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 San Joaquin (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 San Joaquin. 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.
San Joaquin is located in San Benito 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 San Benito County: Fresno, Merced, Monterey, Santa Clara & Santa Cruz.
Below are the counties that are near San Joaquin. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to San Joaquin:
- San Benito County (The home county of San Joaquin)
- The following are listed by their distance from San Joaquin, with the one closest to San Joaquin listed first.
- Dunneville
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Dunneville is located in San Benito County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dunneville
- Hollister
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Ridgemark
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Ridgemark is located in San Benito County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ridgemark
- Tres Pinos
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- San Juan Bautista
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Paicines
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- River Oaks
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- River Oaks is located in San Benito County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for River Oaks
- Pinnacles
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Pinnacles is located in San Benito County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pinnacles
- San Benito
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- San Benito is located in San Benito County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for San Benito
- Fresno County
- Mercey Hot Springs
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Mercey Hot Springs is located in Fresno County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mercey Hot Springs
- Former name for Mercey Hot Springs:
- Mercy Hot Springs
- Merced County
- The following are listed by their distance from San Joaquin, with the one closest to San Joaquin listed first.
- Santa Nella Village
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Santa Nella
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Volta
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Volta is located in Merced County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Volta
- Trent
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Trent is located in Merced County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trent
- Los Banos
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Abbato ‑ Historic
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Abbato is located in Merced County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Abbato
- Gustine
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Monterey County
- The following are listed by their distance from San Joaquin, with the one closest to San Joaquin listed first.
- Aromas
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Vega ‑ Historic
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Vega is located in Monterey County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vega
- Prunedale
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Santa Rita
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Santa Rita is located in Monterey County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Santa Rita
- Elkhorn
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Elkhorn is located in Monterey County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elkhorn
- Las Lomas
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Las Lomas is located in Monterey County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Las Lomas
- Boronda
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Boronda is located in Monterey County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boronda
- Salinas
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Pajaro
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Pajaro is located in Monterey County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pajaro
- Chualar
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Castroville
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Spreckels
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Moss Landing
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Santa Clara County
- The following are listed by their distance from San Joaquin, with the one closest to San Joaquin listed first.
- Bell Station
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Bell Station is located in Santa Clara County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bell Station
- Bell Station has also been known as:
- Bell's Station
- Sargent ‑ Historic
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Sargent is located in Santa Clara County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sargent
- Gilroy
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Rucker
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Rucker is located in Santa Clara County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rucker
- San Martin
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Morgan Hill
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Madrone
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Madrone is located in Santa Clara County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Madrone
- Sveadal
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Sveadal is located in Santa Clara County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sveadal
- Coyote
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Santa Cruz County
- The following are listed by their distance from San Joaquin, with the one closest to San Joaquin listed first.
- Interlaken
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Interlaken is located in Santa Cruz County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Interlaken
- Colache Town
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Colache Town is located in Santa Cruz County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colache Town
- Watsonville
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Strongs Mobile Village
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Amesti
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Amesti is located in Santa Cruz County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amesti
- Corralitos
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Freedom
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Aptos Hills - Larkin Valley
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Day Valley
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Day Valley is located in Santa Cruz County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Day Valley
- La Selva Beach
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Rio del Mar
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Aptos
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to San Joaquin, see our County-by-County Page for San Joaquin.
Cemeteries Near San Joaquin ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of San Joaquin.
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 San Joaquin - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for San Joaquin covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from San Joaquin, with the one closest to San Joaquin listed first.
- Calvary Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Calvary Sacred Heart Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- IOOF Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for IOOF Cemetery
- The IOOF Cemetery has also been known as:
- IOOF Cemetery
- Odd Fellows Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #670325 <2>
- San Juan Bautista Cemetery
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Paicines Cemetery
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- IOOF Cemetery
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- St. Marys Cemetery
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Hambey Cemetery
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Queen of Heaven Cemetery
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- San Joaquin Valley National Cemetery
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Chinese Cemetery
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chinese Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Chinese Cemetery is located in Salinas.
- Monterey County Cemetery
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Continue List (16 more) ...
- Pajaro Valley Memorial Park
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- St. Francis Cemetery
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Yamat Cemetery
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
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 San Joaquin in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of San Joaquin.
These communities are listed based on their distance from San Joaquin, with the one closest to San Joaquin listed first.
- Hollister
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Tres Pinos
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Bell Station
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Bell Station is located in Santa Clara County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bell Station
- Bell Station has also been known as:
- Bell's Station
- Carnadero
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Carnadero is located in Santa Clara County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carnadero
- Sargent ‑ Historic
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Sargent is located in Santa Clara County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sargent
- Paicines
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Gilroy
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Natividad
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Natividad is located in Monterey County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Natividad
- Vega ‑ Historic
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Vega is located in Monterey County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vega
- Santa Rita
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Santa Rita is located in Monterey County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Santa Rita
- Elkhorn
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Elkhorn is located in Monterey County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elkhorn
- Tennant ‑ Historic
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Tennant is located in Santa Clara County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tennant
- Continue List (14 more) ...
- Salinas
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Watsonville
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Pajaro
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Pajaro is located in Monterey County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pajaro
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around San Joaquin. See our List of 1890's Communities around San Joaquin.
Newspapers Published in San Joaquin ...
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 72 newspapers that have been published in the area around San Joaquin.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of San Joaquin, there are papers which were published within 29 miles [46.7 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for San Joaquin.
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 San Joaquin:
- Websites specific to California
- Pages specific to San Benito County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Fresno County
- Merced County
- Monterey County
- Santa Clara County
- Santa Cruz County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for California
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 things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- San Joaquin) 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 San Joaquin, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |