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Our Genealogy Helper

Introduction ...

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

We've added Bells Bar to our Gazetteer with the hope that we can develop more information. If you can help us with Bells Bar, 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 Bells Bar (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 Bells Bar. 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 Bells Bar ...

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.

While the name of this community is Bells Bar, be aware that it's the common practice of mapmakers to remove the apostrophe from possessive names<2>. So Bells Bar may originally have been Bell's Bar.

Sometimes the trailing 's' might be dropped altogether, in which case Bells Bar might be written as Bell Bar.

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 southeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors were in the next county to the east. 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 east 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 Bells Bar is historic, it would have been located within present day Plumas 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 Plumas County: Butte, Lassen, Shasta, Sierra, Tehama & Yuba.

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

  • Plumas County     (The home county of Bells Bar)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bells Bar, with the one closest to Bells Bar listed first.
    • Greenhorn
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Greenhorn have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenhorn
      • Greenhorn is located in Plumas County
    • Spring Garden
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Garden
      • Spring Garden is located in Plumas County
    • Cromberg
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Massack
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Massack
      • Massack is located in Plumas County
    • Plumas Eureka
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Plumas Eureka have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plumas Eureka
      • Plumas Eureka is located in Plumas County
    • Johnsville
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Mohawk
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mohawk have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mohawk
      • Mohawk is located in Plumas County
    • East Quincy
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Quincy
      • East Quincy is located in Plumas County
    • Blairsden
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Quincy Junction
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Quincy Junction
      • Quincy Junction is located in Plumas County
    • Graeagle
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Mohawk Vista
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mohawk Vista
      • Mohawk Vista is located in Plumas County
    • C-Road
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for C-Road
      • C-Road is located in Plumas County
  • Butte County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bells Bar, with the one closest to Bells Bar listed first.
    • Lumpkin ‑ Historic
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Lumpkin. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<5>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lumpkin
      • Lumpkin is located in Butte County
    • Merrimac
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Merrimac. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<5>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Merrimac
      • Merrimac is located in Butte County
  • Lassen County
  • Nevada County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bells Bar, with the one closest to Bells Bar listed first.
    • Graniteville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Graniteville
      • Graniteville is located in Nevada County
    • Marsh Mill
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marsh Mill
      • Marsh Mill is located in Nevada County
  • Sierra County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bells Bar, with the one closest to Bells Bar listed first.
    • Gibsonville
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Gibsonville. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<5>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gibsonville
      • Gibsonville is located in Sierra County
    • Poker Flat
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Poker Flat
      • Poker Flat is located in Sierra County
    • Queen City
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Queen City have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Queen City
      • Queen City is located in Sierra County
    • Downieville
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
    • Loganville
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Loganville. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<5>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loganville
      • Loganville is located in Sierra County
    • Sierra City
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
    • Calpine
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Goodyears Bar
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
    • Sattley
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Forest
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forest
      • Forest is located in Sierra County
    • Brandy City ‑ Historic
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Brandy City. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<5>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brandy City
      • Brandy City is located in Sierra County
    • Alleghany
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
    • Sierraville
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
  • Yuba County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bells Bar, with the one closest to Bells Bar listed first.
    • Strawberry Valley
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Depot Hill ‑ Historic
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Depot Hill. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<5>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Depot Hill
      • Depot Hill is located in Yuba County

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

Cemeteries Near Bells Bar ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Bells Bar.

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

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

  • Cromberg Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Cromberg Cemetery
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for the Cromberg Cemetery. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<5>
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #7925 <6>
  • Johnsville Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Mohawk Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
  • East Lawn Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
  • Quincy Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
  • Qunicy Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
  • Gibsonville Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Plumas County Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Pine Grove Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Howland Flat Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Howland Flat Cemetery
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for the Howland Flat Cemetery. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<5>
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2186787 <6>
  • Indian Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Indian Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Indian Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Shims Flat Indian Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Shims Flat Indian Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Shims Flat Indian Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • The Shims Flat Indian Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Shim Flat Indian Cemetery
    • Shims Flat Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #8370 <6>
  • Continue List   (26 more) ...
    • St. Louis Cemetery
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Louis Cemetery
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for the St. Louis Cemetery. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<5>
      • To give a relative sense of its location, the St. Louis Cemetery is located 3 miles [4.8 km]<7> to the west of La Porte.
      • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #8331 <6>
    • Taylorsville Cemetery
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Taylorsville Cemetery
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for the Taylorsville Cemetery. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<5>
      • To give a relative sense of its location, the Taylorsville Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located outside and to the southeast of Taylorsville.
      • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #1991783 <6>
    • Shady Grove Cemetery
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)

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 Bells Bar in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Bells Bar.

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

  • Cromberg
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
  • Johnsville
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Mohawk
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mohawk have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mohawk
    • Mohawk is located in Plumas County
  • Gibsonville
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Gibsonville. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<5>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gibsonville
    • Gibsonville is located in Sierra County
  • Quincy
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Genesee ‑ Historic
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Genesee have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Genesee
    • Genesee is located in Plumas County
  • Saint Louis
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Saint Louis have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Louis
    • Saint Louis is located in Sierra County
  • Taylorsville
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
  • Spanish Ranch
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Spanish Ranch. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<5>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spanish Ranch
    • Spanish Ranch is located in Plumas County
  • La Porte
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Meadow Valley
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
  • Crescent Mills
    (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
  • Continue List   (11 more) ...

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

Newspapers Published in Bells Bar ...

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 30 newspapers that have been published in the area around Bells Bar.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Bells Bar, there are papers which were published within 29 miles [46.7 km]<7>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Bells Bar.

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 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 Bells Bar:

The official website for Plumas County: www.countyofplumas.com/

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 Bells Bar, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<2>It's generally believed that possessive apostrophes are removed to prevent confusion on maps where the apostrophe may be confused with a cartographic symbol. While this is generally true, it's not uncommon to find possessive apostrophes in administrative names (such as towns or counties).
<3>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.
<4>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<5>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.
<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.
<7>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- Bells Bar) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Bells Bar. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 39.8657, Longitude: -120.7519       In this case, the coordinates for Bells Bar have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025