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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 Santa Barbara (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 Santa Barbara. 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 southeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals 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.

Santa Barbara is located in Santa Barbara County and is the County Seat.

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 Barbara County: Kern, San Luis Obispo & Ventura.

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

  • Santa Barbara County     (The home county of Santa Barbara)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Santa Barbara, with the one closest to Santa Barbara listed first.
    • Mission Canyon
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mission Canyon have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mission Canyon
      • Mission Canyon is located in Santa Barbara County
    • Hope Ranch
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hope Ranch
      • Hope Ranch is located in Santa Barbara County
    • Montecito
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Summerland
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Ortega ‑ Historic
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ortega have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ortega
      • Ortega is located in Santa Barbara County
    • Toro Canyon
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Toro Canyon
      • Toro Canyon is located in Santa Barbara County
    • Goleta
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goleta
      • Goleta is located in Santa Barbara County
      • Estimated population in 2015: 30,944 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Goleta <2>
    • Franciscan Village
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Franciscan Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Franciscan Village
      • Franciscan Village is located in Santa Barbara County
    • Old Town
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Old Town have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Old Town
      • Old Town is located in Santa Barbara County
    • Isla Vista
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Carpinteria
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Naples ‑ Historic
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Naples
      • Naples is located in Santa Barbara County
    • Cachuma Village
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cachuma Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cachuma Village
      • Cachuma Village is located in Santa Barbara County
  • Ventura County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Santa Barbara, with the one closest to Santa Barbara listed first.
    • Sea Cliff
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sea Cliff have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sea Cliff
      • Sea Cliff is located in Ventura County
    • Oak View
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
    • Mira Monte
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
    • Meiners Oaks
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Meiners Oaks have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meiners Oaks
      • Meiners Oaks is located in Ventura County
    • Ojai
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ojai
      • Ojai is located in Ventura County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 7,587 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ojai <2>
    • Ventura
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ventura
      • Ventura is located in Ventura County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 107,110 people
      • Ventura has also been known as:
      • San Buenaventura
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ventura <2>
    • Pierpont Bay
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pierpont Bay
      • Pierpont Bay is located in Ventura County
    • Montalvo
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Montalvo have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montalvo
      • Montalvo is located in Ventura County

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Santa Barbara ...

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 110 newspapers that have been published in the area around Santa Barbara.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Santa Barbara. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Santa Barbara and those printed in the larger area surrounding Santa Barbara.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 27 miles [43.5 km]<3> of Santa Barbara.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we begin 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 Santa Barbara:

Cemeteries Near Santa Barbara ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Santa Barbara.

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

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

  • Santa Barbara Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
  • Calvary Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
  • Goleta Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Goleta Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Goleta Cemetery
  • La Patera Catholic Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the La Patera Catholic Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the La Patera Catholic Cemetery
  • Carpinteria Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
  • Ojai Cemetery
    (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Ojai Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Ojai Cemetery
  • Memorial Cemetery
    (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Memorial Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Memorial Cemetery
  • Nordhoff Cemetery
    (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Nordhoff Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Nordhoff Cemetery
  • Oak Hill Cemetery
    (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Oak Hill Cemetery is located in Ballard.
    • The Oak Hill Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Oak Hill Memorial Cemetery
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Oak Hill Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #8210 <4>
  • Solvang Cemetery
    (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Solvang Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Solvang 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 Santa Barbara had a population of 5,864 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Santa Barbara had a population of 90,254 people.

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

  • Summerland
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
  • Ortega ‑ Historic
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ortega have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ortega
    • Ortega is located in Santa Barbara County
  • Goleta
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goleta
    • Goleta is located in Santa Barbara County
    • Estimated population in 2015: 30,944 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Goleta <2>
  • Serena
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Serena have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Serena
    • Serena is located in Santa Barbara County
  • La Patera
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for La Patera have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for La Patera
    • La Patera is located in Santa Barbara County
  • Carpinteria
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
  • Ellwood
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ellwood have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ellwood
    • Ellwood is located in Santa Barbara County
  • Naples ‑ Historic
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Naples
    • Naples is located in Santa Barbara County
  • Sea Cliff
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sea Cliff have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sea Cliff
    • Sea Cliff is located in Ventura County
  • Matilija
    (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Matilija have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Matilija
    • Matilija is located in Ventura County
  • Santa Ynez
    (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
  • Ventura
    (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ventura
    • Ventura is located in Ventura County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 107,110 people
    • Ventura has also been known as:
    • San Buenaventura
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ventura <2>
  • Continue List   (4 more) ...
    • Ballard
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Los Olivos
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Nojoqui
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Nojoqui have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nojoqui
      • Nojoqui is located in Santa Barbara County

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

The official website for Santa Barbara: www.ci.santa-barbara.ca.us/

The official website for Santa Barbara County: www.countyofsb.org/

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

Footnotes ...

<1>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.
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<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- Santa Barbara) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Santa Barbara. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 34.4215, Longitude: -119.7020    
<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 Santa Barbara, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024