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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 Simi (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 Simi. 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 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.

Simi is located in Sonoma 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 Sonoma County: Contra Costa, Lake, Marin, Mendocino, Napa & Solano.

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

  • Sonoma County     (The home county of Simi)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Simi, with the one closest to Simi listed first.
    • Healdsburg
      (Less than 2 miles to the south)
    • Camp Rose
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Camp Rose
      • Camp Rose is located in Sonoma County
    • Geyserville
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Windsor
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Mercuryville ‑ Historic
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mercuryville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mercuryville
      • Mercuryville is located in Sonoma County
    • Rio Nido
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Kellogg
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kellogg
      • Kellogg is located in Sonoma County
    • Trenton
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trenton
      • Trenton is located in Sonoma County
    • Mark West Springs
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mark West Springs
      • Mark West Springs is located in Sonoma County
    • Forestville
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Fulton
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Guerneville
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Cazadero
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
  • Lake County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Simi, with the one closest to Simi listed first.
    • Cobb
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Glenbrook
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glenbrook
      • Glenbrook is located in Lake County
    • Middletown
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Pine Grove
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Grove
      • Pine Grove is located in Lake County
    • Salminas Resort
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salminas Resort
      • Salminas Resort is located in Lake County
    • Seigler Springs
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seigler Springs
      • Seigler Springs is located in Lake County
    • Glenview
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glenview
      • Glenview is located in Lake County
    • Hidden Valley Lake
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hidden Valley Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hidden Valley Lake
      • Hidden Valley Lake is located in Lake County
    • Kelseyville
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
    • Lower Lake
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
    • Finley
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Clearlake Park
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Clearlake
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
  • Marin County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Simi, with the one closest to Simi listed first.
    • Dillon Beach
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
    • Tomales
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
    • Hamlet
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hamlet have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hamlet
      • Hamlet is located in Marin County
    • Nicks Cove
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nicks Cove
      • Nicks Cove is located in Marin County
  • Mendocino County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Simi, with the one closest to Simi listed first.
    • Hermitage ‑ Historic
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Hermitage. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hermitage
      • Hermitage is located in Mendocino County
    • Yorkville
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Hopland
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Largo ‑ Historic
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Largo have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Largo
      • Largo is located in Mendocino County
  • Napa County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Simi, with the one closest to Simi listed first.
    • Woodleaf
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Woodleaf have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodleaf
      • Woodleaf is located in Napa County
    • Calistoga
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
    • Deer Park
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
    • Angwin
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
    • Saint Helena
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
    • Pope Valley
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
    • Rutherford
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Oakville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)

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

Newspapers Published in Simi ...

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 46 newspapers that have been published in the area around Simi.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Simi, there are papers which were published within 16 miles [25.7 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Simi.

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 Simi:

Cemeteries Near Simi ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Simi.

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

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

  • Oak Mound Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
  • Hall Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hall Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hall Cemetery
  • Long Ranch Family Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Long Ranch Family Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Long Ranch Family Cemetery
  • Beeson Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Cyrus Alexander Family Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Cyrus Alexander Family Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Cyrus Alexander Family Cemetery
  • Olive Hill Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
  • Santa Rosa Memorial Park - Shiloh Road Addition
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
  • McPeak Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the McPeak Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the McPeak Cemetery
  • Faught Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Faught Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Faught Cemetery
  • Evergreen Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Evergreen Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Evergreen Cemetery
  • Redwood Memorial Gardens
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Redwood Memorial Gardens have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Redwood Memorial Gardens
  • Forestview Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Forestview Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Forestview Cemetery
  • Continue List   (65 more) ...
    • Fulton Cemetery
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Fulton Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Fulton Cemetery
    • Green Valley Cemetery
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Green Valley Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Green Valley Cemetery
    • Steele Family Cemetery
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)

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.<6>

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

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

  • Geyserville
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
  • Windsor
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Trenton
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trenton
    • Trenton is located in Sonoma County
  • Kellogg
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kellogg
    • Kellogg is located in Sonoma County
  • Asti
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Asti have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Asti
    • Asti is located in Sonoma County
  • Guerneville
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Forestville
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
  • Fulton
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Cazadero
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
  • Cloverdale
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
  • Middletown
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
  • Preston
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Preston have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Preston
    • Preston is located in Sonoma County
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Glenbrook
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glenbrook
      • Glenbrook is located in Lake County
    • Duncans Mills
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Occidental
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)

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

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Simi. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.

The official website for Sonoma County: www.sonoma-county.org/

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

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 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.
<3>An 'estimated' location is one where we have been given GPS coordinates, but are unable to verify the accuracy of those coordinates. That said, we have some confidence that we have placed the marker near the actual location. A typical reason for being unable to verify a location is that it might be on private property or maybe historic and gone without an obvious trace.
<4>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Simi) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Simi. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 38.6399, Longitude: -122.8744       In this case, the coordinates for Simi have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<5>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.
<6>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 Simi, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024