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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 Saint Francis (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 Saint Francis. 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 Saint Francis ...

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 Saint Francis: St. Francis

You might be interested in other communities that are also named Saint Francis. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Saint Francis.

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 southeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals and doctors were in the next county to the east. Almost all of the nearby churches and cemeteries were in the county to the south.

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 south 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.

Saint Francis is located in Santa Clara 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 Clara County: Alameda, Merced, San Benito, San Mateo, Santa Cruz & Stanislaus.

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

  • Santa Clara County     (The home county of Saint Francis)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Saint Francis, with the one closest to Saint Francis listed first.
    • Palo Alto
      (Less than 2 miles to the west)
    • Ventura
      (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
      • Ventura is located in Santa Clara County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ventura
    • Escondido Village
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Escondido Village is located in Santa Clara County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Escondido Village
    • Stanford
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Castro City
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Castro City is located in Santa Clara County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Castro City
    • Los Altos Hills
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Los Altos
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Mountain View
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Loyola
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
      • Loyola is located in Santa Clara County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loyola
    • Sunnyvale
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Alviso
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Agnew
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
      • Agnew is located in Santa Clara County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Agnew
    • Cupertino
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
  • Alameda County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Saint Francis, with the one closest to Saint Francis listed first.
    • Larkins Landing ‑ Historic
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Larkins Landing is located in Alameda County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Larkins Landing
    • Newark
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Drawbridge ‑ Historic
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
      • Drawbridge is located in Alameda County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Drawbridge
      • Former name for Drawbridge:
      • Saline City
    • Albrae ‑ Historic
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Albrae is located in Alameda County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Albrae
    • Alvarado ‑ Historic
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
      • Alvarado is located in Alameda County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alvarado
    • Fremont
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
      • 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>
    • Union City
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
      • 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>
    • Mount Eden
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
    • Russell City
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Russell City is located in Alameda County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Russell City
    • Hayward
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
    • Cherryland
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
      • Cherryland is located in Alameda County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cherryland
    • Fairview
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
      • Fairview is located in Alameda County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairview
    • San Lorenzo
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
  • Contra Costa County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Saint Francis, with the one closest to Saint Francis listed first.
    • San Ramon
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
    • Danville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Danville is located in Contra Costa County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Danville
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 44,883 people
      • Former name for Danville:
      • Inmanville
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Danville <1>
    • Moraga
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Moraga is located in Contra Costa County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moraga
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 16,967 people
      • Former name for Moraga:
      • Willow Springs
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Moraga <1>
    • Blackhawk - Camino Tassajara
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Alamo
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
    • Diablo
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
    • Blackhawk
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Blackhawk is located in Contra Costa County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blackhawk
    • Tassajara
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Tassajara is located in Contra Costa County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tassajara
    • Rock City
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Rock City is located in Contra Costa County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock City
    • Lafayette
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
    • Orinda Village
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Orinda Village is located in Contra Costa County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orinda Village
    • Orinda
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Orinda is located in Contra Costa County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orinda
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 19,557 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Orinda <1>
  • San Francisco County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Saint Francis, with the one closest to Saint Francis listed first.
    • Mission District
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Mission District is located in San Francisco County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mission District
    • San Francisco
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Stonestown
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Stonestown is located in San Francisco County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stonestown
    • Amanico Ergina Village
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Amanico Ergina Village is located in San Francisco County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amanico Ergina Village
    • Chinatown
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Chinatown is located in San Francisco County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chinatown
    • Friendship Village
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Friendship Village is located in San Francisco County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Friendship Village
    • Golden Gate Heights
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Golden Gate Heights is located in San Francisco County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Golden Gate Heights
    • Sydney Town ‑ Historic
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Sydney Town is located in San Francisco County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sydney Town
    • Doelger City
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Doelger City is located in San Francisco County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Doelger City
  • San Mateo County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Saint Francis, with the one closest to Saint Francis listed first.
    • East Palo Alto
      (Less than 2 miles to the north)
    • The Willows
      (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
      • The Willows is located in San Mateo County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for The Willows
    • Menlo Park
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • North Fair Oaks
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
      • North Fair Oaks is located in San Mateo County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Fair Oaks
    • Atherton
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • West Menlo Park
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Ladera
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
      • Ladera is located in San Mateo County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ladera
    • Redwood City
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Portola Valley
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Searsville ‑ Historic
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Searsville is located in San Mateo County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Searsville
    • Adobe Corner
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
      • Adobe Corner is located in San Mateo County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adobe Corner
    • Emerald Lake Hills
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
      • Emerald Lake Hills is located in San Mateo County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Emerald Lake Hills
    • Woodside
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
  • Santa Cruz County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Saint Francis, with the one closest to Saint Francis listed first.
    • Alma ‑ Historic
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Alma is located in Santa Cruz County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alma
    • Boulder Creek
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
    • Summit
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Summit is located in Santa Cruz County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Summit
      • Summit has also been known as:
      • Loma Prieta
    • Brookdale
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
    • Lompico
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Lompico is located in Santa Cruz County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lompico
    • Ben Lomond
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
    • Glenwood
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Glenwood is located in Santa Cruz County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glenwood
    • Laurel
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Laurel is located in Santa Cruz County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laurel
    • Zayante
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Zayante is located in Santa Cruz County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zayante
    • Eccles ‑ Historic
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Eccles is located in Santa Cruz County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eccles
    • Swanton
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Swanton is located in Santa Cruz County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Swanton
    • The Willows
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • The Willows is located in Santa Cruz County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for The Willows
    • Bonny Doon
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)

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

Cemeteries Near Saint Francis ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Saint Francis.

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 Saint Francis - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Holy Cross Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
  • Alta Mesa Memorial Park
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
  • Oakwood Community Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakwood Community Cemetery
    • The Oakwood Community Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Convent Of The Sacred Heart Cemetery
  • Union Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
  • Gates of Heaven Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
  • Holy Ghost Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
  • Irvington Memorial Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
  • Presbyterian Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
  • Cedar Lawn Memorial Park
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Lawn Memorial Park
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Cedar Lawn Memorial Park is a large cemetery that is located in Fremont.
    • The Cedar Lawn Memorial Park has also been known as:
    • Cedar Lawn Memorial Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #7892 <2>
  • Mission City Memorial Park
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Santa Clara Mission Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
  • St. Josephs Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Continue List   (57 more) ...
    • Mission San Jose Cemetery
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Ohlone Cemetery
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Ohlones Cemetery
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)

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.<3>

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

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

  • Palo Alto
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
  • Mayfield
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
    • Mayfield is located in Santa Clara County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mayfield
  • Menlo Park
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
  • Mountain View
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Fair Oaks
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Fair Oaks is located in San Mateo County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fair Oaks
  • Redwood City
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Searsville ‑ Historic
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Searsville is located in San Mateo County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Searsville
  • Newark
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Woodside
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
  • Lawrence
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Lawrence is located in Santa Clara County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lawrence
  • Alviso
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
  • San Carlos
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
  • Continue List   (16 more) ...
    • Agnew
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
      • Agnew is located in Santa Clara County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Agnew
    • Alvarado ‑ Historic
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
      • Alvarado is located in Alameda County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alvarado
    • Belmont
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)

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

Newspapers Published in Saint Francis ...

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 166 newspapers that have been published in the area around Saint Francis.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Saint Francis, there are papers which were published within 11 miles [17.7 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Saint Francis.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we like to start with 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 Saint Francis:

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