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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 Goat Rock (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 Goat Rock. 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 northwest 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 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.

Goat Rock is located in Sonoma 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 Sonoma County: Contra Costa, Lake, Marin, Mendocino, Napa & Solano.

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

  • Sonoma County     (The home county of Goat Rock)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Goat Rock, with the one closest to Goat Rock listed first.
    • Cazadero
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Guerneville
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Rio Nido
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Fort Ross
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fort Ross have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fort Ross
      • Fort Ross is located in Sonoma County
    • Jenner
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Duncans Mills
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Monte Rio
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Villa Grande
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Healdsburg
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • Camp Meeker
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Geyserville
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Carmet
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carmet
      • Carmet is located in Sonoma County
    • Forestville
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
  • Lake County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Goat Rock, with the one closest to Goat Rock listed first.
    • Cobb
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Glenbrook
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glenbrook
      • Glenbrook is located in Lake County
    • Pine Grove
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Grove
      • Pine Grove is located in Lake County
    • Glenview
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glenview
      • Glenview is located in Lake County
    • Middletown
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Salminas Resort
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salminas Resort
      • Salminas Resort is located in Lake County
    • Seigler Springs
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seigler Springs
      • Seigler Springs is located in Lake County
  • Marin County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Goat Rock, with the one closest to Goat Rock listed first.
    • Dillon Beach
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
    • Tomales
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Hamlet
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hamlet have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hamlet
      • Hamlet is located in Marin County
    • Nicks Cove
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nicks Cove
      • Nicks Cove is located in Marin County
  • Mendocino County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Goat Rock, with the one closest to Goat Rock listed first.
    • Hermitage ‑ Historic
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Hermitage. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hermitage
      • Hermitage is located in Mendocino County
    • Yorkville
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
    • Gualala
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Hopland
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
    • Anchor Bay
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Fish Rock
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fish Rock
      • Fish Rock is located in Mendocino County
    • Largo ‑ Historic
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Largo have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Largo
      • Largo is located in Mendocino County
  • Napa County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Goat Rock, with the one closest to Goat Rock listed first.
    • Woodleaf
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Woodleaf have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodleaf
      • Woodleaf is located in Napa County
    • Calistoga
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)

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

Newspapers Published in Goat Rock ...

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 39 newspapers that have been published in the area around Goat Rock.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Goat Rock, there are papers which were published within 25 miles [40.2 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Goat Rock.

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 either 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 Goat Rock:

Cemeteries Near Goat Rock ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Goat Rock.

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 Goat Rock covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

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

  • Seaview Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Seaview Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Seaview Cemetery
  • Benitz Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Benitz Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Benitz Cemetery
  • Redwood Memorial Gardens
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Redwood Memorial Gardens have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Redwood Memorial Gardens
  • Cooper Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Cooper Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Cooper Cemetery
  • Ruoff - Thomas Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Ruoff - Thomas Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Ruoff - Thomas Cemetery
  • Duncans Mills Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Duncans Mills Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Duncans Mills Cemetery
  • Sugarloaf Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Sugarloaf Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Sugarloaf Cemetery
  • McPeak Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the McPeak Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the McPeak Cemetery
  • Olive Hill Cemetery
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
  • Oak Mound Cemetery
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
  • Long Ranch Family Cemetery
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Long Ranch Family Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Long Ranch Family Cemetery
  • Druids Occidental Cemetery
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Druids Occidental Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Druids Occidental Cemetery
  • Continue List   (44 more) ...
    • Green Valley Cemetery
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Green Valley Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Green Valley Cemetery
    • Forestview Cemetery
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Forestview Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Forestview Cemetery
    • Hall Cemetery
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hall Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hall 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.<6>

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

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

  • Cazadero
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
  • Seaview
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Seaview have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seaview
    • Seaview is located in Sonoma County
  • Fort Ross
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fort Ross have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fort Ross
    • Fort Ross is located in Sonoma County
  • Guerneville
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Duncans Mills
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
  • Forestville
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
  • Geyserville
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
  • Asti
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Asti have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Asti
    • Asti is located in Sonoma County
  • Occidental
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
  • Trenton
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trenton
    • Trenton is located in Sonoma County
  • Windsor
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
  • Cloverdale
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
  • Continue List   (13 more) ...
    • Freestone
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
    • Preston
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Preston have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Preston
      • Preston is located in Sonoma County
    • Fulton
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)

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

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Goat Rock. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.

The official website for Sonoma County: www.sonoma-county.org/

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

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 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.
<3>An 'estimated' location is one where we have been given GPS coordinates, but are unable to verify the accuracy of those coordinates. That said, we have some confidence that we have placed the marker near the actual location. A typical reason for being unable to verify a location is that it might be on private property or maybe historic and gone without an obvious trace.
<4>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Goat Rock) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Goat Rock. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 38.5816, Longitude: -123.1214       In this case, the coordinates for Goat Rock have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<5>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.
<6>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 Goat Rock, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024