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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 Ontario (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 Ontario. 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 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 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.

Ontario is located in San Bernardino 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 San Bernardino County: La Paz (AZ), Mohave (AZ), Inyo, Kern, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside & Clark (NV).

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

  • San Bernardino County     (The home county of Ontario)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ontario, with the one closest to Ontario listed first.
    • Racimo
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Racimo
      • Racimo is located in San Bernardino County
    • Upland
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Upland
      • Upland is located in San Bernardino County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 77,850 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Upland <1>
    • Montclair
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montclair
      • Montclair is located in San Bernardino County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 40,600 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Montclair <1>
    • Guasti
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Chino
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chino
      • Chino is located in San Bernardino County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 92,290 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Chino <1>
    • Alta Loma
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Rancho Cucamonga
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • San Antonio Heights
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for San Antonio Heights have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for San Antonio Heights
      • San Antonio Heights is located in San Bernardino County
    • Chino Hills
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Los Serranos
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Los Serranos have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Los Serranos
      • Los Serranos is located in San Bernardino County
    • Southridge Village
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Southridge Village
      • Southridge Village is located in San Bernardino County
    • Etiwanda
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
  • Los Angeles County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ontario, with the one closest to Ontario listed first.
    • Claremont
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Pomona
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pomona
      • Pomona is located in Los Angeles County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 149,212 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Pomona <1>
    • La Verne
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Spadra
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Spadra have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spadra
      • Spadra is located in Los Angeles County
    • Diamond Bar
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • San Dimas
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Charter Oak
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Charter Oak have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Charter Oak
      • Charter Oak is located in Los Angeles County
    • Mount Baldy
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • Walnut
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walnut
      • Walnut is located in Los Angeles County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 29,324 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Walnut <1>
    • Covina
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Covina
      • Covina is located in Los Angeles County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 47,259 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Covina <1>
    • Glendora
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
    • Citrus
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Citrus have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Citrus
      • Citrus is located in Los Angeles County
  • Orange County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ontario, with the one closest to Ontario listed first.
    • Anaheim Hills
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
    • Yorba Linda
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Beeks Place ‑ Historic
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Beeks Place have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beeks Place
      • Beeks Place is located in Orange County
    • Atwood
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Brea
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
      • 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 <1>
    • Placentia
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
    • La Habra
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Villa Park
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Cowan Heights
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cowan Heights
      • Cowan Heights is located in Orange County
    • Fullerton
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Anaheim
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Panorama Heights
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Panorama Heights
      • Panorama Heights is located in Orange County
  • Riverside County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ontario, with the one closest to Ontario listed first.
    • Eastvale
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Mira Loma
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Glen Avon
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glen Avon
      • Glen Avon is located in Riverside County
    • Jurupa Valley
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jurupa Valley
      • Jurupa Valley is located in Riverside County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 109,745 people
    • Norco
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Norco
      • Norco is located in Riverside County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 27,892 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Norco <1>
    • Pedley
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pedley have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pedley
      • Pedley is located in Riverside County
    • Sunnyslope
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sunnyslope have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunnyslope
      • Sunnyslope is located in Riverside County
    • De Anza Village
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for De Anza Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for De Anza Village
      • De Anza Village is located in Riverside County
    • Rubidoux
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • Corona
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Corona
      • Corona is located in Riverside County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 170,996 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Corona <1>
    • Home Gardens
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Home Gardens
      • Home Gardens is located in Riverside County
    • Porphyry ‑ Historic
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Porphyry have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Porphyry
      • Porphyry is located in Riverside County

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Ontario ...

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 74 newspapers that have been published in the area around Ontario.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Ontario. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Ontario and those printed in the larger area surrounding Ontario.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 18 miles [29 km]<3> of Ontario.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we begin with 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 Ontario:

Cemeteries Near Ontario ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Ontario.

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

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

  • Bellevue Memorial Park
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
  • Oak Park Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
  • Oak Park Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Oak Park Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Oak Park Cemetery
  • Pomona Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Pomona Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located in Pomona.
    • The Pomona Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Pomona Valley Memorial Park
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pomona Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #8286 <4>
  • Holy Cross Catholic Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Holy Cross Catholic Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located in Pomona.
    • The Holy Cross Catholic Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Holy Cross Cemetery
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Holy Cross Catholic Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #8036 <4>
  • Holy Cross Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
  • Palomares Memorial Park
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Palomares Memorial Park is located in Pomona.
    • The Palomares Memorial Park has also been known as:
    • Palomares Cemetery
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Palomares Memorial Park
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #8252 <4>
  • Evergreen Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • 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
  • Spadra Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
  • Crestlawn Memorial Park
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
  • Covina Hills Forest Lawn Memorial Park
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
  • Veterans Memorial Park
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Veterans Memorial Park have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Veterans Memorial Park
  • Continue List   (62 more) ...
    • Oakdale Memorial Park
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
    • Sunny Shope Cemetery
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Sunny Shope Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Sunny Shope Cemetery
    • Queen of Heaven Cemetery
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)

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 Ontario had a population of 683 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Ontario had a population of 183,393 people.

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

  • North Ontario
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Ontario have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Ontario
    • North Ontario is located in San Bernardino County
  • Chino
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chino
    • Chino is located in San Bernardino County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 92,290 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Chino <1>
  • North Cucamonga
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Cucamonga have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Cucamonga
    • North Cucamonga is located in San Bernardino County
  • Claremont
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Cucamonga
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cucamonga have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cucamonga
    • Cucamonga is located in San Bernardino County
  • Pomona
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pomona
    • Pomona is located in Los Angeles County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 149,212 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Pomona <1>
  • Rochester
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rochester have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rochester
    • Rochester is located in San Bernardino County
  • North Pomona
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Pomona have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Pomona
    • North Pomona is located in Los Angeles County
  • Etiwanda
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
  • Spadra
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Spadra have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spadra
    • Spadra is located in Los Angeles County
  • Declezville
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Declezville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Declezville
    • Declezville is located in San Bernardino County
  • Declez
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Declez have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Declez
    • Declez is located in San Bernardino County
  • Continue List   (16 more) ...
    • San Dimas
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Grapeland ‑ Historic
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Grapeland have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grapeland
      • Grapeland is located in San Bernardino County
    • Glendora
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)

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

The official website for Ontario: www.ci.ontario.ca.us/

The official website for San Bernardino County: www.sbcounty.gov/

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>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a '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- Ontario) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Ontario. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 34.0616, Longitude: -117.6511    
<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 Ontario, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024