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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 South Pasadena (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 South Pasadena. 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.

Name Variations for South Pasadena ...

When searching records, keep in mind that names and their spelling can change over time. Our sources include documents like maps, railroad schedules, Travel, Express and Shipping Guides. Many of these documents date from the 1800's and it's common to find spelling differences.

Although we can't give a definitive list, hopefully the following will give you a feel for the variations that might have occurred.

For example, a typical abbreviation for South Pasadena: S. Pasadena

If you have information about these names (such as the reason for the change, date of change, the origin of the name), please Contact Us.

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 doctors and hospitals 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.

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

  • Los Angeles County     (The home county of South Pasadena)
    • The following are listed by their distance from South Pasadena, with the one closest to South Pasadena listed first.
    • Sierra Vista
      (Less than 2 miles to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sierra Vista have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sierra Vista
      • Sierra Vista is located in Los Angeles County
    • Alhambra
      (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
    • Garvanza
      (Less than 2 miles to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garvanza
      • Garvanza is located in Los Angeles County
    • Highland Park
      (Less than 2 miles to the west)
    • San Marino
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
    • Pasadena
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pasadena
      • Pasadena is located in Los Angeles County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 141,045 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Pasadena <2>
    • San Gabriel
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
    • East Pasadena
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for East Pasadena have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Pasadena
      • East Pasadena is located in Los Angeles County
    • Lamanda Park
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lamanda Park have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lamanda Park
      • Lamanda Park is located in Los Angeles County
    • Eagle Rock
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eagle Rock
      • Eagle Rock is located in Los Angeles County
    • East San Gabriel
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for East San Gabriel have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East San Gabriel
      • East San Gabriel is located in Los Angeles County
    • Monterey Park
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Lincoln Heights
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lincoln Heights
      • Lincoln Heights is located in Los Angeles County
  • Orange County
    • The following are listed by their distance from South Pasadena, with the one closest to South Pasadena listed first.
    • La Habra
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
    • La Palma
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
    • Brea
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brea
      • Brea is located in Orange County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 44,484 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Brea <2>
    • Buena Park
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Cypress
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
    • Fullerton
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Los Alamitos
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
    • Rossmoor
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • 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
    • Anaheim
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
    • Placentia
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
    • Stanton
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
    • Yorba Linda
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Atwood
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
  • San Bernardino County
    • The following are listed by their distance from South Pasadena, with the one closest to South Pasadena listed first.
    • Chino Hills
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
    • Montclair
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montclair
      • Montclair is located in San Bernardino County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 40,600 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Montclair <2>
    • Chino
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • 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>
    • Los Serranos
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • 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
    • Ontario
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ontario
      • Ontario is located in San Bernardino County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 183,393 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ontario <2>
    • San Antonio Heights
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for San Antonio Heights have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for San Antonio Heights
      • San Antonio Heights is located in San Bernardino County
    • Upland
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Upland
      • Upland is located in San Bernardino County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 77,850 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Upland <2>

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of South Pasadena ...

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 700 newspapers that have been published in the area around South Pasadena.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of South Pasadena. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of South Pasadena and those printed in the larger area surrounding South Pasadena.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 10 miles [16.1 km]<3> of South Pasadena.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we start 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 South Pasadena:

Cemeteries Near South Pasadena ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of South Pasadena.

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

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

  • San Gabriel Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
  • Mountain View Mausoleum
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mountain View Mausoleum have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mountain View Mausoleum
  • Mountain View Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
  • Evergreen Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • Chinese Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Chinese Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Chinese Cemetery
  • Serbian Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Serbian Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Serbian Cemetery
  • Resurrection Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Resurrection Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Resurrection Cemetery
  • Savannah Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Savannah Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Savannah Cemetery
  • Glendale Forest Lawn Memorial Park
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • 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>
  • IOOF Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the IOOF Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the IOOF Cemetery
  • Mausoleum of the Golden West
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mausoleum of the Golden West have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mausoleum of the Golden West
  • Beth Israel Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Beth Israel Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Beth Israel Cemetery
  • Continue List   (80 more) ...
    • Calvary Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Mt. Zion Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mt. Zion Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mt. Zion Cemetery
    • Home of Peace Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Home of Peace Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Home of Peace 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 South Pasadena had a population of 623 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, South Pasadena had a population of 24,995 people.

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

  • Alhambra
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
  • Garvanza
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garvanza
    • Garvanza is located in Los Angeles County
  • Highland Park
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
  • Aurant
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Aurant have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aurant
    • Aurant is located in Los Angeles County
  • Shorb
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Shorb have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shorb
    • Shorb is located in Los Angeles County
  • San Gabriel
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
  • Pasadena
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pasadena
    • Pasadena is located in Los Angeles County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 141,045 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Pasadena <2>
  • East San Gabriel
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for East San Gabriel have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East San Gabriel
    • East San Gabriel is located in Los Angeles County
  • East Pasadena
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for East Pasadena have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Pasadena
    • East Pasadena is located in Los Angeles County
  • Lamanda Park
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lamanda Park have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lamanda Park
    • Lamanda Park is located in Los Angeles County
  • Chapman
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Chapman have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chapman
    • Chapman is located in Los Angeles County
  • Mission Junction
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • 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
  • Continue List   (16 more) ...
    • Savannah ‑ Historic
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Savannah have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Savannah
      • Savannah is located in Los Angeles County
    • Altadena
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Naud Junction
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
      • 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

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

The official website for South Pasadena: www.ci.south-pasadena.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 '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- South Pasadena) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in South Pasadena. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 34.1159, Longitude: -118.1504    
<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 South Pasadena, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024