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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 Knowles Corner (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 Knowles Corner. 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.

Name Variations for Knowles Corner ...

When searching records, keep in mind that names and their spelling can change over time. Our sources include documents like maps, railroad schedules, Travel, Express and Shipping Guides. Many of these documents date from the 1800's and it's common to find spelling differences.

Although we can't give a definitive list, hopefully the following will give you a feel for the variations that might have occurred.

  • A typical abbreviation for Knowles Corner: Knowles Cor. (or less commonly used: Knowles Crn.)
  • While the name of this community is Knowles Corner, be aware that it's the common practice of mapmakers to remove the apostrophe from possessive names<1>. So Knowles Corner may originally have been Knowle's Corner.

    Sometimes the trailing 's' might be dropped altogether, in which case Knowles Corner might be written as Knowle Corner.

If you have information about these names (such as the reason for the change, date of change, the origin of the name), please Contact Us.

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.

Knowles Corner 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 Knowles Corner. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Knowles Corner:

  • Sonoma County     (The home county of Knowles Corner)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Knowles Corner, with the one closest to Knowles Corner listed first.
    • Sebastopol
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Bloomfield
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bloomfield
      • Bloomfield is located in Sonoma County
    • South Santa Rosa
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for South Santa Rosa have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Santa Rosa
      • South Santa Rosa is located in Sonoma County
    • Stony Point
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stony Point
      • Stony Point is located in Sonoma County
    • Freestone
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Cotati
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Rohnert Park
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Bellevue
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bellevue
      • Bellevue is located in Sonoma County
    • Roseland
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Roseland have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roseland
      • Roseland is located in Sonoma County
    • Graton
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Valley Ford
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Santa Rosa
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Lake County
  • Marin County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Knowles Corner, with the one closest to Knowles Corner listed first.
    • Tomales
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Dillon Beach
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Hamlet
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hamlet have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hamlet
      • Hamlet is located in Marin County
    • Nicks Cove
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nicks Cove
      • Nicks Cove is located in Marin County
    • Marshall
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • Millerton
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millerton
      • Millerton is located in Marin County
    • Inverness
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
    • Point Reyes Station
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
    • Nicasio
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
    • Olema
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
    • Tocaloma
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tocaloma have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tocaloma
      • Tocaloma is located in Marin County
    • Novato
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
  • Napa County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Knowles Corner, with the one closest to Knowles Corner listed first.
    • Woodleaf
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Woodleaf have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodleaf
      • Woodleaf is located in Napa County
    • Calistoga
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Saint Helena
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Rutherford
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
    • Deer Park
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Oakville
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
    • Yountville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
    • Merazo
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Merazo
      • Merazo is located in Napa County
    • Angwin
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Union
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union
      • Union is located in Napa County
    • Pope Valley
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Napa
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Napa
      • Napa is located in Napa County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 77,032 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Napa <2>

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

Newspapers Published in Knowles Corner ...

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 54 newspapers that have been published in the area around Knowles Corner.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Knowles Corner, there are papers which were published within 15 miles [24.1 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Knowles Corner.

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 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 Knowles Corner:

Cemeteries Near Knowles Corner ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Knowles Corner.

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

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

  • Canfield Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Canfield Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Canfield Cemetery
  • Macedonia Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Macedonia Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Macedonia Cemetery
  • Pleasant Hills Memorial Park
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pleasant Hills Memorial Park have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pleasant Hills Memorial Park
  • Bloomfield Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Bloomfield Cemetery is located outside and to the west of Bloomfield.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bloomfield Cemetery
  • Sebastopol Memorial Lawn Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Sebastopol Memorial Lawn Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Sebastopol Memorial Lawn Cemetery
  • Spring Hill Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Spring Hill Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Spring Hill Cemetery
  • Two Rock Presbyterian Church Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Two Rock Presbyterian Church Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Two Rock Presbyterian Church Cemetery
  • Chapel of the Chimes Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Chapel of the Chimes Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Chapel of the Chimes Cemetery
  • Gilliam Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Gilliam Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Gilliam Cemetery
  • Steele Family Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
  • Liberty Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Liberty Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Liberty Cemetery
  • Green Valley Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Green Valley Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Green Valley Cemetery
  • Continue List   (67 more) ...
    • Druids Occidental Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Druids Occidental Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Druids Occidental Cemetery
    • Tomales Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Tomales Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Tomales Cemetery
    • Forestview Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Forestview Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Forestview 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>

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

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

  • Bloomfield
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bloomfield
    • Bloomfield is located in Sonoma County
  • Stony Point
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stony Point
    • Stony Point is located in Sonoma County
  • Freestone
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
  • Valley Ford
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
  • Cotati
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
  • Santa Rosa
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Tomales
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
  • Penngrove
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Occidental
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
  • Trenton
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trenton
    • Trenton is located in Sonoma County
  • Ely ‑ Historic
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ely have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ely
    • Ely is located in Sonoma County
  • Forestville
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
  • Continue List   (13 more) ...
    • Fulton
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Hamlet
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hamlet have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hamlet
      • Hamlet is located in Marin County
    • Petaluma
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)

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

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Knowles Corner. 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>It's generally believed that possessive apostrophes are removed to prevent confusion on maps where the apostrophe may be confused with a cartographic symbol. While this is generally true, it's not uncommon to find possessive apostrophes in administrative names (such as towns or counties).
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<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' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Knowles Corner) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Knowles Corner. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 38.3524, Longitude: -122.8153       In this case, the coordinates for Knowles Corner have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<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 Knowles Corner, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024