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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 Norwalk (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 Norwalk. 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 and hospitals 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.

Norwalk is located in Los Angeles 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 Los Angeles County: Kern, Orange, San Bernardino & Ventura.

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

  • Los Angeles County     (The home county of Norwalk)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Norwalk, with the one closest to Norwalk listed first.
    • Studebaker
      (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Studebaker
      • Studebaker is located in Los Angeles County
    • Carmenita
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Carmenita have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carmenita
      • Carmenita is located in Los Angeles County
    • Santa Fe Springs
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
    • Artesia
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Artesia
      • Artesia is located in Los Angeles County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 16,168 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Artesia <2>
    • Bellflower
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Downey
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Downey
      • Downey is located in Los Angeles County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 109,202 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Downey <2>
    • Cerritos
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • La Mirada
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • South Whittier
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for South Whittier have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Whittier
      • South Whittier is located in Los Angeles County
    • Hawaiian Gardens
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Lakewood
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Clearwater
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Clearwater have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clearwater
      • Clearwater is located in Los Angeles County
    • Paramount
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
  • Orange County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Norwalk, with the one closest to Norwalk listed first.
    • La Palma
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Buena Park
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Los Alamitos
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Cypress
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • La Habra
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Rossmoor
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rossmoor have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rossmoor
      • Rossmoor is located in Orange County
    • Stanton
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Fullerton
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Brea
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brea
      • Brea is located in Orange County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 44,484 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Brea <2>
    • Barber City
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Barber City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barber City
      • Barber City is located in Orange County
    • Seal Beach
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Anaheim
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Green Lantern Village
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Green Lantern Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Lantern Village
      • Green Lantern Village is located in Orange County
  • Riverside County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Norwalk, with the one closest to Norwalk listed first.
    • Corona
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Corona
      • Corona is located in Riverside County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 170,996 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Corona <2>
    • Eastvale
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
    • Norco
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Norco
      • Norco is located in Riverside County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 27,892 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Norco <2>
  • San Bernardino County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Norwalk, with the one closest to Norwalk listed first.
    • Chino Hills
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
    • Los Serranos
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Los Serranos have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Los Serranos
      • Los Serranos is located in San Bernardino County
    • Chino
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chino
      • Chino is located in San Bernardino County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 92,290 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Chino <2>
    • Montclair
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montclair
      • Montclair is located in San Bernardino County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 40,600 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Montclair <2>
    • Ontario
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ontario
      • Ontario is located in San Bernardino County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 183,393 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ontario <2>
    • Upland
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Upland
      • Upland is located in San Bernardino County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 77,850 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Upland <2>
    • Racimo
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Racimo
      • Racimo is located in San Bernardino County
    • Guasti
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
    • San Antonio Heights
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for San Antonio Heights have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for San Antonio Heights
      • San Antonio Heights is located in San Bernardino County

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Norwalk ...

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 112 newspapers that have been published in the area around Norwalk.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Norwalk. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Norwalk and those printed in the larger area surrounding Norwalk.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 10 miles [16.1 km]<3> of Norwalk.

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 websites either 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 Norwalk:

Cemeteries Near Norwalk ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Norwalk.

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

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

  • Young Israel Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Young Israel Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Young Israel Cemetery
  • Artesia Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Artesia Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Artesia Cemetery
  • Little Lake Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
  • Paradise Memorial Park
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Paradise Memorial Park have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Paradise Memorial Park
  • Olive Grove Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Olive Grove Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Olive Grove Cemetery
  • Old Downey Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Old Downey Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Old Downey Cemetery
  • Forest Lawn Memorial Park
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Forest Lawn Memorial Park have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Forest Lawn Memorial Park
  • Long Beach Forest Lawn Park Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • The Long Beach Forest Lawn Park Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Forest Lawn Memorial Cemetery - Long Beach
    • Forest Lawn Memorial Park - Long Beach
    • Long Beach Forest Lawn Memorial Cemetery
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Long Beach Forest Lawn Park Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #180662 <4>
  • All Souls Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the All Souls Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the All Souls Cemetery
  • Memorial Park
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Memorial Park have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Memorial Park
  • Russian Molokan Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Russian Molokan Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Russian Molokan Cemetery
  • Mt. Olive Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mt. Olive Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mt. Olive Cemetery
  • Continue List   (75 more) ...
    • Mt. Carmel Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Park Lawn Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Angeles Abbey Memorial Park
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)

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>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Norwalk had a population of 596 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Norwalk had a population of 102,635 people.

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

  • Studebaker
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Studebaker
    • Studebaker is located in Los Angeles County
  • Artesia
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Artesia
    • Artesia is located in Los Angeles County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 16,168 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Artesia <2>
  • Carmenita
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Carmenita have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carmenita
    • Carmenita is located in Los Angeles County
  • Santa Fe Springs
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
  • Fulton Wells
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fulton Wells have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fulton Wells
    • Fulton Wells is located in Los Angeles County
  • Cerritos
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
  • Downey
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Downey
    • Downey is located in Los Angeles County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 109,202 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Downey <2>
  • Los Nietos
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Los Nietos have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Los Nietos
    • Los Nietos is located in Los Angeles County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Los Nietos <2>
  • Clearwater
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Clearwater have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clearwater
    • Clearwater is located in Los Angeles County
  • Buena Park
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
  • Northam ‑ Historic
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Northam have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Northam
    • Northam is located in Orange County
  • Whittier
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
  • Continue List   (17 more) ...
    • Vinvale
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vinvale
      • Vinvale is located in Los Angeles County
    • Almond
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Almond have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Almond
      • Almond is located in Orange County
    • Lynwood
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lynwood
      • Lynwood is located in Los Angeles County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 68,508 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lynwood <2>

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

The official website for Norwalk: www.ci.norwalk.ca.us/

The official website for Los Angeles County: www.lacounty.info/

The official website for State of California: https://www.ca.gov/

Footnotes ...

<1>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.
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<3>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Norwalk) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Norwalk. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 33.9022, Longitude: -118.0827    
<4>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.
<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 Norwalk, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.









 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024