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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 East Irvine (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 East Irvine. 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 East Irvine ...

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 East Irvine: E. Irvine

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

East Irvine 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 East Irvine. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to East Irvine:

  • Orange County     (The home county of East Irvine)
    • The following are listed by their distance from East Irvine, with the one closest to East Irvine listed first.
    • Irvine
      (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
    • Laguna Woods
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Lake Forest
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Foothill Ranch
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • North Tustin
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
      • North Tustin is located in Orange County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Tustin
    • Tustin
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Aliso Viejo
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Laguna Hills
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • San Joaquin Hills
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
      • San Joaquin Hills is located in Orange County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for San Joaquin Hills
    • Modjeska
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
      • Modjeska is located in Orange County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Modjeska
    • Cowan Heights
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
      • Cowan Heights is located in Orange County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cowan Heights
    • Mission Viejo
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Los Angeles County
    • The following are listed by their distance from East Irvine, with the one closest to East Irvine listed first.
    • Hawaiian Gardens
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Cerritos
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
    • East La Mirada
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • East La Mirada is located in Los Angeles County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East La Mirada
    • Naples
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Naples is located in Los Angeles County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Naples
    • Rowland Heights
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
    • Artesia
      (22 miles [35.4 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>
    • Carmenita
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Carmenita is located in Los Angeles County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carmenita
    • La Habra Heights
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • La Habra Heights is located in Los Angeles County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for La Habra Heights
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,212 people
    • La Mirada
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Belmont Shore
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
    • Los Altos
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Los Altos is located in Los Angeles County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Los Altos
    • Bellflower
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
  • Riverside County
    • The following are listed by their distance from East Irvine, with the one closest to East Irvine listed first.
    • Temescal
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
      • Temescal is located in Riverside County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Temescal
    • Corona
      (17 miles [27.4 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>
    • El Cerrito
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
      • El Cerrito is located in Riverside County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for El Cerrito
    • Porphyry ‑ Historic
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
      • Porphyry is located in Riverside County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Porphyry
    • Home Gardens
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Home Gardens is located in Riverside County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Home Gardens
    • Norco
      (21 miles [33.8 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>
    • Eastvale
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Lake Elsinore
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
    • Lakeland Village
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Lakeland Village is located in Riverside County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lakeland Village
    • Arlington
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Arlington is located in Riverside County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arlington
    • Mira Loma
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Pedley
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Pedley is located in Riverside County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pedley
  • San Bernardino County
    • The following are listed by their distance from East Irvine, with the one closest to East Irvine listed first.
    • Los Serranos
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Los Serranos is located in San Bernardino County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Los Serranos
    • Chino Hills
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
    • Chino
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • 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>
    • Montclair
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Montclair is located in San Bernardino County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montclair
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 40,600 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Montclair <1>
    • Ontario
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Ontario is located in San Bernardino County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ontario
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 183,393 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ontario <1>
    • Guasti
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
    • Racimo
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Racimo is located in San Bernardino County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Racimo
    • Upland
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Upland is located in San Bernardino County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Upland
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 77,850 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Upland <1>
    • Southridge Village
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Southridge Village is located in San Bernardino County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Southridge Village
  • San Diego County

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

Cemeteries Near East Irvine ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of East Irvine.

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 East Irvine - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Ascension Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • El Toro Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
  • Pacific View Memorial Park
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Santa Ana Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • 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>
  • St. John's Lutheran Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • 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>
  • Fairhaven Memorial Park
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
  • Cemetery of the Holy Sepulchre
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
  • Harbor Lawn - Mt. Olive Memorial Park
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
  • Melrose Abbey Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Mission Cemetery
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Yorba Cemetery
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
  • Good Shepherd Cemetery
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Good Shepherd Cemetery
    • The Good Shepherd Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Huntington Beach Cemetery
    • Roselawn Cemetery
  • Continue List   (47 more) ...
    • The Good Shepherd Cemetery
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
    • Anaheim Cemetery
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Holy Cross Cemetery
      (14 miles [22.5 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 East Irvine in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of East Irvine.

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

  • Irvine
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
  • Modjeska
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Modjeska is located in Orange County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Modjeska
  • Santa Ana
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
  • El Modena
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • El Modena is located in Orange County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for El Modena
  • McPherson
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • McPherson is located in Orange County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McPherson
  • Orange
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
  • Newport Beach
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
  • Villa Park
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
  • Wanda ‑ Historic
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Wanda is located in Orange County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wanda
  • Marlboro
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Marlboro is located in Orange County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marlboro
  • Miraflores
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Miraflores is located in Orange County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Miraflores
  • Olive
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Olive is located in Orange County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Olive
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Garden Grove
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Bolsa
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Bolsa is located in Orange County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bolsa
    • Yorba
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
      • Yorba is located in Orange County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yorba

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

Newspapers Published in East Irvine ...

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 102 newspapers that have been published in the area around East Irvine.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of East Irvine, there are papers which were published within 17 miles [27.4 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for East Irvine.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we start 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 East Irvine:

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 East Irvine, 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 obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- East Irvine) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.