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 Raymond (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 Raymond. 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.
Raymond is located in Madera 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 Madera County: Fresno, Mariposa, Merced & Mono.
Below are the counties that are near Raymond. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Raymond:
- Madera County (The home county of Raymond)
- The following are listed by their distance from Raymond, with the one closest to Raymond listed first.
- Knowles Junction
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Knowles ‑ Historic
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Knowles. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Knowles
- Knowles is located in Madera County
- Google driving directions:
- From your current location to Knowles
- From Raymond to Knowles
- Yosemite Lakes Park
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Coarsegold
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- O'Neals
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Ahwahnee
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Nipinnawasee ‑ Historic
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Bonadelle Ranchos - Madera Ranchos
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Oakhurst
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Madera Acres
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Yosemite Forks
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- Berenda
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Fresno County
- The following are listed by their distance from Raymond, with the one closest to Raymond listed first.
- Friant
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Gordon
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Prather
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Auberry
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Herndon
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Pinedale
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Meadow Lakes
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Barstow
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Barstow have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barstow
- Barstow is located in Fresno County
- Highway City
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Highway City have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Highway City
- Highway City is located in Fresno County
- Sentinel ‑ Historic
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sentinel have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sentinel
- Sentinel is located in Fresno County
- Biola
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Clovis
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Mariposa County
- The following are listed by their distance from Raymond, with the one closest to Raymond listed first.
- Bootjack
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Catheys Valley
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Mariposa
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Darrah
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Mount Bullion
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Midpines
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Fish Camp
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Jerseydale
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Wawona
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Bear Valley
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Hornitos
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Bagby ‑ Historic
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Bagby. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bagby
- Bagby is located in Mariposa County
- Google driving directions:
- From your current location to Bagby
- From Raymond to Bagby
- Merced County
- The following are listed by their distance from Raymond, with the one closest to Raymond listed first.
- Le Grand
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Plainsburg
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Plainsburg. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plainsburg
- Plainsburg is located in Merced County
- Google driving directions:
- From your current location to Plainsburg
- From Raymond to Plainsburg
- Planada
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Athlone
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Athlone. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Athlone
- Athlone is located in Merced County
- Google driving directions:
- From your current location to Athlone
- From Raymond to Athlone
- Tuttle
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Raymond, see our County-by-County Page for Raymond.
Cemeteries Near Raymond ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Raymond.
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 Raymond covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Raymond, with the one closest to Raymond listed first.
- Raymond Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- White Rock Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the White Rock Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the White Rock Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Picayune Cemetery
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Picayune Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Picayune Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Fine Gold Cemetery
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Fine Gold Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Fine Gold Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #7970 <4>
- Gwin Cemetery
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Walker Cemetery
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Walker Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Walker Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Oakhill Cemetery
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Pate Cemetery
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pate Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pate Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- St. Joseph Cemetery
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Joseph Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Joseph Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Mariposa Masonic Cemetery
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Arbor Vitae Cemetery
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Catheys Valley Cemetery
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Catheys Valley Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Catheys Valley Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Continue List (13 more) ...
- Winchell Cove Cemetery
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Helm - Turner Cemetery
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Helm - Turner Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Helm - Turner Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Borden's Chinese Cemetery
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
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 Raymond had a population of 114 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Raymond, with the one closest to Raymond listed first.
- Knowles ‑ Historic
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Knowles. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Knowles
- Knowles is located in Madera County
- Google driving directions:
- From your current location to Knowles
- From Raymond to Knowles
- Ben Hur
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ben Hur have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ben Hur
- Ben Hur is located in Mariposa County
- Grub Gulch ‑ Historic
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Grub Gulch have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grub Gulch
- Grub Gulch is located in Madera County
- Mariposa
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Mount Bullion
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Plainsburg
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Plainsburg. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plainsburg
- Plainsburg is located in Merced County
- Google driving directions:
- From your current location to Plainsburg
- From Raymond to Plainsburg
- Jerseydale
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Athlone
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Athlone. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Athlone
- Athlone is located in Merced County
- Google driving directions:
- From your current location to Athlone
- From Raymond to Athlone
- La Vina
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Auberry
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Herndon
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Bear Valley
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Continue List (5 more) ...
- Wawona
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Hornitos
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Sentinel ‑ Historic
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sentinel have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sentinel
- Sentinel is located in Fresno County
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Raymond. See our List of 1890's Communities around Raymond.
Newspapers Published in Raymond ...
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 55 newspapers that have been published in the area around Raymond.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Raymond, there are papers which were published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<5>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Raymond.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we first turn to 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 Raymond:
- Websites specific to California
- Pages specific to Madera County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Fresno County
- Mariposa County
- Merced County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for California
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Raymond. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for Madera County: www.madera-county.com/
The official website for State of California: https://www.ca.gov/
Footnotes ...
<1> | 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. |
<2> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
<3> | 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. |
<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> | 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- Raymond) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Raymond. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 37.2169, Longitude: -119.9067 |
<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 Raymond, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |