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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 Bear Creek (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 Bear Creek. 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 Bear Creek ...

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 Bear Creek: Bear Crk. (or less commonly used: Bear Ck. or Bear Cr.)

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 hospitals and 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.

Bear Creek is located in Merced 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 Merced County: Fresno, Madera, Mariposa, San Benito, Santa Clara & Stanislaus.

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

  • Merced County     (The home county of Bear Creek)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bear Creek, with the one closest to Bear Creek listed first.
    • Tuttle
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tuttle
      • Tuttle is located in Merced County
    • Merced
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Planada
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Plainsburg
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Plainsburg have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plainsburg
      • Plainsburg is located in Merced County
    • Athlone
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Athlone have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Athlone
      • Athlone is located in Merced County
    • Fluhr
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fluhr
      • Fluhr is located in Merced County
    • Le Grand
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Amsterdam
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amsterdam
      • Amsterdam is located in Merced County
    • El Nido
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Atwater
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
    • The Grove
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for The Grove
      • The Grove is located in Merced County
    • Winton
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Arundel ‑ Historic
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Arundel have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arundel
      • Arundel is located in Merced County
  • Fresno County
    • Firebaugh
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
  • Madera County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bear Creek, with the one closest to Bear Creek listed first.
    • Chowchilla
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Lincoln ‑ Historic
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lincoln have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lincoln
      • Lincoln is located in Madera County
    • Berenda
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berenda
      • Berenda is located in Madera County
    • Madera Acres
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Madera Acres
      • Madera Acres is located in Madera County
    • Knowles Junction
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Knowles Junction
      • Knowles Junction is located in Madera County
    • Raymond
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Raymond
      • Raymond is located in Madera County
    • Knowles ‑ Historic
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Knowles have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Knowles
      • Knowles is located in Madera County
    • Madera
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Mariposa County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bear Creek, with the one closest to Bear Creek listed first.
    • Hornitos
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Catheys Valley
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Bear Valley
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bear Valley
      • Bear Valley is located in Mariposa County
    • Mount Bullion
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Bullion
      • Mount Bullion is located in Mariposa County
    • Bagby ‑ Historic
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Bagby. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bagby
      • Bagby is located in Mariposa County
    • Mariposa
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
  • Stanislaus County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bear Creek, with the one closest to Bear Creek listed first.
    • La Grange
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Denair
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Turlock
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Turlock
      • Turlock is located in Stanislaus County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 73,059 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Turlock <1>
    • Hickman
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Waterford
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)

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

Newspapers Published in Bear Creek ...

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 112 newspapers that have been published in the area around Bear Creek.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Bear Creek, there are papers which were published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Bear Creek.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first turn to the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These 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 Bear Creek:

Cemeteries Near Bear Creek ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Bear Creek.

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

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

  • Evergreen Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
    • 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
  • Calvary Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Calvary Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Calvary Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located in Merced.
    • The Calvary Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Calvary Catholic Cemetery
    • Calvary Merced Cemetery District
    • Be careful not to confuse this cemetery with another one that is also named Calvary Cemetery (located 56 miles to the north).
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Calvary Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #7873 <5>
  • Helm - Turner Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Helm - Turner Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Helm - Turner Cemetery
  • Winton Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Winton Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located outside and to the southwest of Winton.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Winton Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #8453 <5>
  • Pate Cemetery
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pate Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pate Cemetery
  • Hopeton Cemetery
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hopeton Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hopeton Cemetery
  • Ivett Ranch Family Cemetery
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
  • Santa Cruz Cemetery
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Santa Cruz Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Santa Cruz Cemetery
  • Chowchilla Cemetery
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Chowchilla Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located 2 miles [3.2 km]<4> to the northeast of Chowchilla.
    • The Chowchilla Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Chowchilla District Cemetery
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Chowchilla Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #7906 <5>
  • Snelling Pioneer Cemetery
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
  • White Rock Cemetery
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the White Rock Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the White Rock Cemetery
  • Catheys Valley Cemetery
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Catheys Valley Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Catheys Valley Cemetery
  • Continue List   (16 more) ...
    • Dos Palos Cemetery
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Roberts Ferry Cemetery
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Roberts Ferry Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Roberts Ferry Cemetery
    • North Hilmar Cemetery
      (26 miles [41.8 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>

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

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

  • Merced
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
  • Plainsburg
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Plainsburg have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plainsburg
    • Plainsburg is located in Merced County
  • Athlone
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Athlone have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Athlone
    • Athlone is located in Merced County
  • Atwater
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
  • Hopeton
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hopeton have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hopeton
    • Hopeton is located in Merced County
  • Snelling
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
  • Arena
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Arena have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arena
    • Arena is located in Merced County
  • Merced Falls
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Merced Falls
    • Merced Falls is located in Merced County
  • Hornitos
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Livingston
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
  • Delhi
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Montpelier
    (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Montpelier have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montpelier
    • Montpelier is located in Stanislaus County
  • Continue List   (10 more) ...
    • Dos Palos
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Bear Valley
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bear Valley
      • Bear Valley is located in Mariposa County
    • Ben Hur
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ben Hur have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ben Hur
      • Ben Hur is located in Mariposa County

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

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Bear Creek. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.

The official website for Merced County: www.co.merced.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 '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- Bear Creek) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Bear Creek. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 37.2972, Longitude: -120.4174       In this case, the coordinates for Bear Creek have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<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 Bear Creek, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024