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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 Ellis (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 Ellis. 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 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.

Ellis is located in Riverside 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 Riverside County: La Paz (AZ), Imperial, Orange, San Bernardino & San Diego.

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

  • Riverside County     (The home county of Ellis)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ellis, with the one closest to Ellis listed first.
    • Perris
      (Less than 2 miles to the north)
      • Perris is located in Riverside County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Perris
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 79,011 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Perris <1>
    • Romoland
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Nuevo
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Quail Valley
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Sun City
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Menifee
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Meadowbrook
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
      • Meadowbrook is located in Riverside County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meadowbrook
    • Homeland
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Canyon Lake
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Lakeview
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Lakeview is located in Riverside County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lakeview
    • Winchester
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • March Field
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
      • March Field is located in Riverside County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for March Field
    • Lake Elsinore
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
  • Orange County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ellis, with the one closest to Ellis listed first.
    • Trabuco Highlands
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Trabuco Highlands is located in Orange County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trabuco Highlands
    • Trabuco Canyon
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
    • Rancho Santa Margarita
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
    • Silverado Canyon ‑ Historic
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Silverado Canyon is located in Orange County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Silverado Canyon
    • Coto de Caza
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Beeks Place ‑ Historic
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Beeks Place is located in Orange County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beeks Place
    • Modjeska
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Modjeska is located in Orange County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Modjeska
    • Portola Hills
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Portola Hills is located in Orange County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Portola Hills
    • Silverado
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
    • Las Flores
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Las Flores is located in Orange County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Las Flores
    • Foothill Ranch
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
    • Ladera Ranch
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Lake Forest
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
  • San Bernardino County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ellis, with the one closest to Ellis listed first.
    • Grand Terrace
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
    • Plymouth Village
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Plymouth Village is located in San Bernardino County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plymouth Village
    • Bryn Mawr
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
    • Loma Linda
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
    • Mound City ‑ Historic
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • Mound City is located in San Bernardino County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mound City
    • Redlands
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • Redlands is located in San Bernardino County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Redlands
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 72,271 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Redlands <1>
    • Eastbern ‑ Historic
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Eastbern is located in San Bernardino County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eastbern
    • Lugonia ‑ Historic
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Lugonia is located in San Bernardino County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lugonia
    • University Village
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • University Village is located in San Bernardino County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for University Village
    • Yucaipa
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Yucaipa is located in San Bernardino County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yucaipa
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 54,833 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Yucaipa <1>
    • Colton
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Colton is located in San Bernardino County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colton
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 54,661 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Colton <1>
    • Marigold
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Marigold is located in San Bernardino County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marigold
    • Mentone
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
  • San Diego County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ellis, with the one closest to Ellis listed first.
    • Rainbow
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Rainbow is located in San Diego County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rainbow
    • Fallbrook
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
    • DeLuz
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • DeLuz is located in San Diego County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for DeLuz
    • Pala
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)

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

Cemeteries Near Ellis ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Ellis.

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

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

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

  • Perris Valley Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
  • Menifee Valley Memorial Park
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
  • Elsinore Valley Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
  • Riverside National Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
  • Wildomar Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
  • San Jacinto Valley Cemetery
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for San Jacinto Valley Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the San Jacinto Valley Cemetery is a very large cemetery that is located in Hemet.
    • The San Jacinto Valley Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Hemet Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #376454 <2>
  • Laurel Cemetery
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
  • Olivewood Memorial Park
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
  • Sunnyslope Cemetery
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Forest Lawn Memorial Gardens
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Evergreen Memorial Park
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Hillside Cemetery
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
  • Continue List   (30 more) ...
    • Mountain View Cemetery
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
    • Mt. View Cemetery
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
    • Montecito Memorial Park
      (19 miles [30.6 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.<4>

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

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

  • Murrieta
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
  • Riverside
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Redlands
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
    • Redlands is located in San Bernardino County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Redlands
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 72,271 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Redlands <1>
  • Mound City ‑ Historic
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
    • Mound City is located in San Bernardino County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mound City
  • Eastbern ‑ Historic
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
    • Eastbern is located in San Bernardino County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eastbern
  • Lugonia ‑ Historic
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
    • Lugonia is located in San Bernardino County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lugonia
  • Victoria
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
    • Victoria is located in San Bernardino County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Victoria
  • Colton
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
    • Colton is located in San Bernardino County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colton
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 54,661 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Colton <1>
  • Mentone
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
  • Banning
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
  • San Bernardino
    (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
  • Modjeska
    (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
    • Modjeska is located in Orange County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Modjeska
  • Continue List   (12 more) ...
    • Rialto
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Rialto is located in San Bernardino County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rialto
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 104,132 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Rialto <1>
    • Declezville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Declezville is located in San Bernardino County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Declezville
    • Rainbow
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Rainbow is located in San Diego County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rainbow

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

Newspapers Published in Ellis ...

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 125 newspapers that have been published in the area around Ellis.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Ellis, there are papers which were published within 20 miles [32.2 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Ellis.

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 Ellis:

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