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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 Monica (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 Monica. 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 southwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors and hospitals were in the next county to the west. 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 west 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 Monica is located in Los Angeles 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 Los Angeles County: Kern, Orange, San Bernardino & Ventura.

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

  • Los Angeles County     (The home county of Santa Monica)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Santa Monica, with the one closest to Santa Monica listed first.
    • Brentwood Park
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Brentwood Park have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brentwood Park
      • Brentwood Park is located in Los Angeles County
    • Brentwood
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brentwood
      • Brentwood is located in Los Angeles County
    • Pacific Palisades
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pacific Palisades
      • Pacific Palisades is located in Los Angeles County
    • Venice
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Venice
      • Venice is located in Los Angeles County
    • Mar Vista
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mar Vista
      • Mar Vista is located in Los Angeles County
    • West Los Angeles
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Los Angeles
      • West Los Angeles is located in Los Angeles County
    • Westwood Village
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Westwood Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westwood Village
      • Westwood Village is located in Los Angeles County
    • Marina del Rey
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Westwood
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Playa Vista
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Playa Vista
      • Playa Vista is located in Los Angeles County
    • Castellammare
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Castellammare
      • Castellammare is located in Los Angeles County
    • Bel Air
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bel Air
      • Bel Air is located in Los Angeles County
    • Century City
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Century City
      • Century City is located in Los Angeles County
  • Orange County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Santa Monica, with the one closest to Santa Monica listed first.
    • La Palma
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Los Alamitos
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Rossmoor
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rossmoor have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rossmoor
      • Rossmoor is located in Orange County
    • Cypress
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Seal Beach
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Buena Park
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
    • Surfside
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Ventura County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Santa Monica, with the one closest to Santa Monica listed first.
    • Oak Park
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Thousand Oaks
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Simi Valley
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
    • Greenwich Village
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Greenwich Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenwich Village
      • Greenwich Village is located in Ventura County
    • Mountclef Village
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mountclef Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mountclef Village
      • Mountclef Village is located in Ventura County
    • Newbury Park
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Casa Conejo
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Casa Conejo have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Casa Conejo
      • Casa Conejo is located in Ventura County
    • Moorpark
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Santa Monica ...

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 233 newspapers that have been published in the area around Santa Monica.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Santa Monica. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Santa Monica and those printed in the larger area surrounding Santa Monica.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 13 miles [20.9 km]<3> of Santa Monica.

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 professional and volunteer 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 Monica:

Cemeteries Near Santa Monica ...

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

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

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

  • Woodlawn Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
  • Westwood Memorial Park
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Westwood Memorial Park have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • The Westwood Memorial Park has also been known as:
    • Westwood Village Memorial Park
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Westwood Memorial Park
  • Los Angeles National Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Hillside Memorial Park
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Holy Cross Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
  • Inglewood Park Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
  • Hollywood Forever Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • The Hollywood Forever Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Beth Olam Cemetery
    • Beth Olam Mausoleum
    • Hollywood Memorial Cemetery
    • Hollywood Memorial Park Cemetery
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hollywood Forever Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #8033 <4>
  • Angelus Rosedale Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Angelus Rosedale Cemetery is a very large cemetery that is located in Los Angeles.
    • The Angelus Rosedale Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Rosedale Cemetery
    • Rosedale Memorial Park
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Angelus Rosedale Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #8309 <4>
  • Pacific Crest Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Mt. Sinai Memorial Park, Hollywood Hills
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
  • Hollywood Hills Forest Lawn Memorial Park
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
    • The Hollywood Hills Forest Lawn Memorial Park has also been known as:
    • Forest Lawn Memorial Cemetery - Hollywood Hills
    • Forest Lawn Memorial Park - Hollywood Hills
    • Hollywood Hills Forest Lawn Memorial Cemetery
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hollywood Hills Forest Lawn Memorial Park
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #7975 <4>
  • Valhalla Memorial Park
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Valhalla Memorial Park have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Valhalla Memorial Park
  • Continue List   (55 more) ...
    • Roosevelt Memorial Park
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Glendale Forest Lawn Memorial Park
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
      • The Glendale Forest Lawn Memorial Park has also been known as:
      • Forest Lawn Memorial Cemetery - Glendale
      • Forest Lawn Memorial Park - Glendale
      • Glendale Forest Lawn Memorial Cemetery
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Glendale Forest Lawn Memorial Park
      • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #7974 <4>
    • Grand View Memorial Park
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Grand View Memorial Park have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Grand View Memorial Park

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 Monica had a population of 1,580 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Santa Monica had a population of 90,024 people.

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

  • Palms
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Palms have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Palms
    • Palms is located in Los Angeles County
  • Inglewood
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Las Flores
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Las Flores have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Las Flores
    • Las Flores is located in Los Angeles County
  • Hyde Park
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hyde Park
    • Hyde Park is located in Los Angeles County
  • Redondo Beach
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Moneta
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Moneta have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moneta
    • Moneta is located in Los Angeles County
  • Gardena
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gardena
    • Gardena is located in Los Angeles County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 58,498 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Gardena <2>
  • South Los Angeles
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Los Angeles
    • South Los Angeles is located in Los Angeles County
  • Florence
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Florence
    • Florence is located in Los Angeles County
  • Clement Junction
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clement Junction
    • Clement Junction is located in Los Angeles County
  • Los Angeles
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
  • Naud Junction
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Naud Junction have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Naud Junction
    • Naud Junction is located in Los Angeles County
  • Continue List   (18 more) ...
    • Mission Junction
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mission Junction have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mission Junction
      • Mission Junction is located in Los Angeles County
    • Glendale
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glendale
      • Glendale is located in Los Angeles County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 197,747 people
      • Former name for Glendale:
      • Tropico
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Glendale <2>
    • West Glendale
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for West Glendale have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Glendale
      • West Glendale is located in Los Angeles County

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

The official website for Santa Monica: www.santa-monica.org/

The official website for Los Angeles County: www.lacounty.info/

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 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Santa Monica) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Santa Monica. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 34.0195, Longitude: -118.4914    
<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 Monica, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024