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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 Willits (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 Willits. 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 hospitals 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.

Willits is located in Mendocino 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 Mendocino County: Glenn, Humboldt, Lake, Sonoma, Tehama & Trinity.

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

  • Mendocino County     (The home county of Willits)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Willits, with the one closest to Willits listed first.
    • Shake City
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Shake City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shake City
      • Shake City is located in Mendocino County
    • Orrs Springs
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orrs Springs
      • Orrs Springs is located in Mendocino County
    • Redwood Valley
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Calpella
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Potter Valley
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
    • The Forks
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for The Forks
      • The Forks is located in Mendocino County
    • Comptche
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Hemlock Ranch
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Hemlock Ranch. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hemlock Ranch
      • Hemlock Ranch is located in Mendocino County
      • Hemlock Ranch has also been known as:
      • Hemlock
    • Ukiah
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ukiah
      • Ukiah is located in Mendocino County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 15,883 people
      • Ukiah has also been known as:
      • Ukiah City
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ukiah <2>
    • Laytonville
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
    • Navarro
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Dos Rios
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
    • Talmage
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
  • Lake County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Willits, with the one closest to Willits listed first.
    • Witter Springs ‑ Historic
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Witter Springs have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Witter Springs
      • Witter Springs is located in Lake County
    • Saratoga Springs
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saratoga Springs
      • Saratoga Springs is located in Lake County
    • Upper Lake
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Willits ...

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 Willits.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Willits. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Willits and those printed in the larger area surrounding Willits.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 29 miles [46.7 km]<4> of Willits.

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 helpful 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 Willits:

Cemeteries Near Willits ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Willits.

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

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

  • Little Lake Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Little Lake Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Little Lake Cemetery
  • Willits Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Willits Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Willits Cemetery
  • Potter Valley Cemetery
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Potter Valley Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Potter Valley Cemetery
  • Pinoleville Rancheria Cemetery
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Ukiah Cemetery
    (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Ukiah Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Ukiah Cemetery
  • Laytonville Cemetery
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Laytonville Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Laytonville Cemetery
  • Shields Cemetery
    (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Shields Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Shields Cemetery
  • Hulls Grave
    (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hulls Grave have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hulls Grave
  • Inglenook Cemetery
    (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Inglenook Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Inglenook Cemetery
  • Evergreen Cemetery
    (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Evergreen Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Evergreen Cemetery
  • Hillcrest Cemetery
    (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hillcrest Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hillcrest Cemetery
  • Indian Cemetery
    (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Indian Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Indian Cemetery
  • Continue List   (11 more) ...
    • Pioneer Cemetery
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pioneer Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pioneer Cemetery
    • Newport Cemetery
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Newport Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Newport Cemetery
    • Rose Memorial Park Cemetery
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)

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 Willits had a population of 815 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service. In 2020, Willits had a population of 4,831 people.

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

  • Hearst
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hearst have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hearst
    • Hearst is located in Mendocino County
  • Calpella
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
  • Potter Valley
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
  • Pomo
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pomo have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pomo
    • Pomo is located in Mendocino County
  • Comptche
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Ukiah
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ukiah
    • Ukiah is located in Mendocino County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 15,883 people
    • Ukiah has also been known as:
    • Ukiah City
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ukiah <2>
  • Hemlock Ranch
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Hemlock Ranch. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hemlock Ranch
    • Hemlock Ranch is located in Mendocino County
    • Hemlock Ranch has also been known as:
    • Hemlock
  • Navarro
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
  • Laytonville
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
  • Talmage
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
  • Inglenook
    (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Inglenook
    • Inglenook is located in Mendocino County
  • Cleone
    (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cleone have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cleone
    • Cleone is located in Mendocino County
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Mendocino
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
    • Philo
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
    • Fort Bragg
      (24 miles [38.6 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 Willits. See our List of 1890's Communities around Willits.

The official website for Willits: www.willits.org/

The official website for Mendocino County: www.co.mendocino.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>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 obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Willits) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Willits. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 39.4089, Longitude: -123.3534    
<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 Willits, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024