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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 Merced (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 Merced. 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 northwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals and doctors were in the next county to the west. 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 west 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.

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

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

  • Merced County     (The home county of Merced)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Merced, with the one closest to Merced listed first.
    • Tuttle
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tuttle
      • Tuttle is located in Merced County
    • Fluhr
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fluhr
      • Fluhr is located in Merced County
    • Atwater
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Planada
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Amsterdam
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amsterdam
      • Amsterdam is located in Merced County
    • The Grove
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for The Grove
      • The Grove is located in Merced County
    • Winton
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Athlone
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Athlone have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Athlone
      • Athlone is located in Merced County
    • Plainsburg
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Plainsburg have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plainsburg
      • Plainsburg is located in Merced County
    • Arundel ‑ Historic
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Arundel have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arundel
      • Arundel is located in Merced County
    • El Nido
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Cressey
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Le Grand
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
  • Fresno County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Merced, with the one closest to Merced listed first.
    • Firebaugh
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
    • Oro Loma ‑ Historic
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oro Loma
      • Oro Loma is located in Fresno County
  • Madera County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Merced, with the one closest to Merced listed first.
    • Chowchilla
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Lincoln ‑ Historic
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lincoln have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lincoln
      • Lincoln is located in Madera County
    • Berenda
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berenda
      • Berenda is located in Madera County
    • Madera Acres
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Madera Acres
      • Madera Acres is located in Madera County
  • Mariposa County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Merced, with the one closest to Merced listed first.
    • Hornitos
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Catheys Valley
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
    • Bear Valley
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bear Valley
      • Bear Valley is located in Mariposa County
    • Bagby ‑ Historic
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Bagby. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bagby
      • Bagby is located in Mariposa County
    • Mount Bullion
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Bullion
      • Mount Bullion is located in Mariposa County
  • Stanislaus County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Merced, with the one closest to Merced listed first.
    • Denair
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Turlock
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • 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 <1>
    • La Grange
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Hickman
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Waterford
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Hughson
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Keyes
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Newman
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • 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 <1>

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Merced ...

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 76 newspapers that have been published in the area around Merced.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Merced. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Merced and those printed in the larger area surrounding Merced.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<4> of Merced.

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 Merced:

Cemeteries Near Merced ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Merced.

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

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

  • Calvary Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Calvary Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> 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 <5>
  • Evergreen Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Evergreen Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Evergreen Cemetery
  • Winton Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 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 <5>
  • Helm - Turner Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Helm - Turner Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Helm - Turner Cemetery
  • Hopeton Cemetery
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hopeton Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hopeton Cemetery
  • Ivett Ranch Family Cemetery
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
  • Snelling Pioneer Cemetery
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
  • Pate Cemetery
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pate Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pate Cemetery
  • Chowchilla Cemetery
    (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Chowchilla Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located 2 miles [3.2 km]<4> 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 <5>
  • Santa Cruz Cemetery
    (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Santa Cruz Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Santa Cruz Cemetery
  • South Hilmar Cemetery
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the South Hilmar Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the South Hilmar Cemetery
  • Dos Palos Cemetery
    (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
  • Continue List   (11 more) ...
    • Catheys Valley Cemetery
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Catheys Valley Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Catheys Valley Cemetery
    • North Hilmar Cemetery
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
    • Stevinson Sunnyside Cemetery
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Stevinson Sunnyside Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Stevinson Sunnyside 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 Merced had a population of 2,009 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Merced had a population of 88,235 people.

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

  • Atwater
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Athlone
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Athlone have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Athlone
    • Athlone is located in Merced County
  • Plainsburg
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Plainsburg have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plainsburg
    • Plainsburg is located in Merced County
  • Arena
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Arena have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arena
    • Arena is located in Merced County
  • Hopeton
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hopeton have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hopeton
    • Hopeton is located in Merced County
  • Livingston
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
  • Snelling
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
  • Merced Falls
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Merced Falls
    • Merced Falls is located in Merced County
  • Delhi
    (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
  • Hornitos
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
  • Montpelier
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Montpelier have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montpelier
    • Montpelier is located in Stanislaus County
  • Dos Palos
    (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Turlock
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • 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 <1>
    • Los Banos
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
    • La Grange
      (25 miles [40.2 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 Merced. See our List of 1890's Communities around Merced.

The official website for Merced: www.cityofmerced.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>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<2>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.
<3>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.
<4>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or point-to-point) distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Merced) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Merced. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 37.3021, Longitude: -120.4885    
<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 Merced, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024