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Our Genealogy Helper

Introduction ...

Although we found mention of Vernalis during our research, we have little information about it.<1> Given the context of how Vernalis was mentioned, we believe that it was a community rather than a locale or some type of landmark. We have done a cursory search and if it was a community, we haven't been able to find any evidence that it still exists..

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 Vernalis (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 Vernalis. 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 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.

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

  • San Joaquin County     (The home county of Vernalis)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Vernalis, with the one closest to Vernalis listed first.
    • Lyoth
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lyoth have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lyoth
      • Lyoth is located in San Joaquin County
    • Banta
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Wainwright Village
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wainwright Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wainwright Village
      • Wainwright Village is located in San Joaquin County
    • Ripon
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
      • 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 <3>
    • Tracy
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tracy
      • Tracy is located in San Joaquin County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 95,025 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Tracy <3>
    • Manteca
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • 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 <3>
    • Lathrop
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
      • 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 <3>
    • Carnegie ‑ Historic
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
      • 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.<4>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carnegie
      • Carnegie is located in San Joaquin County
    • Atlanta
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Atlanta
      • Atlanta is located in San Joaquin County
    • Five Corners
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Five Corners
      • Five Corners is located in San Joaquin County
    • Manteca Junction
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manteca Junction
      • Manteca Junction is located in San Joaquin County
    • French Camp
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
    • Alba
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alba
      • Alba is located in San Joaquin County
  • Alameda County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Vernalis, with the one closest to Vernalis listed first.
    • Tesla ‑ Historic
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • 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.<4>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tesla
      • Tesla is located in Alameda County
    • Altamont
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Altamont have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Altamont
      • Altamont is located in Alameda County
    • Laddville ‑ Historic
      (26 miles [41.8 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.<4>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laddville
      • Laddville is located in Alameda County
    • Livermore
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
  • Contra Costa County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Vernalis, with the one closest to Vernalis listed first.
    • Byron
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Discovery Bay
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Bixler
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bixler
      • Bixler is located in Contra Costa County
    • Brentwood
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Merced County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Vernalis, with the one closest to Vernalis listed first.
    • Hilmar
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Delhi
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Gustine
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Stanislaus County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Vernalis, with the one closest to Vernalis listed first.
    • Grayson
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Grayson have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grayson
      • Grayson is located in Stanislaus County
    • Westley
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Tuolumne City ‑ Historic
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tuolumne City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tuolumne City
      • Tuolumne City is located in Stanislaus County
    • Riverdale Park
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Riverdale Park have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riverdale Park
      • Riverdale Park is located in Stanislaus County
    • Salida
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Patterson
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
    • West Modesto
      (14 miles [22.5 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.<4>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Modesto
      • West Modesto is located in Stanislaus County
    • Bret Harte
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bret Harte
      • Bret Harte is located in Stanislaus County
    • Bystrom
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bystrom have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bystrom
      • Bystrom is located in Stanislaus County
    • Modesto
      (16 miles [25.7 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 <3>
    • Shackelford
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Shackelford have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shackelford
      • Shackelford is located in Stanislaus County
    • Del Rio
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Del Rio have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Del Rio
      • Del Rio is located in Stanislaus County
    • Ceres
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ceres
      • Ceres is located in Stanislaus County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 48,603 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ceres <3>

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

Newspapers Published in Vernalis ...

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 157 newspapers that have been published in the area around Vernalis.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Vernalis, there are papers which were published within 28 miles [45.1 km]<5>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Vernalis.

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 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 Vernalis:

Cemeteries Near Vernalis ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Vernalis.

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

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

  • Brichetto Tomb
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
  • Grayson Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Patterson Cemetery District
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
  • Tracy Public Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
  • Ripon Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Woodcolony Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Woodcolony Cemetery is located outside and to the northwest of Modesto.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Woodcolony Cemetery
  • East Union Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
  • Atlanta Cemetery
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
  • St. Stanislaus Cemetery
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Stanislaus Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Stanislaus Cemetery
  • St. Johns Catholic Cemetery
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Park View Cemetery
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
  • Ahayas Achim Cemetery
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Ahayas Achim Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Ahayas Achim Cemetery
  • Continue List   (25 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.<7>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that in 1895, Vernalis had a post office and railroad service.

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

  • Yarmouth ‑ Historic
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Yarmouth have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yarmouth
    • Yarmouth is located in San Joaquin County
  • Westley
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Grayson
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Grayson have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grayson
    • Grayson is located in Stanislaus County
  • Banta
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
  • Ripon
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
    • 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 <3>
  • Tracy
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tracy
    • Tracy is located in San Joaquin County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 95,025 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Tracy <3>
  • Ellis ‑ Historic
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ellis have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ellis
    • Ellis is located in San Joaquin County
  • Salida
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Lathrop
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
    • 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 <3>
  • Atlanta
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Atlanta
    • Atlanta is located in San Joaquin County
  • Midway
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Midway have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Midway
    • Midway is located in Alameda County
  • Modesto
    (16 miles [25.7 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 <3>
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • French Camp
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
    • Ceres
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ceres
      • Ceres is located in Stanislaus County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 48,603 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ceres <3>
    • Crows Landing
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)

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

The official website for San Joaquin County: www.sjgov.org/

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

Footnotes ...

<1>If we encounter the name of what might be a community, our methodology is to add that name to our Gazetteer. For example, we might find a sentence like "He went north past Vernalis and then turned west". While Vernalis could be some kind of landmark, we think that it's more likely to be a community. We've added Vernalis as a placeholder with the hope that we'll be able to add more information in the future.

Just as a reminder: Our definition of a community is rather broad and includes those places (or areas) where several families lived and had a name which identified that place. For example, you might hear somebody say that they are going over to Miller Creek to see Pete ... Miller Creek is just a gas station and a couple of homes at the crossroads. While it might not be on the map, everybody in the area knows it by that name.

Places of interest include buildings at a crossroad, several families clustered in a hollow or maybe the location of a way station. It also includes places like mines, lumber camps, ferry crossings, etc. The community might still exist, is now gone or only existed for just a short period of time.

Also keep in mind that Vernalis could have been on the original document by mistake, misspelled, the original/alternate name of a community that we've listed elsewhere or was placed in the wrong county. Sometimes a post office or train station would have a different name than the community where it's located, so two names might be referring to the same community - we're working to straighten it all out.

Since confusion between counties is common, we searched and weren't able to find another California community named Vernalis.
<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>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<4>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.
<5>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- Vernalis) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Vernalis. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 37.6309, Longitude: -121.2876    
<6>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.
<7>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 Vernalis, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024