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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 Gualala (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 Gualala. 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 southeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals were in the next county to the east. 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 east 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.

Gualala is located in Mendocino 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 Mendocino County: Glenn, Humboldt, Lake, Sonoma, Tehama & Trinity.

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

  • Mendocino County     (The home county of Gualala)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Gualala, with the one closest to Gualala listed first.
    • Anchor Bay
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Fish Rock
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fish Rock
      • Fish Rock is located in Mendocino County
    • Signal Port
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Signal Port
      • Signal Port is located in Mendocino County
      • Signal Port has also been known as:
      • Hardscratch
    • Point Arena
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Manchester
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Stronetta
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stronetta
      • Stronetta is located in Mendocino County
    • Boonville
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
    • Hermitage ‑ Historic
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • 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.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hermitage
      • Hermitage is located in Mendocino County
    • Yorkville
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Philo
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
    • Elk
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
    • Navarro
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
    • Hopland
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Sonoma County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Gualala, with the one closest to Gualala listed first.
    • Sea Ranch
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Annapolis
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Stewarts Point
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Fort Ross
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fort Ross have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fort Ross
      • Fort Ross is located in Sonoma County
    • Cloverdale
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
    • Preston
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Preston have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Preston
      • Preston is located in Sonoma County
    • Cazadero
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Gualala ...

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 20 newspapers that have been published in the area around Gualala.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Gualala. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Gualala and those printed in the larger area surrounding Gualala.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 27 miles [43.5 km]<4> of Gualala.

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 professional and volunteer 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 Gualala:

Cemeteries Near Gualala ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Gualala.

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

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

  • Bourn Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for the Bourn Cemetery. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bourn Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #7860 <5>
  • Fish Rock Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
  • Annapolis Church Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
  • Stewarts Point Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Manchester / Point Area Pomo Indian Cemetery
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
  • Ornbaun Springs Cemetery
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Ornbaun Springs Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Ornbaun Springs Cemetery
  • Sugarloaf Cemetery
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Sugarloaf Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Sugarloaf Cemetery
  • Cooper Cemetery
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Cooper Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Cooper Cemetery
  • Evergreen Cemetery
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Evergreen Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Evergreen Cemetery
  • Ruoff - Thomas Cemetery
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Ruoff - Thomas Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Ruoff - Thomas Cemetery
  • Benitz Cemetery
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Benitz Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Benitz Cemetery
  • Seaview Cemetery
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Seaview Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Seaview Cemetery
  • Continue List   (4 more) ...
    • Shields Cemetery
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Shields Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Shields Cemetery
    • Hopland Cemetery
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hopland Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hopland Cemetery
    • Cloverdale Cemetery
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • To give a relative sense of its location, the Cloverdale Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located outside and to the northeast of Cloverdale.
      • The Cloverdale Cemetery has also been known as:
      • Haywards Cemetery
      • Mt. Olive Cemetery
      • Riverside Cemetery
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Cloverdale Cemetery
      • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #991087 <5>

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>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Gualala had a population of 173 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service.

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

  • Fish Rock
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fish Rock
    • Fish Rock is located in Mendocino County
  • Point Arena
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Manchester
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
  • Boonville
    (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
  • Hermitage ‑ Historic
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
    • 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.<2>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hermitage
    • Hermitage is located in Mendocino County
  • Yorkville
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
  • Philo
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
  • Seaview
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Seaview have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seaview
    • Seaview is located in Sonoma County
  • Fort Ross
    (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fort Ross have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fort Ross
    • Fort Ross is located in Sonoma County
  • Navarro
    (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
  • Elk
    (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
  • Hopland
    (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Continue List   (6 more) ...
    • Cloverdale
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
    • Preston
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Preston have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Preston
      • Preston is located in Sonoma County
    • Pieta
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pieta have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pieta
      • Pieta is located in Mendocino County

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

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

The official website for Mendocino County: www.co.mendocino.ca.us/

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>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.
<3>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.
<4>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or 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- Gualala) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Gualala. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 38.7703, Longitude: -123.5321    
<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 Gualala, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024