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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 Visalia (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 Visalia. 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 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.

Visalia is located in Tulare County and is the County Seat.

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 Tulare County: Fresno, Inyo, Kern & Kings.

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

  • Tulare County     (The home county of Visalia)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Visalia, with the one closest to Visalia listed first.
    • Chinowths Corner
      (Less than 2 miles to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chinowths Corner
      • Chinowths Corner is located in Tulare County
    • Ambler
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ambler
      • Ambler is located in Tulare County
    • Tagus
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tagus have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tagus
      • Tagus is located in Tulare County
    • Loma
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loma
      • Loma is located in Tulare County
    • East Farmersville
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Farmersville
      • East Farmersville is located in Tulare County
    • Farmersville
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Ivanhoe
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Goshen
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Taurusa
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Taurusa have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Taurusa
      • Taurusa is located in Tulare County
    • Tulare
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tulare
      • Tulare is located in Tulare County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 66,797 people
      • Tulare has also been known as:
      • Tulare City
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Tulare <2>
    • Exeter
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Yettem
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • London
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for London
      • London is located in Tulare County
  • Fresno County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Visalia, with the one closest to Visalia listed first.
    • Kingsburg
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
    • Orange Cove
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
    • Reedley
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
    • Laton
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
    • Parlier
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
    • Selma
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Selma
      • Selma is located in Fresno County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 24,370 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Selma <2>
    • Conejo
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Conejo
      • Conejo is located in Fresno County
    • Del Rey
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Del Rey
      • Del Rey is located in Fresno County
    • Minkler
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Minkler
      • Minkler is located in Fresno County
    • Yokuts
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
    • Miramonte
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Fowler
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Sanger
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Kings County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Visalia, with the one closest to Visalia listed first.
    • Home Garden
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Home Garden
      • Home Garden is located in Kings County
    • Hanford
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
    • Corcoran
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Armona
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
    • Hardwick
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hardwick
      • Hardwick is located in Kings County
    • Lemoore
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
    • Hub
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hub have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hub
      • Hub is located in Kings County
    • Stratford
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Visalia ...

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 169 newspapers that have been published in the area around Visalia.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Visalia. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Visalia and those printed in the larger area surrounding Visalia.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 23 miles [37 km]<3> of Visalia.

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 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 Visalia:

Cemeteries Near Visalia ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Visalia.

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

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

  • Visalia Public Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Visalia Public Cemetery is a very large cemetery that is located in Visalia.
    • The Visalia Public Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Visalia Cemetery
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Visalia Public Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #198468 <4>
  • Deep Creek Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
  • Lone Oak Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lone Oak Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lone Oak Cemetery
  • Tulare Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Tulare Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Tulare Cemetery
  • Hamilton Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hamilton Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hamilton Cemetery
  • Woodlake Cemetery
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
  • S D A Cemetery
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the S D A Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the S D A Cemetery
  • Smith Mtn. Cemetery
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
  • Lindsay - Strathmore Public Cemetery
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Lakeside Cemetery
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Woodville Cemetery
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Hanford Cemetery
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
  • Continue List   (31 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.<5>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Visalia had a population of 2,885 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Visalia had a population of 135,007 people.

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

  • Tagus
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tagus have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tagus
    • Tagus is located in Tulare County
  • Farmersville
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
  • Goshen
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
  • Taurusa
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Taurusa have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Taurusa
    • Taurusa is located in Tulare County
  • Tulare
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tulare
    • Tulare is located in Tulare County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 66,797 people
    • Tulare has also been known as:
    • Tulare City
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Tulare <2>
  • Exeter
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
  • Monson
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Monson have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monson
    • Monson is located in Tulare County
  • Yokohl
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Yokohl have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yokohl
    • Yokohl is located in Tulare County
  • Traver
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Lindsay
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
  • Orosi
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
  • Tokay
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tokay have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tokay
    • Tokay is located in Tulare County
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Woodville
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodville
      • Woodville is located in Tulare County
    • Tipton
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
    • Hanford
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)

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

The official website for Visalia: www.ci.visalia.ca.us/

The official website for Tulare County: www.co.tulare.ca.us/

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 obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Visalia) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Visalia. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 36.3271, Longitude: -119.3140    
<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 Visalia, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024