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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 Redwood Grove (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 Redwood Grove. 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.

Name Variations for Redwood Grove ...

When searching records, keep in mind that names and their spelling can change over time. Our sources include documents like maps, railroad schedules, Travel, Express and Shipping Guides. Many of these documents date from the 1800's and it's common to find spelling differences.

Although we can't give a definitive list, hopefully the following will give you a feel for the variations that might occur.

For example, a typical abbreviation for Redwood Grove: Redwood Grv.

If you have information about these names (such as the reason for the change, date of change, the origin of the name), please Contact Us.

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 doctors and 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.

Redwood Grove is located in Santa Cruz 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 Santa Cruz County: Monterey, San Benito, San Mateo & Santa Clara.

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

  • Santa Cruz County     (The home county of Redwood Grove)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Redwood Grove, with the one closest to Redwood Grove listed first.
    • Boulder Creek
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
    • Brookdale
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Ben Lomond
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Lompico
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
      • Lompico is located in Santa Cruz County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lompico
    • Eccles ‑ Historic
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Eccles is located in Santa Cruz County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eccles
    • Zayante
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Zayante is located in Santa Cruz County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zayante
    • Alma ‑ Historic
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
      • Alma is located in Santa Cruz County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alma
    • Glenwood
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
      • Glenwood is located in Santa Cruz County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glenwood
    • Summit
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
      • Summit is located in Santa Cruz County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Summit
      • Summit has also been known as:
      • Loma Prieta
    • Bonny Doon
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Felton
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Mount Hermon
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Alameda County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Redwood Grove, with the one closest to Redwood Grove listed first.
    • Drawbridge ‑ Historic
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Drawbridge is located in Alameda County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Drawbridge
      • Former name for Drawbridge:
      • Saline City
    • Albrae ‑ Historic
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Albrae is located in Alameda County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Albrae
    • Larkins Landing ‑ Historic
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Larkins Landing is located in Alameda County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Larkins Landing
    • Newark
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
    • Fremont
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Fremont is located in Alameda County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fremont
      • 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 <1>
    • Alvarado ‑ Historic
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Alvarado is located in Alameda County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alvarado
    • Union City
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Union City is located in Alameda County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union City
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 74,501 people
      • Former name for Union City:
      • Decoto
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Union City <1>
  • Monterey County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Redwood Grove, with the one closest to Redwood Grove listed first.
    • Pajaro
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Pajaro is located in Monterey County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pajaro
    • Las Lomas
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Las Lomas is located in Monterey County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Las Lomas
    • Moss Landing
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Vega ‑ Historic
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Vega is located in Monterey County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vega
  • San Mateo County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Redwood Grove, with the one closest to Redwood Grove listed first.
    • Loma Mar
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • La Honda
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Pescadero
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Portola Valley
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
    • Ladera
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
      • Ladera is located in San Mateo County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ladera
    • Searsville ‑ Historic
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
      • Searsville is located in San Mateo County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Searsville
    • San Gregorio
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
    • Adobe Corner
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • Adobe Corner is located in San Mateo County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adobe Corner
    • West Menlo Park
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
    • Woodside
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
    • Menlo Park
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
    • The Willows
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • The Willows is located in San Mateo County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for The Willows
  • Santa Clara County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Redwood Grove, with the one closest to Redwood Grove listed first.
    • Chemeketa Park
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
      • Chemeketa Park is located in Santa Clara County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chemeketa Park
    • Holy City ‑ Historic
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
      • Holy City is located in Santa Clara County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holy City
    • Lexington Hills
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
      • Lexington Hills is located in Santa Clara County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lexington Hills
    • Lexington ‑ Historic
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
      • Lexington is located in Santa Clara County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lexington
    • Patchen
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
      • Patchen is located in Santa Clara County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Patchen
    • Redwood Estates
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Monte Sereno
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Saratoga
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Champagne Fountain
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Champagne Fountain is located in Santa Clara County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Champagne Fountain
    • Los Gatos
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Cupertino
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Cambrian Park
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Cambrian Park is located in Santa Clara County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cambrian Park

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

Cemeteries Near Redwood Grove ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Redwood Grove.

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 Redwood Grove - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Felton Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Felton Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Felton Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located outside and to the west of Felton.
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #274025 <2>
  • Madronia Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
  • Cascade Ranch Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
  • Los Gatos Memorial Park
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Gates of Heaven Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
  • Home of Peace Cemetery
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
  • Evergreen Cemetery
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Santa Cruz Memorial Park
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Old Holy Cross Cemetery
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
  • Holy Cross Cemetery
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
  • Oakwood Memorial Park
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakwood Memorial Park
    • The Oakwood Memorial Park has also been known as:
    • Oak Wood Cemetery
    • Santa Cruz Memorial Oakwood Chapel Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #8219 <2>
  • Soquel Cemetery
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Soquel Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Soquel Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located outside and to the north of Soquel.
    • The Soquel Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Beit Olam Cemetery
    • Eternal Home Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #999577 <2>
  • Continue List   (34 more) ...
    • Mission City Memorial Park
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
    • St. Anthony Cemetery
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Mt. Hope Cemetery
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)

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 Redwood Grove in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Redwood Grove.

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

  • Boulder Creek
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
  • Ben Lomond
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
  • Zayante
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Zayante is located in Santa Cruz County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zayante
  • Bonny Doon
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
  • Felton
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Glenwood
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Glenwood is located in Santa Cruz County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glenwood
  • Patchen
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Patchen is located in Santa Clara County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Patchen
  • Laurel
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Laurel is located in Santa Cruz County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laurel
  • Saratoga
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
  • Los Gatos
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
  • Santa Cruz
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Guadalupe ‑ Historic
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • Guadalupe is located in Santa Clara County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Guadalupe
  • Continue List   (13 more) ...
    • Campbell
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Capitola
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Soquel
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)

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

Newspapers Published in Redwood Grove ...

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 121 newspapers that have been published in the area around Redwood Grove.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Redwood Grove, 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 Redwood Grove.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first visit 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 Redwood Grove:

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 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Redwood Grove) 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 Redwood Grove, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.