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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 Somis (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 Somis. 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 northwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors were in the next county to the west. 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 west 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.

Somis is located in Ventura 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 Ventura County: Kern, Los Angeles, San Luis Obispo & Santa Barbara.

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

  • Ventura County     (The home county of Somis)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Somis, with the one closest to Somis listed first.
    • Lagol
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lagol
      • Lagol is located in Ventura County
    • Leisure Village
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Leisure Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leisure Village
      • Leisure Village is located in Ventura County
    • Camarillo
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Old Town
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
      • 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 Ventura County
    • Moorpark
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Mountclef Village
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
      • 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
    • Casa Conejo
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
      • 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
    • Springville
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Springville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Springville
      • Springville is located in Ventura County
    • Santa Paula
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Newbury Park
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Bardsdale
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bardsdale
      • Bardsdale is located in Ventura County
    • Saticoy
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saticoy
      • Saticoy is located in Ventura County
    • Cabrillo Village
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cabrillo Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cabrillo Village
      • Cabrillo Village is located in Ventura County
  • Los Angeles County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Somis, with the one closest to Somis listed first.
    • Westlake Village
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Agoura Hills
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Agoura
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Bell Canyon
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
    • Chatsworth Lake Manor
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Chatsworth Lake Manor have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chatsworth Lake Manor
      • Chatsworth Lake Manor is located in Los Angeles County
    • Hidden Hills
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
    • West Hills
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Hills
      • West Hills is located in Los Angeles County
    • Calabasas
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Malibu
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Malibu
      • Malibu is located in Los Angeles County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 11,519 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Malibu <2>
    • Point Dume
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Point Dume
      • Point Dume is located in Los Angeles County
    • Canoga Park
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Canoga Park
      • Canoga Park is located in Los Angeles County
    • Chatsworth
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chatsworth
      • Chatsworth is located in Los Angeles County
    • Val Verde
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)

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

Newspapers Published in Somis ...

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 69 newspapers that have been published in the area around Somis.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Somis, there are papers which were published within 25 miles [40.2 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Somis.

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 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 Somis:

Cemeteries Near Somis ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Somis.

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

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

  • Conejo Mtn. Memorial Park
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Conejo Mtn. Memorial Park have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Conejo Mtn. Memorial Park
  • Olson Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Olson Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Olson Cemetery
  • Bardsdale Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bardsdale Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Bardsdale Cemetery is located outside and to the southwest of Bardsdale.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bardsdale Cemetery
  • Santa Paula Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Santa Clara Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
  • Japanese Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Japanese Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Japanese Cemetery
  • Masonic Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Masonic Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Masonic Cemetery
  • Assumption Catholic Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
  • Ivy Lawn Memorial Park
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
  • Pierce Brothers Valley Oaks Memorial Park
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Piru Cemetery
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Piru Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Piru Cemetery
  • Memorial Cemetery
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
    • 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
  • Continue List   (7 more) ...
    • Mt. Sinai Memorial Park, Simi Valley
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
    • Nordhoff Cemetery
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • 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
    • Ojai Cemetery
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • 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

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 Somis in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Somis.

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

  • Springville
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Springville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Springville
    • Springville is located in Ventura County
  • Newbury Park
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Santa Paula
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Bardsdale
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bardsdale
    • Bardsdale is located in Ventura County
  • Saticoy
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saticoy
    • Saticoy is located in Ventura County
  • Sespe Village
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sespe Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sespe Village
    • Sespe Village is located in Ventura County
  • Fillmore
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
  • Montalvo
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
    • 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
  • Simi Valley
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
  • Buckhorn
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buckhorn
    • Buckhorn is located in Ventura County
  • Piru
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
  • Ventura
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
    • 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   (7 more) ...
    • Matilija
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • 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
    • Chatsworth
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chatsworth
      • Chatsworth is located in Los Angeles County
    • Sea Cliff
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • 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

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

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

The official website for Ventura County: www.countyofventura.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 things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Somis) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Somis. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 34.2637, Longitude: -118.9946    
<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 Somis, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024