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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 Montpelier (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 Montpelier. 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 southwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors were in the next county to the west. 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 west 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.

Montpelier is located in Stanislaus 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 Stanislaus County: Alameda, Calaveras, Mariposa, Merced, San Joaquin & Santa Clara.

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

  • Stanislaus County     (The home county of Montpelier)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Montpelier, with the one closest to Montpelier listed first.
    • Hickman
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Denair
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Waterford
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Turlock
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Turlock is located in Stanislaus County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Turlock
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 73,059 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Turlock <1>
    • Hughson
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Keyes
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
    • Empire
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Ceres
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
      • Ceres is located in Stanislaus County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ceres
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 48,603 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ceres <1>
    • La Grange
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Bret Harte
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
      • Bret Harte is located in Stanislaus County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bret Harte
    • Bystrom
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
      • Bystrom is located in Stanislaus County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bystrom
    • Shackelford
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
      • Shackelford is located in Stanislaus County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shackelford
    • East Oakdale
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
      • East Oakdale is located in Stanislaus County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Oakdale
  • Calaveras County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Montpelier, with the one closest to Montpelier listed first.
    • The Shores of Poker Flat
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Telegraph City
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Telegraph City is located in Calaveras County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Telegraph City
    • Copper Cove Village
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Copper Cove Village is located in Calaveras County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Copper Cove Village
    • Copperopolis
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
  • Mariposa County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Montpelier, with the one closest to Montpelier listed first.
    • Hornitos
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
    • Coulterville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Merced County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Montpelier, with the one closest to Montpelier listed first.
    • Ballico
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Cressey
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Arundel ‑ Historic
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Arundel is located in Merced County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arundel
    • Delhi
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Livingston
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Amsterdam
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Amsterdam is located in Merced County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amsterdam
    • The Grove
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
      • The Grove is located in Merced County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for The Grove
    • Winton
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Hilmar
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Snelling
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
    • Atwater
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Fluhr
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Fluhr is located in Merced County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fluhr
    • Stevinson
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
  • San Joaquin County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Montpelier, with the one closest to Montpelier listed first.
    • Escalon
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Escalon is located in San Joaquin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Escalon
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 7,580 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Escalon <1>
    • Alba
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Alba is located in San Joaquin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alba
    • Cometa
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Cometa is located in San Joaquin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cometa
    • Ripon
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Ripon is located in San Joaquin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ripon
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 16,774 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ripon <1>
    • Trigo ‑ Historic
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Trigo is located in San Joaquin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trigo
    • Atlanta
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Atlanta is located in San Joaquin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Atlanta
    • Five Corners
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Five Corners is located in San Joaquin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Five Corners
  • Tuolumne County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Montpelier, with the one closest to Montpelier listed first.
    • Yosemite Junction
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Yosemite Junction is located in Tuolumne County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yosemite Junction
    • Chinese Camp
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Jacksonville ‑ Historic
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Jacksonville is located in Tuolumne County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jacksonville
    • Moccasin
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Stent
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Stent is located in Tuolumne County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stent

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

Cemeteries Near Montpelier ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Montpelier.

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

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

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

  • Denair Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
  • Roberts Ferry Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Turlock Memorial Park
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
  • Hopeton Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
  • Lakewood Memorial Park
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Winton Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winton Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Winton Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located outside and to the southwest of Winton.
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #8453 <2>
  • North Hilmar Cemetery
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
  • South Hilmar Cemetery
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
  • Snelling Pioneer Cemetery
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
  • Citizens Cemetery
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
  • St. Stanislaus Cemetery
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Ivett Ranch Family Cemetery
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
  • Continue List   (24 more) ...

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, Montpelier had a post office and no railroad service.

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

  • Hickman
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
  • Waterford
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Turlock
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Turlock is located in Stanislaus County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Turlock
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 73,059 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Turlock <1>
  • Delhi
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
  • Hopeton
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Hopeton is located in Merced County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hopeton
  • Livingston
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
  • Keyes
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
  • Arena
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • Arena is located in Merced County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arena
  • Atwater
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
  • Snelling
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
  • Ceres
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
    • Ceres is located in Stanislaus County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ceres
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 48,603 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ceres <1>
  • La Grange
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
  • Continue List   (16 more) ...
    • Oakdale
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Oakdale is located in Stanislaus County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakdale
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 23,228 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Oakdale <1>
    • Modesto
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Modesto is located in Stanislaus County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Modesto
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 215,666 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Modesto <1>
    • Knights Ferry
      (19 miles [30.6 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 Montpelier. See our List of 1890's Communities around Montpelier.

Newspapers Published in Montpelier ...

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 103 newspapers that have been published in the area around Montpelier.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Montpelier, there are papers which were published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Montpelier.

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 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 Montpelier:

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 Montpelier, 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' (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- Montpelier) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.