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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 Polk (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 Polk. 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 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.

Polk is located in Sacramento 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 Sacramento County: Amador, Contra Costa, Placer, San Joaquin, Solano, Sutter & Yolo.

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

  • Sacramento County     (The home county of Polk)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Polk, with the one closest to Polk listed first.
    • Perkins
      (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
      • Perkins is located in Sacramento County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Perkins
    • Rosemont
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Rosemont is located in Sacramento County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rosemont
    • Florin
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
      • Florin is located in Sacramento County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Florin
    • Walsh Station
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
      • Walsh Station is located in Sacramento County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walsh Station
    • Arden
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Arden is located in Sacramento County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arden
    • La Riviera
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
      • La Riviera is located in Sacramento County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for La Riviera
    • Mayhew
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Mayhew is located in Sacramento County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mayhew
    • Parkway - South Sacramento
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Arcade ‑ Historic
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
      • Arcade is located in Sacramento County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arcade
    • Ben Ali
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
      • Ben Ali is located in Sacramento County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ben Ali
    • Town and Country Village
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Sacramento
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Sutterville ‑ Historic
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
      • Sutterville is located in Sacramento County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sutterville
  • Amador County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Polk, with the one closest to Polk listed first.
    • Carbondale ‑ Historic
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Carbondale is located in Amador County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carbondale
    • May ‑ Historic
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • May is located in Amador County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for May
    • Ione
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Ione is located in Amador County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ione
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 8,326 people
      • Former names for Ione:
      • Bedbug
      • Freeze Out
      • Hardscrabble
      • Ione City
      • Ione Valley
      • Jone City
      • Jone Valley
      • Rickeyville
      • Woosterville
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ione <1>
    • Camanche Village
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Camanche Village is located in Amador County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Camanche Village
    • Drytown
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
    • Plymouth
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
  • El Dorado County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Polk, with the one closest to Polk listed first.
    • Crescent Ridge Village
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
    • La Cresta Village
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • La Cresta Village is located in El Dorado County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for La Cresta Village
    • Park Village
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Park Village is located in El Dorado County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Park Village
    • Ridgeview Village
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Ridgeview Village is located in El Dorado County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ridgeview Village
    • Crown Village
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Crown Village is located in El Dorado County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crown Village
    • El Dorado Hills
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Governors Village
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Governors Village is located in El Dorado County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Governors Village
    • Lakeridge Oaks
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Lakeridge Oaks is located in El Dorado County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lakeridge Oaks
    • Oak Ridge Village
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Oak Ridge Village is located in El Dorado County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Ridge Village
    • Clarksville
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Clarksville is located in El Dorado County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clarksville
    • Franciscan Village
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Franciscan Village is located in El Dorado County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Franciscan Village
    • Highland Village
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Highland Village is located in El Dorado County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Highland Village
    • Marina Village
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Marina Village is located in El Dorado County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marina Village
  • Placer County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Polk, with the one closest to Polk listed first.
    • Riego
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
      • Riego is located in Placer County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riego
    • Roseville
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Granite Bay
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Rocklin
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Whitney ‑ Historic
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Whitney is located in Placer County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whitney
    • Loomis
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
    • Lincoln
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Penryn
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Clayton
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Clayton is located in Placer County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clayton
    • Virginiatown
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Virginiatown is located in Placer County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Virginiatown
    • Newcastle
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Ophir
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Ophir is located in Placer County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ophir
  • San Joaquin County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Polk, with the one closest to Polk listed first.
    • Mokelumne City ‑ Historic
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
      • Mokelumne City is located in San Joaquin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mokelumne City
    • Thornton
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
    • Taison
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Taison is located in San Joaquin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Taison
    • Acampo
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
    • North Woodbridge
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • North Woodbridge is located in San Joaquin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Woodbridge
    • South Woodbridge
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • South Woodbridge is located in San Joaquin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Woodbridge
    • Woodbridge
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
    • Lodi
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Lodi is located in San Joaquin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lodi
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 68,186 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lodi <1>
    • Terminous
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Terminous is located in San Joaquin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Terminous
    • Clements
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Lockeford
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Victor
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Henderson Village
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Henderson Village is located in San Joaquin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Henderson Village
  • Solano County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Polk, with the one closest to Polk listed first.
    • Oxford
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Oxford is located in Solano County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oxford
    • Dixon
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Dixon is located in Solano County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dixon
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 20,440 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Dixon <1>
    • Batavia
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Batavia is located in Solano County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Batavia
    • Elmira
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Allendale
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Allendale is located in Solano County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Allendale
    • Rio Vista
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Hartley
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Hartley is located in Solano County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hartley
  • Sutter County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Polk, with the one closest to Polk listed first.
    • Pleasant Grove
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
    • Nicolas
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • Nicolaus
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • Robbins
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Rio Oso
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
  • Yolo County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Polk, with the one closest to Polk listed first.
    • Broderick
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • West Sacramento
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Bryte
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Clarksburg
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Greendale
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Greendale is located in Yolo County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greendale
    • Swingle
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
      • Swingle is located in Yolo County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Swingle
    • El Macero
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
    • Davis
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
    • Woodland
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Plainfield
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Plainfield is located in Yolo County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plainfield
    • Knights Landing
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Yolo
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Winters
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)

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

Cemeteries Near Polk ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Polk.

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

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

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

  • St. Marys Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
  • Sacramento County Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
  • Elder Creek Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
  • Sacramento Memorial Lawn Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
  • Home of Peace Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
  • St. Rose Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
  • East Lawn Memorial Park
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
  • Quiet Haven Memorial Park
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
  • Bellevue Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
  • St. Josephs Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Camellia Memorial Lawn Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
  • City Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
  • Continue List   (64 more) ...
    • Sacramento City Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sacramento City Cemetery
      • To give a relative sense of its location, the Sacramento City Cemetery is a very large cemetery that is located in Sacramento.
      • The Sacramento City Cemetery has also been known as:
      • Sacramento Historic City Cemetery
      • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #184890 <2>
    • Masonic Lawn Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Odd Fellows Lawn Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 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.<4>

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

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

  • Brighton
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
    • Brighton is located in Sacramento County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brighton
  • Perkins
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
    • Perkins is located in Sacramento County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Perkins
  • Florin
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
    • Florin is located in Sacramento County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Florin
  • Manlove
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Manlove is located in Sacramento County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manlove
  • Walsh Station
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Walsh Station is located in Sacramento County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walsh Station
  • Mayhew
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Mayhew is located in Sacramento County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mayhew
  • Arcade ‑ Historic
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Arcade is located in Sacramento County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arcade
  • Sacramento
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
  • Freeport
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Freeport is located in Sacramento County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Freeport
  • Elk Grove
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
  • Franklin
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Franklin is located in Sacramento County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Franklin
  • Salsbury ‑ Historic
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Salsbury is located in Sacramento County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salsbury
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • McConnel
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
      • McConnel is located in Sacramento County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McConnel
    • Antelope
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • Alder Creek
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Alder Creek is located in Sacramento County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alder Creek

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

Newspapers Published in Polk ...

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 66 newspapers that have been published in the area around Polk.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Polk, there are papers which were published within 17 miles [27.4 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Polk.

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 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 Polk:

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