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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 Tomales (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 Tomales. 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 southeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors and 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.

Tomales is located in Marin 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 Marin County: Contra Costa, San Francisco & Sonoma.

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

  • Marin County     (The home county of Tomales)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Tomales, with the one closest to Tomales listed first.
    • Hamlet
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hamlet have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hamlet
      • Hamlet is located in Marin County
    • Nicks Cove
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nicks Cove
      • Nicks Cove is located in Marin County
    • Dillon Beach
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Marshall
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Inverness
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Millerton
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millerton
      • Millerton is located in Marin County
    • Point Reyes Station
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Olema
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Tocaloma
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tocaloma have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tocaloma
      • Tocaloma is located in Marin County
    • Nicasio
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Five Brooks
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Five Brooks
      • Five Brooks is located in Marin County
    • Forest Knolls
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
  • Napa County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Tomales, with the one closest to Tomales listed first.
    • Merazo
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Merazo
      • Merazo is located in Napa County
    • Woodleaf
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Woodleaf have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodleaf
      • Woodleaf is located in Napa County
    • Calistoga
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Rutherford
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Saint Helena
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Deer Park
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Oakville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Sonoma County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Tomales, with the one closest to Tomales listed first.
    • Valley Ford
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Bloomfield
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bloomfield
      • Bloomfield is located in Sonoma County
    • Bodega
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Freestone
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Bodega Bay
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Stony Point
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stony Point
      • Stony Point is located in Sonoma County
    • Occidental
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Sebastopol
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Cotati
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Salmon Creek
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salmon Creek
      • Salmon Creek is located in Sonoma County
    • Camp Meeker
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • Carmet
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carmet
      • Carmet is located in Sonoma County

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

Newspapers Published in Tomales ...

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 51 newspapers that have been published in the area around Tomales.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Tomales, there are papers which were published within 18 miles [29 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Tomales.

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 websites either 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 Tomales:

Cemeteries Near Tomales ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Tomales.

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

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

  • Tomales Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Tomales Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Tomales Cemetery
  • Bloomfield Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Bloomfield Cemetery is located outside and to the west of Bloomfield.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bloomfield Cemetery
  • Two Rock Presbyterian Church Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Two Rock Presbyterian Church Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Two Rock Presbyterian Church Cemetery
  • Bodega Calvary Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bodega 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 Bodega Calvary Cemetery is located outside and to the south of Bodega.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bodega Calvary Cemetery
  • Canfield Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Canfield Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Canfield Cemetery
  • Bodega Bay Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bodega Bay Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bodega Bay Cemetery
  • Pleasant Hills Memorial Park
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pleasant Hills Memorial Park have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pleasant Hills Memorial Park
  • Macedonia Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Macedonia Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Macedonia Cemetery
  • Spring Hill Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Spring Hill Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Spring Hill Cemetery
  • Druids Occidental Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Druids Occidental Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Druids Occidental Cemetery
  • Liberty Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Liberty Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Liberty Cemetery
  • Sebastopol Memorial Lawn Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Sebastopol Memorial Lawn Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Sebastopol Memorial Lawn Cemetery
  • Continue List   (54 more) ...
    • Gilliam Cemetery
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Gilliam Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Gilliam Cemetery
    • B'nai Israel Cemetery
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the B'nai Israel Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the B'nai Israel Cemetery
    • Cypress Hill Memorial Park
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Cypress Hill Memorial Park have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Cypress Hill Memorial Park

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.<4>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Tomales had a population of 225 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service.

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

  • Hamlet
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hamlet have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hamlet
    • Hamlet is located in Marin County
  • Valley Ford
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • Marshall
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • Bloomfield
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bloomfield
    • Bloomfield is located in Sonoma County
  • Freestone
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
  • Millerton
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millerton
    • Millerton is located in Marin County
  • Stony Point
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stony Point
    • Stony Point is located in Sonoma County
  • Occidental
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
  • Cotati
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Point Reyes Station
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Ely ‑ Historic
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ely have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ely
    • Ely is located in Sonoma County
  • Penngrove
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
  • Continue List   (17 more) ...
    • Petaluma
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
    • Olema
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Tocaloma
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tocaloma have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tocaloma
      • Tocaloma is located in Marin County

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

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

The official website for Marin County: www.co.marin.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 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Tomales) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Tomales. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 38.2463, Longitude: -122.9049    
<4>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 Tomales, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024