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Our Genealogy Helper

Introduction ...

So far, we found very little information about Happy Valley. The little that we've found leads us believe that the community is historic.<1>

We've added Happy Valley to our Gazetteer with the hope that we can develop more information. If you can help us with Happy Valley, please Contact Us.

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 Happy Valley (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 Happy Valley. 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 Happy Valley ...

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.

For example, a typical abbreviation for Happy Valley: Happy Vly. (or less commonly used: Happy Vally. or Happy Vlly.)

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 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.

Although our information shows that the community of Happy Valley is historic, it would have been located within present day Calaveras 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 Calaveras County: Alpine, Amador, San Joaquin, Stanislaus & Tuolumne.

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

  • Calaveras County     (The home county of Happy Valley)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Happy Valley, with the one closest to Happy Valley listed first.
    • Mokelumne Hill
      (Less than 2 miles to the west)
    • Big Bar
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Bar
      • Big Bar is located in Calaveras County
    • Glencoe
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • San Andreas
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Petersburg ‑ Historic
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Petersburg. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Petersburg
      • Petersburg is located in Calaveras County
      • Petersburg has also been known as:
      • Greasertown
    • Rail Road Flat
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Sandy Gulch
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandy Gulch
      • Sandy Gulch is located in Calaveras County
    • Mountain Ranch
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • West Point
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Wilseyville
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Campo Seco
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Valley Springs
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Bummerville
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bummerville have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bummerville
      • Bummerville is located in Calaveras County
  • Amador County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Happy Valley, with the one closest to Happy Valley listed first.
    • Electra ‑ Historic
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Electra have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Electra
      • Electra is located in Amador County
    • Jackson
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Pine Grove
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Martell
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Sutter Creek
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Volcano
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Pioneer
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Amador City
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Drytown
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Fiddletown
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Ione
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ione
      • Ione is located in Amador County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 8,326 people
      • Former names for Ione:
      • Bedbug
      • Freeze Out
      • Hardscrabble
      • Ione City
      • Ione Valley
      • Jone City
      • Jone Valley
      • Rickeyville
      • Woosterville
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ione <2>
    • Plymouth
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Camanche Village
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Camanche Village have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Camanche Village
      • Camanche Village is located in Amador County
  • El Dorado County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Happy Valley, with the one closest to Happy Valley listed first.
    • Mount Aukum
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
    • Fair Play
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
    • Grizzly Flatx
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
    • Somerset
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
    • Pleasant Valley
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Valley
      • Pleasant Valley is located in El Dorado County
    • Tiger Lily
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tiger Lily
      • Tiger Lily is located in El Dorado County
    • El Dorado
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • Newtown
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newtown
      • Newtown is located in El Dorado County
    • Diamond Springs
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
    • Euchre Diggings ‑ Historic
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Euchre Diggings. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Euchre Diggings
      • Euchre Diggings is located in El Dorado County
    • Shingle Springs
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Camino
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
    • Cameron Park
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Sacramento County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Happy Valley, with the one closest to Happy Valley listed first.
    • Rancho Murieta
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Sloughhouse
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Herald
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
  • San Joaquin County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Happy Valley, with the one closest to Happy Valley listed first.
    • Clements
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
    • Lockeford
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
    • Linden
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Peters
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Farmington
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Victor
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
  • Tuolumne County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Happy Valley, with the one closest to Happy Valley listed first.
    • Columbia
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
    • Columbia Village
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Columbia Village have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Columbia Village
      • Columbia Village is located in Tuolumne County
    • Tuttletown
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tuttletown
      • Tuttletown is located in Tuolumne County
    • Martinez
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Martinez have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Martinez
      • Martinez is located in Tuolumne County
    • Squabbletown
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Squabbletown have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Squabbletown
      • Squabbletown is located in Tuolumne County
    • Rawhide
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rawhide
      • Rawhide is located in Tuolumne County
    • Cedar Ridge
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Ridge
      • Cedar Ridge is located in Tuolumne County
    • Greenley Oaks
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenley Oaks
      • Greenley Oaks is located in Tuolumne County
    • Jamestown
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Phoenix Lake - Cedar Ridge
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Phoenix Lake - Cedar Ridge. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Phoenix Lake - Cedar Ridge
      • Phoenix Lake - Cedar Ridge is located in Tuolumne County
    • Sonora
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
    • East Sonora
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for East Sonora have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Sonora
      • East Sonora is located in Tuolumne County
    • Mono Village
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mono Village have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mono Village
      • Mono Village is located in Tuolumne County

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

Newspapers Published in Happy Valley ...

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 63 newspapers that have been published in the area around Happy Valley.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Happy Valley, there are papers which were published within 22 miles [35.4 km]<5>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Happy Valley.

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 Happy Valley:

Cemeteries Near Happy Valley ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Happy Valley.

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

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

  • Jesus Maria Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
  • Pioneer Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pioneer Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pioneer Cemetery
  • Peoples Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Peoples Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Peoples Cemetery
  • Jackson Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Jackson Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Jackson Cemetery
  • St. Sava Servian Orthodox Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Catholic Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Catholic Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Catholic Cemetery
  • Pine Grove Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
  • Mountain Ranch Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
  • Inedpendence Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
  • Catholic Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
  • City Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
  • New Protestant Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the New Protestant Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the New Protestant Cemetery
  • Continue List   (49 more) ...
    • IOOF Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the IOOF Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • To give a relative sense of its location, the IOOF Cemetery is located outside and to the northwest of Sutter Creek.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the IOOF Cemetery
    • Catholic Cemetery
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Catholic Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Catholic Cemetery
    • Protestant Cemetery
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Protestant Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Protestant Cemetery

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.

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

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

  • Mokelumne Hill
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
  • Rich Gulch
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rich Gulch have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rich Gulch
    • Rich Gulch is located in Calaveras County
  • Glencoe
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Jackson
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
  • San Andreas
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
  • Pine Grove
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
  • Mountain Ranch
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
  • Rail Road Flat
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
  • Sutter Creek
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
  • Campo Seco
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
  • Valley Springs
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
  • West Point
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Volcano
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Amador City
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Lancha Plana ‑ Historic
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lancha Plana have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lancha Plana
      • Lancha Plana is located in Amador County

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

The official website for Calaveras County: www.co.calaveras.ca.us/

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

Footnotes ...

<1>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 Happy Valley, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<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>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.
<5>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- Happy Valley) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Happy Valley. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 38.2999, Longitude: -120.6838       In this case, the coordinates for Happy Valley have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<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.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024