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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 Sun Lakes (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 Sun Lakes. 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.

Name Variations for Sun Lakes ...

When searching records, keep in mind that names and their spelling can change over time. Our sources include documents like maps, railroad schedules, Travel, Express and Shipping Guides. Many of these documents date from the 1800's and it's common to find spelling differences.

Although we can't give a definitive list, hopefully the following will give you a feel for the variations that might have occurred.

For example, a typical abbreviation for Sun Lakes: Sun Lks.

If you have information about these names (such as the reason for the change, date of change, the origin of the name), please Contact Us.

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.

Sun Lakes is located in Maricopa County.

To see how the shape of Arizona's counties have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Maricopa County: Gila, La Paz, Pima, Pinal, Yavapai & Yuma.

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

  • Maricopa County     (The home county of Sun Lakes)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sun Lakes, with the one closest to Sun Lakes listed first.
    • Chandler
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Corona Village
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Corona Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Corona Village
      • Corona Village is located in Maricopa County
    • Kyrene
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kyrene
      • Kyrene is located in Maricopa County
    • Sonora
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sonora have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sonora
      • Sonora is located in Maricopa County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sonora <1>
    • Chandler Heights
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Gilbert
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Higley
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Ahwatukee
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ahwatukee
      • Ahwatukee is located in Maricopa County
    • Sanokai Village
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sanokai Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sanokai Village
      • Sanokai Village is located in Maricopa County
    • Guadalupe
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Queen Creek
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • Mesa
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mesa
      • Mesa is located in Maricopa County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 528,159 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mesa <1>
    • Summer Place Village
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Summer Place Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Summer Place Village
      • Summer Place Village is located in Maricopa County
  • Pinal County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sun Lakes, with the one closest to Sun Lakes listed first.
    • Bapchule
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Santan
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Santan have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Santan
      • Santan is located in Pinal County
    • Stotonic
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stotonic
      • Stotonic is located in Pinal County
      • Stotonic has also been known as:
      • Stetonic
      • Stotonik
    • Casa Blanca
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Casa Blanca
      • Casa Blanca is located in Pinal County
    • Sweetwater
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sweetwater
      • Sweetwater is located in Pinal County
    • Sacaton
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Maricopa Wells ‑ Historic
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Maricopa Wells have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maricopa Wells
      • Maricopa Wells is located in Pinal County
    • Maricopa
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Santa Cruz
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Santa Cruz have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Santa Cruz
      • Santa Cruz is located in Pinal County
    • Ak-Chin Village
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ak-Chin Village
      • Ak-Chin Village is located in Pinal County
    • Ak Chin
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ak Chin
      • Ak Chin is located in Pinal County
    • Blackwater
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Blackwater have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blackwater
      • Blackwater is located in Pinal County
    • Stanfield
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Sun Lakes ...

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 67 newspapers that have been published in the area around Sun Lakes.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Sun Lakes. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Sun Lakes and those printed in the larger area surrounding Sun Lakes.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 14 miles [22.5 km]<3> of Sun Lakes.

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 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 Sun Lakes:

Cemeteries Near Sun Lakes ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Sun Lakes.

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

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

  • Valley of the Sun Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Valley of the Sun Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Valley of the Sun Cemetery
  • Goodyear - Ocotillo Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
  • Bapchule Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • Sweetwater Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for the Sweetwater Cemetery. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<5>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Sweetwater Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2342148 <4>
  • Stotonic Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
  • West Casa Blanca Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
  • St. Ann Catholic Church Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
  • C.H. Cook Memorial Church Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
  • East Sacaton Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the East Sacaton Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the East Sacaton Cemetery
  • Sacaton Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Guadalupe Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Guadalupe Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Guadalupe Cemetery
  • Queen of Heaven Catholic Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Queen of Heaven Catholic Cemetery is a very large cemetery that is located in Gilbert.
    • The Queen of Heaven Catholic Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Queen of Heaven Cemetery
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Queen of Heaven Catholic Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #57094 <4>
  • Continue List   (37 more) ...
    • Twin Buttes Cemetery
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Resthaven Park East Cemetery
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Tempe Double Butte Cemetery
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Tempe Double Butte Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Tempe Double Butte 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>

While we didn't find Sun Lakes in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Sun Lakes.

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

  • Sweetwater
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sweetwater
    • Sweetwater is located in Pinal County
  • Kyrene
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kyrene
    • Kyrene is located in Maricopa County
  • Sacaton
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Mesa
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mesa
    • Mesa is located in Maricopa County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 528,159 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mesa <1>
  • Maricopa
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
  • Tempe
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tempe
    • Tempe is located in Maricopa County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 200,402 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Tempe <1>
  • Heaton
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Heaton have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Heaton
    • Heaton is located in Pinal County
  • Lehi
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lehi have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lehi
    • Lehi is located in Maricopa County
  • Phoenix
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Phoenix
    • Phoenix is located in Maricopa County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,708,127 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Phoenix <1>
  • Casa Grande
    (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)

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

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

The official website for Maricopa County: www.maricopa.gov/

The official website for State of Arizona: https://az.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 obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Sun Lakes) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Sun Lakes. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 33.2182, Longitude: -111.8759    
<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>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.
<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 Sun Lakes, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024