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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 Signal Hill (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 Signal Hill. 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 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 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.

Signal Hill 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 Signal Hill. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Signal Hill:

  • Los Angeles County     (The home county of Signal Hill)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Signal Hill, with the one closest to Signal Hill listed first.
    • Cambodia Town
      (Less than 2 miles to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cambodia Town have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cambodia Town
      • Cambodia Town is located in Los Angeles County
    • Long Beach
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Lakewood
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Dominguez
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dominguez have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dominguez
      • Dominguez is located in Los Angeles County
    • Lincoln Village
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lincoln Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lincoln Village
      • Lincoln Village is located in Los Angeles County
    • Belmont Shore
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Naples
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Naples
      • Naples is located in Los Angeles County
    • Hawaiian Gardens
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Paramount
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Avalon Village
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Avalon Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Avalon Village
      • Avalon Village is located in Los Angeles County
    • Wilmington
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilmington
      • Wilmington is located in Los Angeles County
    • Artesia
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Artesia
      • Artesia is located in Los Angeles County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 16,168 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Artesia <2>
  • Orange County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Signal Hill, with the one closest to Signal Hill listed first.
    • Rossmoor
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
      • 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
    • Los Alamitos
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Seal Beach
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Cypress
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • La Palma
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Sunset Beach
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Surfside
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Barber City
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Barber City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barber City
      • Barber City is located in Orange County
    • Green Lantern Village
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Green Lantern Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Lantern Village
      • Green Lantern Village is located in Orange County
    • Stanton
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Westminster
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Buena Park
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
  • San Bernardino County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Signal Hill, with the one closest to Signal Hill listed first.
    • Chino Hills
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Los Serranos
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Los Serranos have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Los Serranos
      • Los Serranos is located in San Bernardino County
    • Chino
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chino
      • Chino is located in San Bernardino County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 92,290 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Chino <2>

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Signal Hill ...

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 93 newspapers that have been published in the area around Signal Hill.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Signal Hill. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Signal Hill and those printed in the larger area surrounding Signal Hill.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 12 miles [19.3 km]<3> of Signal Hill.

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 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 Signal Hill:

Cemeteries Near Signal Hill ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Signal Hill.

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

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

  • Table Top Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Table Top Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Table Top Cemetery
  • Long Beach Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
    • The Long Beach Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Long Beach Municipal Cemetery
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Long Beach Cemetery
  • Sunnyside Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
  • Long Beach Forest Lawn Park Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
    • The Long Beach Forest Lawn Park Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Forest Lawn Memorial Cemetery - Long Beach
    • Forest Lawn Memorial Park - Long Beach
    • Long Beach Forest Lawn Memorial Cemetery
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Long Beach Forest Lawn Park Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #180662 <4>
  • All Souls Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the All Souls Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the All Souls Cemetery
  • Wilmington Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Wilmington Cemetery is a very large cemetery that is located in Wilmington.
    • The Wilmington Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Historic Wilmington Cemetery
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Wilmington Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #152636 <4>
  • Angeles Abbey Memorial Park
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
  • Forest Lawn Memorial Park
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Forest Lawn Memorial Park have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Forest Lawn Memorial Park
  • Artesia Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Artesia Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Artesia Cemetery
  • Woodlawn Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Woodlawn Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Woodlawn Cemetery
  • Young Israel Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Young Israel Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Young Israel Cemetery
  • Old Downey Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Old Downey Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Old Downey Cemetery
  • Continue List   (68 more) ...

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>

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

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

  • Long Beach
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
  • Dominguez
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dominguez have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dominguez
    • Dominguez is located in Los Angeles County
  • Thenard
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Thenard have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thenard
    • Thenard is located in Los Angeles County
  • Wilmington
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilmington
    • Wilmington is located in Los Angeles County
  • Artesia
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Artesia
    • Artesia is located in Los Angeles County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 16,168 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Artesia <2>
  • Clearwater
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Clearwater have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clearwater
    • Clearwater is located in Los Angeles County
  • Compton
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Compton
    • Compton is located in Los Angeles County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 93,967 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Compton <2>
  • Cerritos
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
  • San Pedro
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for San Pedro
    • San Pedro is located in Los Angeles County
  • Norwalk
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Norwalk
    • Norwalk is located in Los Angeles County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 102,635 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Norwalk <2>
  • Studebaker
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Studebaker
    • Studebaker is located in Los Angeles County
  • Lynwood
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lynwood
    • Lynwood is located in Los Angeles County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 68,508 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lynwood <2>
  • Continue List   (17 more) ...
    • Carmenita
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Carmenita have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carmenita
      • Carmenita is located in Los Angeles County
    • Downey
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Downey
      • Downey is located in Los Angeles County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 109,202 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Downey <2>
    • Gardena
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
      • 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>

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

The official website for Signal Hill: www.ci.signal-hill.ca.us/

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 '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- Signal Hill) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Signal Hill. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 33.8044, Longitude: -118.1676    
<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 Signal Hill, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024