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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 Gardena (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 Gardena. 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 northeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors and hospitals 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.

Gardena is located in Los Angeles County.

To see how the shape of California's counties 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 Gardena. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Gardena:

  • Los Angeles County     (The home county of Gardena)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Gardena, with the one closest to Gardena listed first.
    • Alondra Park
      (Less than 2 miles to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Alondra Park have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alondra Park
      • Alondra Park is located in Los Angeles County
    • West Rancho Dominguez
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for West Rancho Dominguez have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Rancho Dominguez
      • West Rancho Dominguez is located in Los Angeles County
    • West Athens
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for West Athens have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Athens
      • West Athens is located in Los Angeles County
    • Lawndale
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
    • Westmont
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westmont
      • Westmont is located in Los Angeles County
    • South Los Angeles
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Los Angeles
      • South Los Angeles is located in Los Angeles County
    • Willowbrook
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Willowbrook have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willowbrook
      • Willowbrook is located in Los Angeles County
    • Del Aire
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Del Aire have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Del Aire
      • Del Aire is located in Los Angeles County
    • Hawthorne
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Rancho Dominguez
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Lennox
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Carson
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carson
      • Carson is located in Los Angeles County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 89,860 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Carson <2>
    • Torrance
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Torrance
      • Torrance is located in Los Angeles County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 141,553 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Torrance <2>
  • Orange County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Gardena, with the one closest to Gardena listed first.
    • Los Alamitos
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Rossmoor
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rossmoor have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rossmoor
      • Rossmoor is located in Orange County
    • La Palma
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
    • Seal Beach
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Cypress
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
    • Buena Park
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
    • Sunset Beach
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Surfside
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Barber City
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Barber City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barber City
      • Barber City is located in Orange County
    • Stanton
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
    • Green Lantern Village
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Green Lantern Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Lantern Village
      • Green Lantern Village is located in Orange County
    • Westminster
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
    • La Habra
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Gardena ...

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 115 newspapers that have been published in the area around Gardena.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Gardena. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Gardena and those printed in the larger area surrounding Gardena.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 10 miles [16.1 km]<3> of Gardena.

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 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 Gardena:

Cemeteries Near Gardena ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Gardena.

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.

If you need information about a burial or interment, photos, transcripts, how to contact the cemetery or local authorities, please visit our selection of Genealogy Websites (see below).

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

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

  • Roosevelt Memorial Park
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
  • Pacific Crest Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Lincoln Memorial Park
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lincoln Memorial Park have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lincoln Memorial Park
  • Woodlawn Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Woodlawn Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Woodlawn Cemetery
  • Inglewood Park Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • Angeles Abbey Memorial Park
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
  • Green Hills Memorial Park
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
  • Wilmington Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Wilmington Cemetery is a very large cemetery that is located in Wilmington.
    • The Wilmington Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Historic Wilmington Cemetery
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Wilmington Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #152636 <4>
  • Hillside Memorial Park
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
  • All Souls Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the All Souls Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the All Souls Cemetery
  • Long Beach Forest Lawn Park Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • The Long Beach Forest Lawn Park Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Forest Lawn Memorial Cemetery - Long Beach
    • Forest Lawn Memorial Park - Long Beach
    • Long Beach Forest Lawn Memorial Cemetery
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Long Beach Forest Lawn Park Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #180662 <4>
  • Holy Cross Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
  • Continue List   (67 more) ...
    • Long Beach Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
      • The Long Beach Cemetery has also been known as:
      • Long Beach Municipal Cemetery
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Long Beach Cemetery
    • Sunnyside Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Table Top Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Table Top Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Table Top Cemetery

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.<5>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that in 1895, Gardena had a post office and no railroad service. In 2020, Gardena had a population of 58,498 people.

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

  • Moneta
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Moneta have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moneta
    • Moneta is located in Los Angeles County
  • South Los Angeles
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Los Angeles
    • South Los Angeles is located in Los Angeles County
  • Redondo Beach
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • Inglewood
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
  • Compton
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Compton
    • Compton is located in Los Angeles County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 93,967 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Compton <2>
  • Hyde Park
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hyde Park
    • Hyde Park is located in Los Angeles County
  • Dominguez
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dominguez have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dominguez
    • Dominguez is located in Los Angeles County
  • Lynwood
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lynwood
    • Lynwood is located in Los Angeles County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 68,508 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lynwood <2>
  • Florence
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Florence
    • Florence is located in Los Angeles County
  • Wilmington
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilmington
    • Wilmington is located in Los Angeles County
  • Thenard
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Thenard have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thenard
    • Thenard is located in Los Angeles County
  • Clearwater
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Clearwater have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clearwater
    • Clearwater is located in Los Angeles County
  • Continue List   (18 more) ...
    • Vinvale
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vinvale
      • Vinvale is located in Los Angeles County
    • Clement Junction
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clement Junction
      • Clement Junction is located in Los Angeles County
    • San Pedro
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for San Pedro
      • San Pedro is located in Los Angeles County

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

The official website for Gardena: www.ci.gardena.ca.us/

The official website for Los Angeles County: www.lacounty.info/

The official website for State of California: https://www.ca.gov/

Footnotes ...

<1>The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required.
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<3>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- Gardena) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Gardena. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 33.8885, Longitude: -118.3092    
<4>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.
<5>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 Gardena, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024