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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 Lawrence (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 Lawrence. 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 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.

Lawrence is located in Santa Clara 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 Santa Clara County: Alameda, Merced, San Benito, San Mateo, Santa Cruz & Stanislaus.

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

  • Santa Clara County     (The home county of Lawrence)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Lawrence, with the one closest to Lawrence listed first.
    • Agnew
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Agnew is located in Santa Clara County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Agnew
    • Santa Clara
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Sunnyvale
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
    • Rancho Rinconada
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
      • Rancho Rinconada is located in Santa Clara County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rancho Rinconada
    • Cupertino
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Alviso
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Burbank
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Burbank is located in Santa Clara County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burbank
    • Mountain View
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Buena Vista
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
      • Buena Vista is located in Santa Clara County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buena Vista
    • Fruitdale
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
      • Fruitdale is located in Santa Clara County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fruitdale
    • San Jose
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
      • San Jose is located in Santa Clara County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for San Jose
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,013,616 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for San Jose <1>
    • Loyola
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
      • Loyola is located in Santa Clara County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loyola
  • Alameda County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Lawrence, with the one closest to Lawrence listed first.
    • Drawbridge ‑ Historic
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
      • Drawbridge is located in Alameda County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Drawbridge
      • Former name for Drawbridge:
      • Saline City
    • Albrae ‑ Historic
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
      • Albrae is located in Alameda County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Albrae
    • Larkins Landing ‑ Historic
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
      • Larkins Landing is located in Alameda County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Larkins Landing
    • Newark
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Fremont
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Fremont is located in Alameda County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fremont
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 234,569 people
      • Former names for Fremont:
      • Centerville
      • Irvington
      • Mission San Jose
      • Niles
      • Warm Springs
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Fremont <1>
    • Union City
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
      • Union City is located in Alameda County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union City
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 74,501 people
      • Former name for Union City:
      • Decoto
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Union City <1>
    • Alvarado ‑ Historic
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
      • Alvarado is located in Alameda County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alvarado
    • Sunol
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
    • Scotts Corner
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Scotts Corner is located in Alameda County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scotts Corner
    • Mount Eden
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
    • Russell City
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Russell City is located in Alameda County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Russell City
    • Fairview
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Fairview is located in Alameda County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairview
  • Contra Costa County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Lawrence, with the one closest to Lawrence listed first.
    • San Ramon
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
    • Blackhawk - Camino Tassajara
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
    • Tassajara
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Tassajara is located in Contra Costa County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tassajara
  • San Mateo County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Lawrence, with the one closest to Lawrence listed first.
    • East Palo Alto
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • The Willows
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
      • The Willows is located in San Mateo County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for The Willows
    • Menlo Park
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Ladera
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
      • Ladera is located in San Mateo County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ladera
    • Atherton
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • West Menlo Park
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • North Fair Oaks
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
      • North Fair Oaks is located in San Mateo County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Fair Oaks
    • Portola Valley
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
    • Searsville ‑ Historic
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
      • Searsville is located in San Mateo County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Searsville
    • Woodside
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
    • Adobe Corner
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
      • Adobe Corner is located in San Mateo County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adobe Corner
    • La Honda
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
  • Santa Cruz County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Lawrence, with the one closest to Lawrence listed first.
    • Alma ‑ Historic
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
      • Alma is located in Santa Cruz County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alma
    • Summit
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
      • Summit is located in Santa Cruz County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Summit
      • Summit has also been known as:
      • Loma Prieta
    • Glenwood
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
      • Glenwood is located in Santa Cruz County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glenwood
    • Laurel
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
      • Laurel is located in Santa Cruz County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laurel
    • Boulder Creek
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
    • Lompico
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Lompico is located in Santa Cruz County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lompico
    • The Willows
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • The Willows is located in Santa Cruz County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for The Willows
    • Brookdale
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
    • Zayante
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
      • Zayante is located in Santa Cruz County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zayante
    • Ben Lomond
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • Eccles ‑ Historic
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
      • Eccles is located in Santa Cruz County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eccles
    • Scotts Valley
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)

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

Cemeteries Near Lawrence ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Lawrence.

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

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

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

  • Mission City Memorial Park
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
  • Santa Clara Mission Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
  • Gates of Heaven Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • Cedar Lawn Memorial Park
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Lawn Memorial Park
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Cedar Lawn Memorial Park is a large cemetery that is located in Fremont.
    • The Cedar Lawn Memorial Park has also been known as:
    • Cedar Lawn Memorial Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #7892 <2>
  • Alta Mesa Memorial Park
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
  • Madronia Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
  • Oak Hill Memorial Park
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Calvary Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Calvary Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Calvary Cemetery is located in Alum Rock.
  • St. Johns Catholic Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
  • Los Gatos Memorial Park
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
  • St. Josephs Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
  • Ohlone Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
  • Continue List   (47 more) ...
    • Ohlones Cemetery
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Irvington Memorial Cemetery
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Holy Ghost Cemetery
      (11 miles [17.7 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.<3>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that in 1895, Lawrence had a post office and railroad service.

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

  • Santa Clara
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
  • Agnew
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Agnew is located in Santa Clara County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Agnew
  • Alviso
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
  • Mountain View
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
  • San Jose
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • San Jose is located in Santa Clara County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for San Jose
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,013,616 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for San Jose <1>
  • College Park
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • College Park is located in Santa Clara County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for College Park
  • Campbell
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Milpitas
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Saratoga
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
  • Berryessa
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Berryessa is located in Santa Clara County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berryessa
  • Mayfield
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Mayfield is located in Santa Clara County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mayfield
  • Los Gatos
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
  • Continue List   (16 more) ...
    • Palo Alto
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Alamitos
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Alamitos is located in Santa Clara County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alamitos
    • Newark
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)

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

Newspapers Published in Lawrence ...

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 60 newspapers that have been published in the area around Lawrence.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Lawrence, there are papers which were published within 12 miles [19.3 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Lawrence.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first visit 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 Lawrence:

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 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.
<3>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 Lawrence, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<4>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 from Point A (ie- Lawrence) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.