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 Vista Center (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 Vista Center. 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 Vista Center ...
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 occur.
- A typical abbreviation for Vista Center: Vista Ctr. (or less commonly used: Vista Cen., Vista Cent. or Vista Cntr.)
- You might see Vista Centre instead of Vista Center.
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.
For more information about how community names might have been affected by the Board of Geographic Names (BGN), see our page about Placename Rules.
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.
Vista Center is located in Ocean County.
To see how the shape of New Jersey's counties may have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.
The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Ocean County: Atlantic, Burlington & Monmouth.
Below are the counties that are near Vista Center. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Vista Center:
- Ocean County (The home county of Vista Center)
- The following are listed by their distance from Vista Center, with the one closest to Vista Center listed first.
- Van Hiseville
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Van Hiseville is located in Ocean County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Van Hiseville
- Bennetts Mills
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Bennetts Mills is located in Ocean County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bennetts Mills
- Whitesville
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Whitesville is located in Ocean County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whitesville
- Lakewood
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Lakewood is located in Ocean County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lakewood
- Cedar Glen West
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Cedar Glen West is located in Ocean County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Glen West
- Leisure Knoll
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Leisure Knoll is located in Ocean County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leisure Knoll
- Colliers Mills
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Colliers Mills is located in Ocean County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colliers Mills
- Williams
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Williams is located in Ocean County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Williams
- Herbertsville
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Herbertsville is located in Ocean County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Herbertsville
- Glen Cedar City
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Glen Cedar City is located in Ocean County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glen Cedar City
- Arrowhead Village
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Arrowhead Village is located in Ocean County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arrowhead Village
- Holiday City
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Holiday City is located in Ocean County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holiday City
- Leisure Village East
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Burlington County
- The following are listed by their distance from Vista Center, with the one closest to Vista Center listed first.
- Ellisdale
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Ellisdale is located in Burlington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ellisdale
- Jacobstown
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Jacobstown is located in Burlington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jacobstown
- Fort Dix
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Fort Dix is located in Burlington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fort Dix
- Browns Mills
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Browns Mills is located in Burlington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Browns Mills
- Country Lake Estates
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Country Lake Estates is located in Burlington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Country Lake Estates
- Bordentown
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Bordentown is located in Burlington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bordentown
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,794 people
- Juliustown
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Juliustown is located in Burlington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Juliustown
- Presidential Lakes Estates
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Columbus
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Columbus is located in Burlington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Columbus
- Chambers Corners
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Chambers Corners is located in Burlington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chambers Corners
- Pemberton Heights
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Pemberton Heights is located in Burlington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pemberton Heights
- Kinkora
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Kinkora is located in Burlington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kinkora
- Florence
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Florence is located in Burlington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Florence
- Mercer County
- The following are listed by their distance from Vista Center, with the one closest to Vista Center listed first.
- Twin Rivers
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Twin Rivers is located in Mercer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Twin Rivers
- Edinburg
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Edinburg is located in Mercer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edinburg
- Princeton Junction
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Princeton Junction is located in Mercer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Princeton Junction
- Mercerville
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Mercerville is located in Mercer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mercerville
- Rosemont
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Rosemont is located in Mercer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rosemont
- White Horse
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- White Horse is located in Mercer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Horse
- Princessville
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Princessville is located in Mercer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Princessville
- Warner Village
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Warner Village is located in Mercer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Warner Village
- Eldridge Park
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Eldridge Park is located in Mercer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eldridge Park
- Trenton
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Trenton is located in Mercer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trenton
- Population from the 2020 Census: 82,957 people
- Lawrenceville
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Lawrenceville is located in Mercer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lawrenceville
- Parkway Village
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Parkway Village is located in Mercer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parkway Village
- Ewing
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Ewing is located in Mercer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ewing
- Middlesex County
- The following are listed by their distance from Vista Center, with the one closest to Vista Center listed first.
- Clearbrook Park
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Clearbrook Park is located in Middlesex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clearbrook Park
- Concordia
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Concordia is located in Middlesex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Concordia
- Moerls Corner
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Moerls Corner is located in Middlesex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moerls Corner
- Cranbury Station
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Cranbury Station is located in Middlesex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cranbury Station
- Whittingham
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Whittingham is located in Middlesex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whittingham
- Cranbury
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Cranbury is located in Middlesex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cranbury
- Jamesburg
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Jamesburg is located in Middlesex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jamesburg
- Rossmoor
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Rossmoor is located in Middlesex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rossmoor
- Brownville
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Brownville is located in Middlesex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brownville
- Old Bridge
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Old Bridge is located in Middlesex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Old Bridge
- Dayton
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Dayton is located in Middlesex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dayton
- Princeton Meadows
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Princeton Meadows is located in Middlesex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Princeton Meadows
- Cheesequake
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Cheesequake is located in Middlesex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cheesequake
- Monmouth County
- The following are listed by their distance from Vista Center, with the one closest to Vista Center listed first.
- West Freehold
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- West Freehold is located in Monmouth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Freehold
- Ardena
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Ardena is located in Monmouth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ardena
- Maxim
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Maxim is located in Monmouth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maxim
- Freehold
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Freehold is located in Monmouth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Freehold
- Manalapan
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Manalapan is located in Monmouth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manalapan
- Squankum
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Squankum is located in Monmouth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Squankum
- Tennent
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Tennent is located in Monmouth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tennent
- Prospertown
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Prospertown is located in Monmouth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prospertown
- Ramtown
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Ramtown is located in Monmouth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ramtown
- East Freehold
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- East Freehold is located in Monmouth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Freehold
- Allaire Village ‑ Historic
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Allaire Village is located in Monmouth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Allaire Village
- Allaire Village has also been known as:
- Allaire
- Bucks Mill
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Bucks Mill is located in Monmouth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bucks Mill
- Imlaystown
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Imlaystown is located in Monmouth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Imlaystown
- Somerset County
- The following are listed by their distance from Vista Center, with the one closest to Vista Center listed first.
- Somerset
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Somerset is located in Somerset County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Somerset
- Blackwells Mills
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Blackwells Mills is located in Somerset County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blackwells Mills
- Middlebush
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Middlebush is located in Somerset County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Middlebush
- Harlingen
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Harlingen is located in Somerset County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harlingen
- Ukrainian Village
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Ukrainian Village is located in Somerset County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ukrainian Village
- Skillman
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Skillman is located in Somerset County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Skillman
- Bound Brook
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Bound Brook is located in Somerset County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bound Brook
- Union County
- The following are listed by their distance from Vista Center, with the one closest to Vista Center listed first.
- Perth Amboy Junction
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Rahway
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Rahway is located in Union County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rahway
- Population from the 2020 Census: 29,832 people
- Richmond County (NY)
- The following are listed by their distance from Vista Center, with the one closest to Vista Center listed first.
- Tottenville
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Tottenville is located in Richmond County (NY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tottenville
- Annadale
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Annadale is located in Richmond County (NY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Annadale
- Great Kills
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Great Kills is located in Richmond County (NY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Great Kills
- Oakwood
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Oakwood is located in Richmond County (NY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakwood
- Heartland Village
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Heartland Village is located in Richmond County (NY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Heartland Village
- Bucks County (PA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Vista Center, with the one closest to Vista Center listed first.
- Morrisville
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Wheat Sheaf
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Wheat Sheaf is located in Bucks County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wheat Sheaf
- Levittown
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Thornridge
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Thornridge is located in Bucks County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thornridge
- Tullytown
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Tullytown is located in Bucks County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tullytown
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,177 people
- Edgely
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Edgely is located in Bucks County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edgely
- Bristol
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Fairless Hills
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Oxford Valley
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Oxford Valley is located in Bucks County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oxford Valley
- Yardley
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Dunlap
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Dunlap is located in Bucks County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dunlap
- Winder Village
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Winder Village is located in Bucks County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winder Village
- Woodside
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Woodside is located in Bucks County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodside
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Vista Center, see our County-by-County Page for Vista Center.
Cemeteries Near Vista Center ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Vista Center.
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.
Although we don't have the information ourselves, if you need information about a burial or interment, photos, transcripts, how to contact the cemetery or local authorities, please visit our list of websites on our Genealogy Helper Page for Vista Center - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Vista Center covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Vista Center, with the one closest to Vista Center listed first.
- St. Vladimirs Russian Orthodox Christian Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Whitesville Methodist Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Woodlawn Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Maplewood Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Greenwood Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Mt. Sinai Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Evergreen Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Jersey State Memorial Park
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- St. Rose of Lima Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Evergreen Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Greenville Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenville Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Greenville Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located in Lakewood.
- The Greenville Cemetery has also been known as:
- Holy Family RC Church Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #1650658 <2>
- Mt. Sinai Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Continue List (207 more) ...
- Quaker Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Brewer Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- St. Marys Of The Lake Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 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.<3>
While we didn't find Vista Center in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Vista Center.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Vista Center, with the one closest to Vista Center listed first.
- Van Hiseville
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Van Hiseville is located in Ocean County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Van Hiseville
- Bennetts Mills
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Bennetts Mills is located in Ocean County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bennetts Mills
- Smithburg
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Smithburg is located in Monmouth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smithburg
- Ely
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Ely is located in Monmouth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ely
- Cassville
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Cassville is located in Ocean County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cassville
- Southard
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Southard is located in Monmouth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Southard
- Ardena
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Ardena is located in Monmouth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ardena
- West Freehold
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- West Freehold is located in Monmouth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Freehold
- Whitesville
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Whitesville is located in Ocean County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whitesville
- Lakewood
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Lakewood is located in Ocean County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lakewood
- Clarksburg
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Clarksburg is located in Monmouth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clarksburg
- Manalapan
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Manalapan is located in Monmouth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manalapan
- Continue List (19 more) ...
- Freehold
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Freehold is located in Monmouth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Freehold
- Prospertown
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Prospertown is located in Monmouth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prospertown
- Lower Squankum
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Lower Squankum is located in Monmouth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lower Squankum
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Vista Center. See our List of 1890's Communities around Vista Center.
Newspapers Published in Vista Center ...
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 29 newspapers that have been published in the area around Vista Center.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Vista Center, there are papers which were published within 12 miles [19.3 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Vista Center.
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 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 Vista Center:
- Websites specific to New Jersey
- Pages specific to Ocean County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Burlington County
- Mercer County
- Middlesex County
- Monmouth County
- Somerset County
- Union County
- Richmond County
- Bucks County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for New Jersey
Footnotes ...
| <1> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <2> | 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. |
| <3> | 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 Vista Center, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <4> | 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 drawn from Point A (ie- Vista Center) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |