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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 Refugio (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 Refugio. 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.

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

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

  • Santa Cruz County     (The home county of Refugio)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Refugio, with the one closest to Refugio listed first.
    • Opal Cliffs
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Opal Cliffs
      • Opal Cliffs is located in Santa Cruz County
    • Twin Lakes
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Twin Lakes
      • Twin Lakes is located in Santa Cruz County
    • Santa Cruz
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
    • La Selva Beach
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
    • Capitola
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
    • Pasatiempo
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pasatiempo
      • Pasatiempo is located in Santa Cruz County
    • Soquel
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
    • Rio del Mar
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Davenport
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Paradise Park
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paradise Park
      • Paradise Park is located in Santa Cruz County
    • Aptos
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Aptos Hills - Larkin Valley
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Colache Town
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Colache Town have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colache Town
      • Colache Town is located in Santa Cruz County
  • Monterey County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Refugio, with the one closest to Refugio listed first.
    • Del Monte Forest
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Del Monte Forest
      • Del Monte Forest is located in Monterey County
    • Pacific Grove
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Pebble Beach
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Point Alones ‑ Historic
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Point Alones. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Point Alones
      • Point Alones is located in Monterey County
    • Monterey
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
    • Carmel-by-the-Sea
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Carmel Highlands
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carmel Highlands
      • Carmel Highlands is located in Monterey County
    • Carmelito ‑ Historic
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Carmelito. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carmelito
      • Carmelito is located in Monterey County
    • Sand City
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
    • Del Rey Oaks
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Del Rey Oaks
      • Del Rey Oaks is located in Monterey County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,645 people
    • Fort Ord Village ‑ Historic
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fort Ord Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fort Ord Village
      • Fort Ord Village is located in Monterey County
    • Prattco ‑ Historic
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Prattco. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prattco
      • Prattco is located in Monterey County
    • Seaside
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)

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

Cemeteries Near Refugio ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Refugio.

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

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

  • El Carmeto Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
  • Carmel Mission Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Carmel Mission Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Carmel Mission Cemetery is located in Carmel-by-the-Sea.
    • The Carmel Mission Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Mission Carmel Cemetery
    • Mission San Carlos Borromeo de Carmel Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #640417 <4>
  • El Encinal Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the El Encinal Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the El Encinal Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • St. Johns Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Johns Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Johns Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • San Carlos Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the San Carlos Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the San Carlos Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Mission Memorial Park
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mission Memorial Park
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mission Memorial Park have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Castroville Public Cemetery
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Castroville Public Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Castroville Public Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located outside and to the south of Moss Landing.
    • The Castroville Public Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Castroville Cemetery
    • Castroville / Moss Landing Cemetery
    • Moss Landing Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #7885 <4>
  • Home of Peace Cemetery
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Home of Peace Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Home of Peace Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Holy Cross Cemetery
    (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
  • Old Holy Cross Cemetery
    (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
  • Santa Cruz Memorial Park
    (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
  • Evergreen Cemetery
    (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Evergreen Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Evergreen Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (16 more) ...
    • Oakwood Memorial Park
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the 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 <4>
    • IOOF Cemetery
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the IOOF Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the IOOF Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Chinese Cemetery
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Chinese Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Chinese Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • To give a relative sense of its location, the Chinese Cemetery is located in Salinas.

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>

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

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

  • Pacific Grove
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
  • Monterey
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
  • Seaside
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
  • Blanco
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Blanco have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blanco
    • Blanco is located in Monterey County
  • Castroville
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
  • Elkhorn
    (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elkhorn
    • Elkhorn is located in Monterey County
  • Santa Cruz
    (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
  • Capitola
    (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
  • Soquel
    (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
  • Salinas
    (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
  • Santa Rita
    (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Santa Rita. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Santa Rita
    • Santa Rita is located in Monterey County
  • Aptos
    (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
  • Continue List   (8 more) ...
    • Pajaro
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pajaro
      • Pajaro is located in Monterey County
    • Watsonville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Felton
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)

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

Newspapers Published in Refugio ...

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 Refugio.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Refugio, there are papers which were published within 28 miles [45.1 km]<6>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Refugio.

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 Refugio:

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Refugio. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.

The official website for Santa Cruz County: www.co.santa-cruz.ca.us/

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

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 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.
<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>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 Refugio, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<6>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 drawn from Point A (ie- Refugio) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Refugio. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 36.6500, Longitude: -122.1041       In this case, the coordinates for Refugio have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025