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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 Rio Vista (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 Rio Vista. 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 doctors 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.

Rio Vista is located in Solano 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 Solano County: Contra Costa, Napa, Sacramento, Sonoma & Yolo.

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

  • Solano County     (The home county of Rio Vista)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rio Vista, with the one closest to Rio Vista listed first.
    • Birds Landing
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Oxford
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Oxford have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oxford
      • Oxford is located in Solano County
    • Solano City ‑ Historic
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Solano City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Solano City
      • Solano City is located in Solano County
    • Denverton
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Denverton have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Denverton
      • Denverton is located in Solano County
    • Travis Field
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Travis Field have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Travis Field
      • Travis Field is located in Solano County
    • Cannon ‑ Historic
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cannon have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cannon
      • Cannon is located in Solano County
    • Elmira
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Leisure Town
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Leisure Town have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leisure Town
      • Leisure Town is located in Solano County
    • Fairfield
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
    • Suisun City
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Suisun City
      • Suisun City is located in Solano County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 29,305 people
      • Suisun City has also been known as:
      • Suisun
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Suisun City <1>
    • Vacaville
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Dixon
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dixon
      • Dixon is located in Solano County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 20,440 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Dixon <1>
  • Alameda County
    • Altamont
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Altamont have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Altamont
      • Altamont is located in Alameda County
  • Contra Costa County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rio Vista, with the one closest to Rio Vista listed first.
    • Bethel Island
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Oakley
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakley
      • Oakley is located in Contra Costa County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 42,710 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Oakley <1>
    • Antioch
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Antioch
      • Antioch is located in Contra Costa County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 111,605 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Antioch <1>
    • Empire ‑ Historic
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Empire have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Empire
      • Empire is located in Contra Costa County
    • Knightsen
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • Pittsburg
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Bixler
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bixler
      • Bixler is located in Contra Costa County
    • Brentwood
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
    • West Pittsburg
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for West Pittsburg have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Pittsburg
      • West Pittsburg is located in Contra Costa County
    • Bay Point
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Discovery Bay
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
    • Clayton
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clayton
      • Clayton is located in Contra Costa County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 11,527 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Clayton <1>
  • Napa County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rio Vista, with the one closest to Rio Vista listed first.
    • American Canyon
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
    • Lombard
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lombard
      • Lombard is located in Napa County
  • Sacramento County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rio Vista, with the one closest to Rio Vista listed first.
    • Isleton
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Ryde
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Locke
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Locke
      • Locke is located in Sacramento County
    • Vorden
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vorden
      • Vorden is located in Sacramento County
    • Walnut Grove
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Courtland
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Hood
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Franklin
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Franklin
      • Franklin is located in Sacramento County
    • Laguna West - Lakeside
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Galt
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Galt
      • Galt is located in Sacramento County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 26,551 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Galt <1>
    • Arno ‑ Historic
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Arno have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arno
      • Arno is located in Sacramento County
    • Freeport
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Freeport
      • Freeport is located in Sacramento County
  • San Joaquin County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rio Vista, with the one closest to Rio Vista listed first.
    • Terminous
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Terminous
      • Terminous is located in San Joaquin County
    • Taison
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Taison have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Taison
      • Taison is located in San Joaquin County
    • Thornton
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
    • Mokelumne City ‑ Historic
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mokelumne City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mokelumne City
      • Mokelumne City is located in San Joaquin County
    • North Woodbridge
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Woodbridge
      • North Woodbridge is located in San Joaquin County
    • Henderson Village
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Henderson Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Henderson Village
      • Henderson Village is located in San Joaquin County
    • South Woodbridge
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Woodbridge
      • South Woodbridge is located in San Joaquin County
    • Woodbridge
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
    • Holt
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Acampo
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
    • Lincoln Village
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lincoln Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lincoln Village
      • Lincoln Village is located in San Joaquin County
    • Country Club
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Country Club have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Country Club
      • Country Club is located in San Joaquin County
  • Yolo County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rio Vista, with the one closest to Rio Vista listed first.
    • Greendale
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Greendale have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greendale
      • Greendale is located in Yolo County
    • Clarksburg
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Davis
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
    • El Macero
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
    • Swingle
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Swingle have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Swingle
      • Swingle is located in Yolo County
    • Winters
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Plainfield
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Plainfield have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plainfield
      • Plainfield is located in Yolo County
    • West Sacramento
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Rio Vista ...

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 74 newspapers that have been published in the area around Rio Vista.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Rio Vista. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Rio Vista and those printed in the larger area surrounding Rio Vista.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 21 miles [33.8 km]<3> of Rio Vista.

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 helpful 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 Rio Vista:

Cemeteries Near Rio Vista ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Rio Vista.

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

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

  • Holy Cross Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • The Holy Cross Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Holly Cross Cemetery
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Holy Cross Cemetery
  • New Holy Cross Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the New Holy Cross Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the New Holy Cross Cemetery
  • Oak View Memorial Park
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Oak View Memorial Park have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Oak View Memorial Park
  • Rose Hill Cemetery
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Rose Hill Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Rose Hill Cemetery
  • Byron Brentwood Knightson Cemetery
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Byron Brentwood Knightson Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Byron Brentwood Knightson Cemetery
  • Franklin Cemetery
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Franklin Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Franklin Cemetery
  • Vacaville - Elmira Cemetery
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
  • Live Oak Cemetery
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Live Oak Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Live Oak Cemetery
  • Silveyville Cemetery
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Silveyville Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Silveyville Cemetery
  • Sacramento Valley National Cemetery
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
  • Suisun - Fairfield Cemetery
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
  • Memory Gardens Cemetery
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Continue List   (52 more) ...
    • St. Stephen Cemetery
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Stephen Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Stephen Cemetery
    • Galt - Arno Cemetery
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
    • Tremont Cemetery
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Tremont Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Tremont Cemetery

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>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Rio Vista had a population of 648 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service. In 2020, Rio Vista had a population of 9,978 people.

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

  • Isleton
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
  • Birds Landing
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
  • Collinsville ‑ Historic
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Collinsville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Collinsville
    • Collinsville is located in Solano County
  • Maine Prairie
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Maine Prairie have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maine Prairie
    • Maine Prairie is located in Solano County
  • Walnut Grove
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Antioch
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Antioch
    • Antioch is located in Contra Costa County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 111,605 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Antioch <1>
  • Denverton
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Denverton have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Denverton
    • Denverton is located in Solano County
  • Cornwall
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cornwall have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cornwall
    • Cornwall is located in Contra Costa County
  • Courtland
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
  • Brentwood
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
  • Binghamton
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Binghamton have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Binghamton
    • Binghamton is located in Solano County
  • Taison
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Taison have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Taison
    • Taison is located in San Joaquin County
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • New Hope
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for New Hope have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Hope
      • New Hope is located in San Joaquin County
    • McAvoy
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for McAvoy have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McAvoy
      • McAvoy is located in Contra Costa County
    • Somersville ‑ Historic
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Somersville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Somersville
      • Somersville is located in Contra Costa County

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

The official website for Rio Vista: www.ci.rio-vista.ca.us/

The official website for Solano County: www.co.solano.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>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or 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- Rio Vista) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Rio Vista. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 38.1584, Longitude: -121.6940    
<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 Rio Vista, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024