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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 Tracy (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 Tracy. 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 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.

Tracy is located in San Joaquin 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 San Joaquin County: Alameda, Amador, Calaveras, Contra Costa, Sacramento, Santa Clara & Stanislaus.

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

  • San Joaquin County     (The home county of Tracy)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Tracy, with the one closest to Tracy listed first.
    • Wainwright Village
      (Less than 2 miles to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wainwright Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wainwright Village
      • Wainwright Village is located in San Joaquin County
    • Banta
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Lyoth
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lyoth have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lyoth
      • Lyoth is located in San Joaquin County
    • Carnegie ‑ Historic
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Carnegie. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carnegie
      • Carnegie is located in San Joaquin County
    • Lathrop
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lathrop
      • Lathrop is located in San Joaquin County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 26,373 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lathrop <2>
    • Vernalis
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Manteca
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manteca
      • Manteca is located in San Joaquin County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 84,445 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Manteca <2>
    • Holt
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
    • French Camp
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Manteca Junction
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manteca Junction
      • Manteca Junction is located in San Joaquin County
    • Taft Mosswood
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Taft Mosswood
      • Taft Mosswood is located in San Joaquin County
    • Ortega ‑ Historic
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ortega have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ortega
      • Ortega is located in San Joaquin County
  • Alameda County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Tracy, with the one closest to Tracy listed first.
    • Tesla ‑ Historic
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Tesla. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tesla
      • Tesla is located in Alameda County
    • Altamont
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Altamont have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Altamont
      • Altamont is located in Alameda County
    • Laddville ‑ Historic
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Laddville. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laddville
      • Laddville is located in Alameda County
    • Livermore
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
    • Pleasanton
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
    • Scotts Corner
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scotts Corner
      • Scotts Corner is located in Alameda County
    • Komandorski Village
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Komandorski Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Komandorski Village
      • Komandorski Village is located in Alameda County
    • Sunol
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Dublin
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
    • San Ramon Village
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for San Ramon Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for San Ramon Village
      • San Ramon Village is located in Alameda County
  • Contra Costa County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Tracy, with the one closest to Tracy listed first.
    • Byron
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Discovery Bay
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Bixler
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bixler
      • Bixler is located in Contra Costa County
    • Brentwood
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Knightsen
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Bethel Island
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Oakley
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakley
      • Oakley is located in Contra Costa County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 42,710 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Oakley <2>
    • Tassajara
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tassajara
      • Tassajara is located in Contra Costa County
    • Marsh Creek Springs
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marsh Creek Springs
      • Marsh Creek Springs is located in Contra Costa County
    • Blackhawk - Camino Tassajara
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
    • Blackhawk
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Blackhawk have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blackhawk
      • Blackhawk is located in Contra Costa County
    • Antioch
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Antioch
      • Antioch is located in Contra Costa County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 111,605 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Antioch <2>
  • Sacramento County
    • Isleton
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
  • Stanislaus County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Tracy, with the one closest to Tracy listed first.
    • Grayson
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Grayson have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grayson
      • Grayson is located in Stanislaus County
    • Westley
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
    • Salida
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
    • Tuolumne City ‑ Historic
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tuolumne City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tuolumne City
      • Tuolumne City is located in Stanislaus County
    • Riverdale Park
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Riverdale Park have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riverdale Park
      • Riverdale Park is located in Stanislaus County
    • Del Rio
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Del Rio have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Del Rio
      • Del Rio is located in Stanislaus County
    • West Modesto
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for West Modesto. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Modesto
      • West Modesto is located in Stanislaus County
    • Modesto
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Modesto
      • Modesto is located in Stanislaus County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 215,666 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Modesto <2>
    • Patterson
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Bret Harte
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bret Harte
      • Bret Harte is located in Stanislaus County
    • Bystrom
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bystrom have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bystrom
      • Bystrom is located in Stanislaus County
    • Shackelford
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Shackelford have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shackelford
      • Shackelford is located in Stanislaus County

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Tracy ...

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 172 newspapers that have been published in the area around Tracy.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Tracy. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Tracy and those printed in the larger area surrounding Tracy.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 24 miles [38.6 km]<4> of Tracy.

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 websites either 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 Tracy:

Cemeteries Near Tracy ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Tracy.

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

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

  • Tracy Public Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
  • Brichetto Tomb
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
  • East Union Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Ahayas Achim Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Ahayas Achim Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Ahayas Achim Cemetery
  • Congregation of Ahavas Achim Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Chinese Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Congregation Adas Yeshuran of Stockton Cemetery
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
  • Park View Cemetery
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
  • Byron Brentwood Knightson Cemetery
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Byron Brentwood Knightson Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Byron Brentwood Knightson Cemetery
  • St. Michaels Cemetery
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Michaels Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Michaels Cemetery
  • Ripon Cemetery
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
  • Atlanta Cemetery
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
  • Continue List   (30 more) ...
    • Hebrew Cemetery
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hebrew Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hebrew Cemetery
    • Temple Israel Cemetery
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Grayson Cemetery
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)

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>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Tracy had a population of 362 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Tracy had a population of 95,025 people.

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

  • Ellis ‑ Historic
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ellis have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ellis
    • Ellis is located in San Joaquin County
  • Banta
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
  • Midway
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Midway have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Midway
    • Midway is located in Alameda County
  • Yarmouth ‑ Historic
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Yarmouth have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yarmouth
    • Yarmouth is located in San Joaquin County
  • Lathrop
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lathrop
    • Lathrop is located in San Joaquin County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 26,373 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lathrop <2>
  • Vernalis
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
  • French Camp
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
  • Byron
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
  • Ripon
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ripon
    • Ripon is located in San Joaquin County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 16,774 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ripon <2>
  • Stockton
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stockton
    • Stockton is located in San Joaquin County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 312,716 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Stockton <2>
  • Atlanta
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Atlanta
    • Atlanta is located in San Joaquin County
  • Livermore
    (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Westley
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
    • Grayson
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Grayson have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grayson
      • Grayson is located in Stanislaus County
    • Salida
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)

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

The official website for Tracy: www.ci.tracy.ca.us/

The official website for San Joaquin County: www.sjgov.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>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' (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- Tracy) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Tracy. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 37.7398, Longitude: -121.4364    
<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 Tracy, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024