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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 Palo Alto (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 Palo Alto. 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.

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

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

  • Santa Clara County     (The home county of Palo Alto)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Palo Alto, with the one closest to Palo Alto listed first.
    • Ventura
      (Less than 2 miles to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ventura
      • Ventura is located in Santa Clara County
    • Escondido Village
      (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Escondido Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Escondido Village
      • Escondido Village is located in Santa Clara County
    • Stanford
      (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
    • Castro City
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Castro City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Castro City
      • Castro City is located in Santa Clara County
    • Los Altos Hills
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Los Altos
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Mountain View
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Loyola
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Loyola have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loyola
      • Loyola is located in Santa Clara County
    • Sunnyvale
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Alviso
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Agnew
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Agnew
      • Agnew is located in Santa Clara County
    • Cupertino
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
  • Alameda County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Palo Alto, with the one closest to Palo Alto listed first.
    • Larkins Landing ‑ Historic
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Larkins Landing. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Larkins Landing
      • Larkins Landing is located in Alameda County
    • Newark
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Drawbridge ‑ Historic
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Drawbridge
      • Drawbridge is located in Alameda County
      • Former name for Drawbridge:
      • Saline City
    • Albrae ‑ Historic
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Albrae have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Albrae
      • Albrae is located in Alameda County
    • Alvarado ‑ Historic
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Alvarado. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alvarado
      • Alvarado is located in Alameda County
    • Fremont
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fremont
      • Fremont is located in Alameda County
      • 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 <2>
    • Union City
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union City
      • Union City is located in Alameda County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 74,501 people
      • Former name for Union City:
      • Decoto
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Union City <2>
    • Mount Eden
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Russell City
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Russell City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Russell City
      • Russell City is located in Alameda County
    • Cherryland
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cherryland have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cherryland
      • Cherryland is located in Alameda County
    • Hayward
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
    • San Lorenzo
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
  • Contra Costa County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Palo Alto, with the one closest to Palo Alto listed first.
    • San Ramon
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
    • Danville
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Danville
      • Danville is located in Contra Costa County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 44,883 people
      • Former name for Danville:
      • Inmanville
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Danville <2>
    • Moraga
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moraga
      • Moraga is located in Contra Costa County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 16,967 people
      • Former name for Moraga:
      • Willow Springs
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Moraga <2>
    • Alamo
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
    • Blackhawk - Camino Tassajara
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Diablo
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
    • Blackhawk
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Blackhawk have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blackhawk
      • Blackhawk is located in Contra Costa County
    • Tassajara
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tassajara
      • Tassajara is located in Contra Costa County
    • Lafayette
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
    • Orinda Village
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Orinda Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orinda Village
      • Orinda Village is located in Contra Costa County
    • Orinda
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orinda
      • Orinda is located in Contra Costa County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 19,557 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Orinda <2>
    • Rock City
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rock City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock City
      • Rock City is located in Contra Costa County
  • San Francisco County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Palo Alto, with the one closest to Palo Alto listed first.
    • Stonestown
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stonestown
      • Stonestown is located in San Francisco County
    • Golden Gate Heights
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Golden Gate Heights
      • Golden Gate Heights is located in San Francisco County
    • San Francisco
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Amanico Ergina Village
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Amanico Ergina Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amanico Ergina Village
      • Amanico Ergina Village is located in San Francisco County
    • Chinatown
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chinatown
      • Chinatown is located in San Francisco County
    • Doelger City
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Doelger City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Doelger City
      • Doelger City is located in San Francisco County
    • Friendship Village
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Friendship Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Friendship Village
      • Friendship Village is located in San Francisco County
    • Sydney Town ‑ Historic
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sydney Town have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sydney Town
      • Sydney Town is located in San Francisco County
  • San Mateo County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Palo Alto, with the one closest to Palo Alto listed first.
    • The Willows
      (Less than 2 miles to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for The Willows
      • The Willows is located in San Mateo County
    • East Palo Alto
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
    • Menlo Park
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
    • Atherton
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • North Fair Oaks
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Fair Oaks have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Fair Oaks
      • North Fair Oaks is located in San Mateo County
    • West Menlo Park
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Ladera
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ladera
      • Ladera is located in San Mateo County
    • Redwood City
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Searsville ‑ Historic
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Searsville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Searsville
      • Searsville is located in San Mateo County
    • Portola Valley
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Adobe Corner
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adobe Corner
      • Adobe Corner is located in San Mateo County
    • Woodside
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
  • Santa Cruz County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Palo Alto, with the one closest to Palo Alto listed first.
    • Alma ‑ Historic
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Alma have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alma
      • Alma is located in Santa Cruz County
    • Boulder Creek
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
    • Summit
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Summit
      • Summit is located in Santa Cruz County
      • Summit has also been known as:
      • Loma Prieta
    • Brookdale
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
    • Lompico
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lompico
      • Lompico is located in Santa Cruz County
    • Ben Lomond
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
    • Glenwood
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glenwood
      • Glenwood is located in Santa Cruz County
    • Zayante
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zayante
      • Zayante is located in Santa Cruz County
    • Laurel
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laurel
      • Laurel is located in Santa Cruz County
    • Eccles ‑ Historic
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Eccles. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eccles
      • Eccles is located in Santa Cruz County
    • Swanton
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Swanton
      • Swanton is located in Santa Cruz County
    • The Willows
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for The Willows
      • The Willows is located in Santa Cruz County

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Palo Alto ...

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 166 newspapers that have been published in the area around Palo Alto.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Palo Alto. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Palo Alto and those printed in the larger area surrounding Palo Alto.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 11 miles [17.7 km]<4> of Palo Alto.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we begin 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 Palo Alto:

Cemeteries Near Palo Alto ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Palo Alto.

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

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

  • Holy Cross Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
  • Oakwood Community Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
    • The Oakwood Community Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Convent Of The Sacred Heart Cemetery
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Oakwood Community Cemetery
  • Alta Mesa Memorial Park
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
  • Union Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Union Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Union Cemetery
  • Gates of Heaven Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Gates of Heaven Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Gates of Heaven Cemetery
  • Holy Ghost Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Holy Ghost Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Holy Ghost Cemetery
  • Presbyterian Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Presbyterian Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Presbyterian Cemetery
  • Irvington Memorial Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Mission City Memorial Park
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mission City Memorial Park have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mission City Memorial Park
  • Santa Clara Mission Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Cedar Lawn Memorial Park
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
  • Ohlone Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Continue List   (57 more) ...
    • Ohlones Cemetery
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Ohlones Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Ohlones Cemetery
    • St. Johns Cemetery
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Johns Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Johns Cemetery
    • St. Josephs Cemetery
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)

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.<6>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that in 1895, Palo Alto had railroad service and no post office. In 2020, Palo Alto had a population of 67,008 people.

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

  • Mayfield
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mayfield have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mayfield
    • Mayfield is located in Santa Clara County
  • Menlo Park
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
  • Fair Oaks
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fair Oaks have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fair Oaks
    • Fair Oaks is located in San Mateo County
  • Searsville ‑ Historic
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Searsville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Searsville
    • Searsville is located in San Mateo County
  • Mountain View
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
  • Redwood City
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
  • Woodside
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
  • San Carlos
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Newark
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
  • Lawrence
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lawrence have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lawrence
    • Lawrence is located in Santa Clara County
  • Alviso
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
  • Agnew
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Agnew
    • Agnew is located in Santa Clara County
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Belmont
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Santa Clara
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Alvarado ‑ Historic
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Alvarado. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alvarado
      • Alvarado is located in Alameda County

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

The official website for Palo Alto: www.cityofpaloalto.org/

The official website for Santa Clara County: www.sccgov.org/

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>An 'estimated' location is one where we have been given GPS coordinates, but are unable to verify the accuracy of those coordinates. That said, we have some confidence that we have placed the marker near the actual location. A typical reason for being unable to verify a location is that it might be on private property or maybe historic and gone without an obvious trace.
<4>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Palo Alto) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Palo Alto. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 37.4422, Longitude: -122.1432    
<5>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.
<6>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 Palo Alto, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024