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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 Clearlake (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 Clearlake. 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 Clearlake ...

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 have occurred.

Another variation: Clear Lake.

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.

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 doctors and 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.

Clearlake is located in Lake 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 Lake County: Colusa, Glenn, Mendocino, Napa, Sonoma & Yolo.

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

  • Lake County     (The home county of Clearlake)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Clearlake, with the one closest to Clearlake listed first.
    • Clearlake Park
      (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
    • Lower Lake
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
    • Clearlake Oaks
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Seigler Springs
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seigler Springs
      • Seigler Springs is located in Lake County
    • Glenhaven
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Salminas Resort
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salminas Resort
      • Salminas Resort is located in Lake County
    • Glenview
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glenview
      • Glenview is located in Lake County
    • Cobb
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Glenbrook
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glenbrook
      • Glenbrook is located in Lake County
    • Soda Bay
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Hidden Valley Lake
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hidden Valley Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hidden Valley Lake
      • Hidden Valley Lake is located in Lake County
    • Pine Grove
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Grove
      • Pine Grove is located in Lake County
  • Colusa County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Clearlake, with the one closest to Clearlake listed first.
    • Wilbur Springs
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Leesville
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leesville
      • Leesville is located in Colusa County
    • Lodoga
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lodoga
      • Lodoga is located in Colusa County
    • Genevra
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Genevra have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Genevra
      • Genevra is located in Colusa County
    • Devils Elbow
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Devils Elbow have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Devils Elbow
      • Devils Elbow is located in Colusa County
    • Stonyford
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
    • Sites
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sites
      • Sites is located in Colusa County
    • Williams
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Arbuckle
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
  • Mendocino County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Clearlake, with the one closest to Clearlake listed first.
    • Hopland
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
    • Largo ‑ Historic
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Largo have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Largo
      • Largo is located in Mendocino County
    • Hemlock Ranch
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • 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
  • Napa County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Clearlake, with the one closest to Clearlake listed first.
    • Calistoga
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
    • Woodleaf
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Woodleaf have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodleaf
      • Woodleaf is located in Napa County
    • Pope Valley
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Angwin
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
    • Deer Park
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
  • Sonoma County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Clearlake, with the one closest to Clearlake listed first.
    • Mercuryville ‑ Historic
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mercuryville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mercuryville
      • Mercuryville is located in Sonoma County
    • Kellogg
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kellogg
      • Kellogg is located in Sonoma County
    • Geyserville
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Preston
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Preston have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Preston
      • Preston is located in Sonoma County
    • Cloverdale
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
    • Camp Rose
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Camp Rose
      • Camp Rose is located in Sonoma County
    • Healdsburg
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Mark West Springs
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mark West Springs
      • Mark West Springs is located in Sonoma County
    • Windsor
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
  • Yolo County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Clearlake, with the one closest to Clearlake listed first.
    • Rumsey
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
    • Guinda
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
    • Brooks
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Clearlake ...

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 97 newspapers that have been published in the area around Clearlake.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Clearlake. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Clearlake and those printed in the larger area surrounding Clearlake.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<4> of Clearlake.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first visit 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 Clearlake:

Cemeteries Near Clearlake ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Clearlake.

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

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

  • Lower Lake Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
  • Lower Lake Herndon - Copsey Pioneer Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for the Lower Lake Herndon - Copsey Pioneer Cemetery. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Lower Lake Herndon - Copsey Pioneer Cemetery is located in Lower Lake.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lower Lake Herndon - Copsey Pioneer Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #1127222 <5>
  • St. Gregory of Sinai Monastery Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for the St. Gregory of Sinai Monastery Cemetery. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the St. Gregory of Sinai Monastery Cemetery is located 8 miles [12.9 km]<4> to the northwest of Kelseyville.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Gregory of Sinai Monastery Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2677191 <5>
  • Glenbrook Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
  • Henry Alter Gravesite
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for the Henry Alter Gravesite. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Henry Alter Gravesite
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2507467 <5>
  • Stone & Kelsey Gravesite
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
  • Pioneer Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
  • Kelsay Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
  • Kelseyville Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
  • Middletown Cemetery
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
  • Hartley Cemetery
    (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
  • Robinson Cemetery
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
  • Continue List   (28 more) ...
    • Beeson Cemetery
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Evergreen Cemetery
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Evergreen Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Evergreen Cemetery
    • Upper Lake Cemetery
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)

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>

While we didn't find Clearlake in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Clearlake.

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

  • Lower Lake
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
  • Glenbrook
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glenbrook
    • Glenbrook is located in Lake County
  • Kelseyville
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
  • Middletown
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
  • Hough Springs
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hough Springs have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hough Springs
    • Hough Springs is located in Lake County
  • Highland Springs
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Highland Springs have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Highland Springs
    • Highland Springs is located in Lake County
  • Bartlett Springs
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bartlett Springs have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bartlett Springs
    • Bartlett Springs is located in Lake County
  • Lakeport
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
  • Knoxville
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Knoxville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Knoxville
    • Knoxville is located in Napa County
  • Leesville
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leesville
    • Leesville is located in Colusa County
  • Rumsey
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
  • Upper Lake
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Preston
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Preston have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Preston
      • Preston is located in Sonoma County
    • Asti
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Asti have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Asti
      • Asti is located in Sonoma County
    • Geyserville
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)

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

The official website for Clearlake: www.clearlake.ca.us/

The official website for Lake County: www.co.lake.ca.us/

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

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 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>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' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Clearlake) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Clearlake. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 38.9507, Longitude: -122.6231    
<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 Clearlake, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024