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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 Carpenter (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 Carpenter. 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 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.

Carpenter is located in Alameda 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 Alameda County: Contra Costa, San Francisco, San Joaquin, San Mateo, Santa Clara & Stanislaus.

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

  • Alameda County     (The home county of Carpenter)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Carpenter, with the one closest to Carpenter listed first.
    • Union City
      (Less than 2 miles to the south)
      • Union City is located in Alameda County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union City
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 74,501 people
      • Former name for Union City:
      • Decoto
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Union City <1>
    • Alvarado ‑ Historic
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Alvarado is located in Alameda County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alvarado
    • Fairview
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
      • Fairview is located in Alameda County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairview
    • Hayward
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Mount Eden
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Cherryland
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
      • Cherryland is located in Alameda County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cherryland
    • Russell City
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
      • Russell City is located in Alameda County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Russell City
    • Newark
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Fremont
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
      • Fremont is located in Alameda County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fremont
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 234,569 people
      • Former names for Fremont:
      • Centerville
      • Irvington
      • Mission San Jose
      • Niles
      • Warm Springs
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Fremont <1>
    • Ashland
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Castro Valley
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • San Lorenzo
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Contra Costa County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Carpenter, with the one closest to Carpenter listed first.
    • San Ramon
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Danville
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Danville is located in Contra Costa County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Danville
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 44,883 people
      • Former name for Danville:
      • Inmanville
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Danville <1>
    • Blackhawk - Camino Tassajara
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Alamo
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
    • Diablo
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
    • Moraga
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
      • Moraga is located in Contra Costa County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moraga
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 16,967 people
      • Former name for Moraga:
      • Willow Springs
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Moraga <1>
    • Blackhawk
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Blackhawk is located in Contra Costa County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blackhawk
    • Tassajara
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Tassajara is located in Contra Costa County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tassajara
    • Rock City
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
      • Rock City is located in Contra Costa County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock City
    • Lafayette
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
    • Orinda
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Orinda is located in Contra Costa County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orinda
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 19,557 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Orinda <1>
    • Orinda Village
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Orinda Village is located in Contra Costa County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orinda Village
  • Marin County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Carpenter, with the one closest to Carpenter listed first.
    • Fort McDowell
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Fort McDowell is located in Marin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fort McDowell
    • Tiburon
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Belvedere
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Sausalito
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Marin City
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Marin City is located in Marin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marin City
  • San Francisco County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Carpenter, with the one closest to Carpenter listed first.
    • Mission District
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Mission District is located in San Francisco County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mission District
    • Chinatown
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Chinatown is located in San Francisco County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chinatown
    • Friendship Village
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Friendship Village is located in San Francisco County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Friendship Village
    • San Francisco
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
    • Sydney Town ‑ Historic
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Sydney Town is located in San Francisco County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sydney Town
    • Amanico Ergina Village
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Amanico Ergina Village is located in San Francisco County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amanico Ergina Village
    • Golden Gate Heights
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Golden Gate Heights is located in San Francisco County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Golden Gate Heights
    • Stonestown
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Stonestown is located in San Francisco County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stonestown
    • Doelger City
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Doelger City is located in San Francisco County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Doelger City
  • San Joaquin County
    • Carnegie ‑ Historic
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Carnegie is located in San Joaquin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carnegie
  • San Mateo County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Carpenter, with the one closest to Carpenter listed first.
    • East Palo Alto
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • North Fair Oaks
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
      • North Fair Oaks is located in San Mateo County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Fair Oaks
    • The Willows
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
      • The Willows is located in San Mateo County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for The Willows
    • Foster City
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Atherton
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Menlo Park
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Redwood City
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
    • San Carlos
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Belmont
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Emerald Lake Hills
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Emerald Lake Hills is located in San Mateo County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Emerald Lake Hills
    • Laurel
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
      • Laurel is located in San Mateo County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laurel
    • San Mateo
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
  • Santa Clara County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Carpenter, with the one closest to Carpenter listed first.
    • Palo Alto
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Alviso
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • Castro City
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
      • Castro City is located in Santa Clara County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Castro City
    • Ventura
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
      • Ventura is located in Santa Clara County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ventura
    • Milpitas
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Escondido Village
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Escondido Village is located in Santa Clara County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Escondido Village
    • Stanford
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Agnew
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
      • Agnew is located in Santa Clara County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Agnew
    • Mountain View
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
    • Los Altos Hills
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
    • Los Altos
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
    • Sunnyvale
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
  • Santa Cruz County
    • Alma ‑ Historic
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Alma is located in Santa Cruz County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alma
  • Solano County
    • Benicia
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)

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

Cemeteries Near Carpenter ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Carpenter.

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 Carpenter - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Chapel of the Chimes Memorial Park
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
  • Chapel of the Chimes Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
  • Holy Sepulchre Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
  • Presbyterian Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • All Saints Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Lone Tree Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
  • Mt. Eden Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Holy Ghost Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • Irvington Memorial Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
  • San Lorenzo Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Ohlone Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Ohlones Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Continue List   (72 more) ...
    • Mission San Jose Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Dublin Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Mt. Calvary Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)

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 Carpenter in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Carpenter.

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

  • Alvarado ‑ Historic
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Alvarado is located in Alameda County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alvarado
  • Mount Eden
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Newark
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • San Lorenzo
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Sunol
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
  • Pleasanton
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
  • San Leandro
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
  • San Ramon
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
  • Fair Oaks
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Fair Oaks is located in San Mateo County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fair Oaks
  • Palo Alto
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
  • San Carlos
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
  • Redwood City
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Menlo Park
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Mayfield
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
      • Mayfield is located in Santa Clara County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mayfield
    • Alviso
      (13 miles [20.9 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 Carpenter. See our List of 1890's Communities around Carpenter.

Newspapers Published in Carpenter ...

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 94 newspapers that have been published in the area around Carpenter.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Carpenter, there are papers which were published within 15 miles [24.1 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Carpenter.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we like to start 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 Carpenter:

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 Carpenter, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<4>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 from Point A (ie- Carpenter) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.