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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 Whittier (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 Whittier. 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 Whittier ...

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 Whittier: E. Whittier

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 and hospitals 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 Whittier is located in Los Angeles 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 Los Angeles County: Kern, Orange, San Bernardino & Ventura.

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

  • Los Angeles County     (The home county of East Whittier)
    • The following are listed by their distance from East Whittier, with the one closest to East Whittier listed first.
    • Whittier
      (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
    • South Whittier
      (Less than 2 miles to the west)
      • South Whittier is located in Los Angeles County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Whittier
    • La Habra Heights
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
      • 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
    • Hacienda Heights
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • La Mirada
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • East La Mirada
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
      • East La Mirada is located in Los Angeles County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East La Mirada
    • Fulton Wells
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
      • Fulton Wells is located in Los Angeles County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fulton Wells
    • Santa Fe Springs
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • West Whittier - Los Nietos
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Pico Rivera
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Avocado Heights
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
      • Avocado Heights is located in Los Angeles County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Avocado Heights
    • City of Industry
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Carmenita
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
      • Carmenita is located in Los Angeles County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carmenita
  • Orange County
    • The following are listed by their distance from East Whittier, with the one closest to East Whittier listed first.
    • La Habra
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Buena Park
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Brea
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Brea is located in Orange County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brea
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 44,484 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Brea <1>
    • La Palma
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Fullerton
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Cypress
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Anaheim
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Placentia
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Los Alamitos
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Stanton
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Rossmoor
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
      • Rossmoor is located in Orange County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rossmoor
    • Atwood
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Yorba Linda
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Riverside County
    • The following are listed by their distance from East Whittier, with the one closest to East Whittier listed first.
    • Corona
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • 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>
    • Eastvale
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
    • Norco
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • 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>
    • Mira Loma
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
    • Porphyry ‑ Historic
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Porphyry is located in Riverside County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Porphyry
    • El Cerrito
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • El Cerrito is located in Riverside County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for El Cerrito
    • Home Gardens
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Home Gardens is located in Riverside County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Home Gardens
    • Glen Avon
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Glen Avon is located in Riverside County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glen Avon
  • San Bernardino County
    • The following are listed by their distance from East Whittier, with the one closest to East Whittier listed first.
    • Chino Hills
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
    • Los Serranos
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Los Serranos is located in San Bernardino County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Los Serranos
    • Chino
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
      • 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
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • 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
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • 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>
    • Upland
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • 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>
    • Racimo
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Racimo is located in San Bernardino County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Racimo
    • San Antonio Heights
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • San Antonio Heights is located in San Bernardino County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for San Antonio Heights
    • Guasti
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
    • Alta Loma
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Rancho Cucamonga
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
    • Rochester
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Rochester is located in San Bernardino County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rochester
    • Etiwanda
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)

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

Cemeteries Near East Whittier ...

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

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

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

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

  • Olive Grove Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
  • Mt. Olive Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
  • Little Lake Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Rose Hills Memorial Park
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rose Hills Memorial Park
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Rose Hills Memorial Park is a very large cemetery that is located in Whittier.
    • The Rose Hills Memorial Park has also been known as:
    • Whittier Heights Memorial Park
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #8308 <2>
  • Paradise Memorial Park
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Young Israel Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Memory Garden Memorial Park
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
  • Queen of Heaven Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
  • Memorial Park
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
  • Russian Molokan Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
  • Old Downey Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Artesia Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Continue List   (78 more) ...
    • Loma Vista Memorial Park
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Resurrection Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Mt. Carmel Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)

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

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

  • Whittier
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
  • Santa Fe Springs
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
  • Fulton Wells
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Fulton Wells is located in Los Angeles County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fulton Wells
  • Los Nietos
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
  • Studebaker
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Studebaker is located in Los Angeles County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Studebaker
  • Norwalk
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Norwalk is located in Los Angeles County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Norwalk
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 102,635 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Norwalk <1>
  • Carmenita
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Carmenita is located in Los Angeles County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carmenita
  • Northam ‑ Historic
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Northam is located in Orange County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Northam
  • Downey
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Downey is located in Los Angeles County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Downey
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 109,202 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Downey <1>
  • Buena Park
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • Artesia
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • 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>
  • Cerritos
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
  • Continue List   (17 more) ...
    • Almond
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
      • Almond is located in Orange County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Almond
    • El Monte
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
      • El Monte is located in Los Angeles County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for El Monte
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 112,344 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for El Monte <1>
    • Savannah ‑ Historic
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
      • Savannah is located in Los Angeles County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Savannah

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

Newspapers Published in East Whittier ...

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 89 newspapers that have been published in the area around East Whittier.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of East Whittier, there are papers which were published within 11 miles [17.7 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for East Whittier.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first turn to 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 Whittier:

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 Whittier, 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' (or 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- East Whittier) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.