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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 Bay Shores (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 Bay Shores. 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 Bay Shores ...

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 occur.

For example, a typical abbreviation for Bay Shores: Bay Shrs.

You might be interested in other communities that are also named Bay Shores. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Bay Shores.

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 northeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors were in the next county to the east. 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 east 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.

Bay Shores is located in Orange County.

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

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Orange County: Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino & San Diego.

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

  • Orange County     (The home county of Bay Shores)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bay Shores, with the one closest to Bay Shores listed first.
    • Costa Mesa
      (Less than 2 miles to the north)
    • Newport Beach
      (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
    • Balboa Island
      (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
    • Santa Ana Heights
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
    • Corona del Mar
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Newport Coast
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
      • Newport Coast is located in Orange County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newport Coast
    • San Joaquin Hills
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
      • San Joaquin Hills is located in Orange County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for San Joaquin Hills
    • Fountain Valley
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Huntington Beach
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Irvine
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Wintersburg
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Wintersburg is located in Orange County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wintersburg
    • Laguna Beach
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Bolsa
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
      • Bolsa is located in Orange County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bolsa
  • Los Angeles County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bay Shores, with the one closest to Bay Shores listed first.
    • Naples
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Naples is located in Los Angeles County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Naples
    • Belmont Shore
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Hawaiian Gardens
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Los Altos
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Los Altos is located in Los Angeles County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Los Altos
    • Cerritos
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
    • Artesia
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Artesia is located in Los Angeles County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Artesia
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 16,168 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Artesia <1>
    • Cambodia Town
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Cambodia Town is located in Los Angeles County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cambodia Town
    • Long Beach
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Signal Hill
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Carmenita
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Carmenita is located in Los Angeles County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carmenita
    • East La Mirada
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • East La Mirada is located in Los Angeles County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East La Mirada
    • La Mirada
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
    • Bellflower
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
  • Riverside County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bay Shores, with the one closest to Bay Shores listed first.
    • Corona
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Corona is located in Riverside County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Corona
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 170,996 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Corona <1>
    • Temescal
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Temescal is located in Riverside County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Temescal
    • El Cerrito
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • El Cerrito is located in Riverside County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for El Cerrito
    • Home Gardens
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Home Gardens is located in Riverside County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Home Gardens
    • Porphyry ‑ Historic
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Porphyry is located in Riverside County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Porphyry
    • Norco
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Norco is located in Riverside County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Norco
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 27,892 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Norco <1>
  • San Bernardino County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bay Shores, with the one closest to Bay Shores listed first.
    • Chino Hills
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • Los Serranos
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Los Serranos is located in San Bernardino County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Los Serranos
    • Chino
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Chino is located in San Bernardino County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chino
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 92,290 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Chino <1>
  • San Diego County

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

Cemeteries Near Bay Shores ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Bay Shores.

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.

Although we don't have the information ourselves, if you need information about a burial or interment, photos, transcripts, how to contact the cemetery or local authorities, please visit our list of websites on our Genealogy Helper Page for Bay Shores - one of the links might be able to help.

If not found below, our Cemetery List for Bay Shores covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

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

  • Pacific View Memorial Park
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
  • Harbor Lawn - Mt. Olive Memorial Park
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
  • Good Shepherd Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Good Shepherd Cemetery
    • The Good Shepherd Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Huntington Beach Cemetery
    • Roselawn Cemetery
  • The Good Shepherd Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Westminster Memorial Park
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
  • St. John's Lutheran Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for St. John's Lutheran Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the St. John's Lutheran Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located in Santa Ana.
    • The St. John's Lutheran Cemetery has also been known as:
    • New St. John Lutheran Cemetery
    • New St. John's Lutheran Cemetery
    • St. Johns Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #8324 <2>
  • Santa Ana Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Santa Ana Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Santa Ana Cemetery is a very large cemetery that is located in Santa Ana.
    • The Santa Ana Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Evangelical Lutheran Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #8351 <2>
  • Fairhaven Memorial Park
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
  • Magnolia Memorial Park
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
  • Ascension Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
  • Melrose Abbey Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
  • El Toro Cemetery
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
  • Continue List   (39 more) ...
    • Holy Cross Cemetery
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Cemetery of the Holy Sepulchre
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Anaheim Cemetery
      (15 miles [24.1 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.<3>

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

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

  • Newport Beach
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
  • Irvine
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
  • Bolsa
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Bolsa is located in Orange County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bolsa
  • Santa Ana
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
  • Westminster
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
  • Garden Grove
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
  • McPherson
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • McPherson is located in Orange County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McPherson
  • Orange
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
  • El Modena
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
    • El Modena is located in Orange County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for El Modena
  • Marlboro
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
    • Marlboro is located in Orange County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marlboro
  • Miraflores
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
    • Miraflores is located in Orange County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Miraflores
  • Villa Park
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
  • Continue List   (13 more) ...
    • Wanda ‑ Historic
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Wanda is located in Orange County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wanda
    • Anaheim
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
    • Olive
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
      • Olive is located in Orange County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Olive

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

Newspapers Published in Bay Shores ...

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 95 newspapers that have been published in the area around Bay Shores.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Bay Shores, there are papers which were published within 18 miles [29 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Bay Shores.

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 helpful 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 Bay Shores:

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 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.
<3>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 Bay Shores, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<4>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Bay Shores) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.