ Historic
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • 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
  • Santa Clara County
    • Bell Station
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bell Station
      • Bell Station is located in Santa Clara County
      • Bell Station has also been known as:
      • Bell's Station
  • Stanislaus County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Los Banos, with the one closest to Los Banos listed first.
    • Newman
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newman
      • Newman is located in Stanislaus County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 11,702 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Newman <2>
    • Crows Landing
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Turlock
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Turlock
      • Turlock is located in Stanislaus County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 73,059 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Turlock <2>

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Los Banos ...

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 66 newspapers that have been published in the area around Los Banos.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Los Banos. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Los Banos and those printed in the larger area surrounding Los Banos.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 29 miles [46.7 km]<3> of Los Banos.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first turn to the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These professional and volunteer 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 Banos:

Cemeteries Near Los Banos ...

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

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

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

  • Calvary Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
  • Los Banos Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Los Banos Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located in Los Banos.
    • The Los Banos Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Los Banos District Cemetery
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Los Banos Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #8133 <4>
  • Dos Palos Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
  • San Joaquin Valley National Cemetery
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
  • Stevinson Sunnyside Cemetery
    (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Stevinson Sunnyside Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Stevinson Sunnyside Cemetery
  • Hills Ferry Cemetery
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
  • South Hilmar Cemetery
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the South Hilmar Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the South Hilmar Cemetery
  • North Hilmar Cemetery
    (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
  • Calvary Cemetery
    (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
    • 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>
  • Winton Cemetery
    (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
    • 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>
  • Evergreen Cemetery
    (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
    • 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
  • Turlock Memorial Park
    (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)

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, Los Banos had a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Los Banos had a population of 40,571 people.

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

  • Volta
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Volta
    • Volta is located in Merced County
  • Ingomar
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ingomar have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ingomar
    • Ingomar is located in Merced County
  • Linora ‑ Historic
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Linora have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Linora
    • Linora is located in Merced County
  • Dos Palos
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
  • Gustine
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
  • Newman
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newman
    • Newman is located in Stanislaus County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 11,702 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Newman <2>
  • Arena
    (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
    • 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
  • Livingston
    (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
  • Atwater
    (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
  • Firebaugh
    (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
  • Merced
    (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
  • Delhi
    (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
  • Continue List   (5 more) ...
    • Bell Station
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bell Station
      • Bell Station is located in Santa Clara County
      • Bell Station has also been known as:
      • Bell's Station
    • Crows Landing
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Athlone
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • 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

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

The official website for Los Banos: www.losbanos.org/

The official website for Merced County: www.co.merced.ca.us/

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 '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 Banos) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Los Banos. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 37.0612, Longitude: -120.8458    
<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 Banos, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

Copyright 2024
All Rights Reserved

Thank you for visiting our website.

In closing, please keep in mind that we can not guarantee the accuracy or timeliness of the information on this website, so use with care. We encourage you to double-check the information that is critical to you.

If you've found an error or have additional information that you would like to share, please don't hesitate to write: Click here to contact us.

This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024