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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 Haystack (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 Haystack. 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 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 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.

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

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

  • Sonoma County     (The home county of Haystack)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Haystack, with the one closest to Haystack listed first.
    • Petaluma
      (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
    • Lakeville
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Lakeville is located in Sonoma County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lakeville
    • Ely ‑ Historic
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Ely is located in Sonoma County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ely
    • Penngrove
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Temelec
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Temelec is located in Sonoma County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Temelec
    • El Verano
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Cotati
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • McGill
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
      • McGill is located in Sonoma County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McGill
    • Boyes Hot Springs
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Eldridge
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Fetters Hot Springs - Agua Caliente
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Sonoma
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Rohnert Park
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
  • Alameda County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Haystack, with the one closest to Haystack listed first.
    • Albany
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
    • University Village
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • University Village is located in Alameda County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for University Village
    • Berkeley
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Normandy Village
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Normandy Village is located in Alameda County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Normandy Village
  • Contra Costa County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Haystack, with the one closest to Haystack listed first.
    • Sobrante
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Sobrante is located in Contra Costa County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sobrante
    • Bayview
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Bayview is located in Contra Costa County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bayview
    • Gateley
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Gateley is located in Contra Costa County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gateley
    • Hercules
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Hercules is located in Contra Costa County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hercules
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 26,221 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hercules <1>
    • Pinole
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Pinole is located in Contra Costa County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pinole
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 19,207 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Pinole <1>
    • Rodeo
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Tara Hills
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Tara Hills is located in Contra Costa County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tara Hills
    • Atchison Village
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • Atchison Village is located in Contra Costa County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Atchison Village
    • Point Richmond
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
    • Rollingwood
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • Rollingwood is located in Contra Costa County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rollingwood
    • San Pablo
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
    • Tormey
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • Tormey is located in Contra Costa County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tormey
    • Crockett
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
  • Marin County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Haystack, with the one closest to Haystack listed first.
    • Novato
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Old Town
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
      • Old Town is located in Marin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Old Town
    • Black Point - Green Point
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Ignacio
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
      • Ignacio is located in Marin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ignacio
    • Rafael Village
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
      • Rafael Village is located in Marin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rafael Village
    • Nicasio
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Forest Knolls
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
    • San Geronimo
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
    • Woodacre
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
    • Millerton
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Millerton is located in Marin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millerton
    • Tocaloma
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Tocaloma is located in Marin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tocaloma
    • Lagunitas - Forest Knolls
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
    • Inverness
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
  • Napa County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Haystack, with the one closest to Haystack listed first.
    • Merazo
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
      • Merazo is located in Napa County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Merazo
    • Napa
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Napa is located in Napa County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Napa
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 77,032 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Napa <1>
    • Suscol ‑ Historic
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Suscol is located in Napa County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Suscol
      • Suscol has also been known as:
      • Soscol
      • Susqual
    • Union
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Union is located in Napa County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union
    • Middleton
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
      • Middleton is located in Napa County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Middleton
    • Oakville
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
    • Yountville
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
    • American Canyon
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
    • Lombard
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
      • Lombard is located in Napa County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lombard
    • Rutherford
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Saint Helena
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
    • Deer Park
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
    • Calistoga
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
  • Solano County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Haystack, with the one closest to Haystack listed first.
    • Guadalcanal Village
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
      • Guadalcanal Village is located in Solano County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Guadalcanal Village
    • Vallejo
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
    • Mare Island ‑ Historic
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Mare Island is located in Solano County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mare Island
    • Green Valley
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
    • Mankas Corner
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Mankas Corner is located in Solano County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mankas Corner
    • Benicia
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)

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

Cemeteries Near Haystack ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Haystack.

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

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

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

  • Petaluma Calvary Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
  • Cypress Hill Memorial Park
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
  • B'nai Israel Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
  • Liberty Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Valley Memorial Park
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Valley Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
  • Mountain Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
  • Eldridge Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eldridge Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Eldridge Cemetery is located outside and to the west of Eldridge.
  • Two Rock Presbyterian Church Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
  • St. Francis Solano Catholic Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
  • Thompson Family Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
  • Macedonia Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Continue List   (79 more) ...
    • Bennett Valley Cemetery
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
    • Partrick Cemetery
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Calvary Catholic Cemetery
      (14 miles [22.5 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 Haystack in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Haystack.

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

  • Petaluma
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
  • Lakeville
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Lakeville is located in Sonoma County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lakeville
  • Donahue ‑ Historic
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Donahue is located in Sonoma County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Donahue
  • Ely ‑ Historic
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Ely is located in Sonoma County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ely
  • Penngrove
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Novato
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
  • Cotati
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
  • Black Point
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Black Point is located in Marin County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Black Point
  • McGill
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • McGill is located in Sonoma County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McGill
  • Schellville
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Schellville is located in Sonoma County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Schellville
  • Sonoma
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
  • Madrone ‑ Historic
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Madrone is located in Sonoma County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Madrone
  • Continue List   (13 more) ...
    • Yulupa ‑ Historic
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Yulupa is located in Sonoma County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yulupa
    • Stony Point
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Stony Point is located in Sonoma County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stony Point
    • Sears Point
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Sears Point is located in Sonoma County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sears Point

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

Newspapers Published in Haystack ...

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 46 newspapers that have been published in the area around Haystack.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Haystack, there are papers which were published within 16 miles [25.7 km]<2>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Haystack.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we like to start with 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 Haystack:

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>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- Haystack) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.
<3>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.
<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 Haystack, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.