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 Big 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 Big 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.
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 northeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals were in the next county to the east. 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 east 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.
Big Bar is primarily located in Calaveras County. A portion of Big Bar extends into Amador 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 Big Bar. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Big Bar:
- Calaveras County (The home county of Big Bar)
- The following are listed by their distance from Big Bar, with the one closest to Big Bar listed first.
- Mokelumne Hill
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Glencoe
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Petersburg ‑ Historic
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- 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.<2>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Petersburg
- Petersburg is located in Calaveras County
- Petersburg has also been known as:
- Greasertown
- Google driving directions:
- From your current location to Petersburg
- From Big Bar to Petersburg
- San Andreas
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Campo Seco
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Rail Road Flat
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Valley Springs
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Sandy Gulch
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Mountain Ranch
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Oregon Bar ‑ Historic
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Oregon Bar. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oregon Bar
- Oregon Bar is located in Calaveras County
- Google driving directions:
- From your current location to Oregon Bar
- From Big Bar to Oregon Bar
- West Point
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Wilseyville
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Burson
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Amador County
- The following are listed by their distance from Big Bar, with the one closest to Big Bar listed first.
- Electra ‑ Historic
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Electra. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Electra
- Electra is located in Amador County
- Google driving directions:
- From your current location to Electra
- From Big Bar to Electra
- Jackson
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Martell
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Pine Grove
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Sutter Creek
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Amador City
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Volcano
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Pioneer
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Drytown
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Ione
(11 miles [17.7 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 <1>
- Google driving directions:
- From your current location to Ione
- From Big Bar to Ione
- Fiddletown
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Plymouth
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Camanche Village
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Camanche Village have been provided by the GNIS.<3> 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 Big Bar, with the one closest to Big Bar listed first.
- Mount Aukum
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Fair Play
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Somerset
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Grizzly Flatx
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Pleasant Valley
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Tiger Lily
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Diamond Springs
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- El Dorado
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Euchre Diggings ‑ Historic
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Newtown
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Shingle Springs
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Cameron Park
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Camino
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Sacramento County
- The following are listed by their distance from Big Bar, with the one closest to Big Bar listed first.
- Rancho Murieta
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Sloughhouse
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Herald
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Wilton
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- San Joaquin County
- The following are listed by their distance from Big Bar, with the one closest to Big Bar listed first.
- Clements
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Bellota
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Bellota. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bellota
- Bellota is located in San Joaquin County
- Google driving directions:
- From your current location to Bellota
- From Big Bar to Bellota
- Lockeford
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Linden
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Victor
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Peters
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Farmington
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Tuolumne County
- The following are listed by their distance from Big Bar, with the one closest to Big Bar listed first.
- Columbia
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Columbia Village
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Columbia Village have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Columbia Village
- Columbia Village is located in Tuolumne County
- Tuttletown
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Martinez
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Martinez have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Martinez
- Martinez is located in Tuolumne County
- Squabbletown
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Rawhide
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Cedar Ridge
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Greenley Oaks
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Jamestown
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Phoenix Lake - Cedar Ridge
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Sonora
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- East Sonora
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for East Sonora have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Sonora
- East Sonora is located in Tuolumne County
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Big Bar, see our County-by-County Page for Big Bar.
Cemeteries Near Big Bar ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Big 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 Big Bar covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Big Bar, with the one closest to Big Bar listed first.
- Jesus Maria Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- St. Sava Servian Orthodox Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Jackson Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Jackson Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Jackson Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Pioneer Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pioneer Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pioneer Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Peoples Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Peoples Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Peoples Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Pine Grove Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Catholic Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- City Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- New Protestant Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the New Protestant Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the New Protestant Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- IOOF Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the IOOF Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the IOOF Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> 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.
- Catholic Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Catholic Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Catholic Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Oak Knoll Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Oak Knoll Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Oak Knoll Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Continue List (55 more) ...
- Protestant Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Protestant Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Protestant Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Catholic Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Catholic Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Catholic Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Mountain Ranch Cemetery
(11 miles [17.7 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.<5>
While we didn't find Big Bar in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Big Bar.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Big Bar, with the one closest to Big Bar listed first.
- Mokelumne Hill
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Rich Gulch
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rich Gulch have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rich Gulch
- Rich Gulch is located in Calaveras County
- Jackson
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Glencoe
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Pine Grove
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Sutter Creek
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- San Andreas
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Campo Seco
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Amador City
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Valley Springs
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Rail Road Flat
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Volcano
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Continue List (15 more) ...
- Lancha Plana ‑ Historic
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lancha Plana have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lancha Plana
- Lancha Plana is located in Amador County
- Mountain Ranch
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Drytown
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Big Bar. See our List of 1890's Communities around Big Bar.
Newspapers Published in Big 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 62 newspapers that have been published in the area around Big Bar.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Big Bar, there are papers which were published within 22 miles [35.4 km]<6>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Big Bar.
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 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 Big Bar:
- Websites specific to California
- Pages specific to Calaveras County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Amador County
- El Dorado County
- Sacramento County
- San Joaquin County
- Tuolumne County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for California
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Big Bar. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for Calaveras County: www.co.calaveras.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> | 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. |
<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> | 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. |
<5> | 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 Big Bar, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
<6> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Big Bar) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Big Bar. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 38.3117, Longitude: -120.7202 |