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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 Big Meadow (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 Meadow. 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 Big Meadow ...

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 Big Meadow: Big Mdw.

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 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.

Big Meadow is located in 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 Big Meadow. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Big Meadow:

  • Calaveras County     (The home county of Big Meadow)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Big Meadow, with the one closest to Big Meadow listed first.
    • Big Trees Village
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Trees Village
      • Big Trees Village is located in Calaveras County
    • Camp Connell
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Dorrington
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Big Trees
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Trees
      • Big Trees is located in Calaveras County
    • Arnold
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Pinebrook
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pinebrook
      • Pinebrook is located in Calaveras County
    • Fly-In Acres
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fly-In Acres
      • Fly-In Acres is located in Calaveras County
    • Meadowmont
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meadowmont
      • Meadowmont is located in Calaveras County
    • Lakemont Pines
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lakemont Pines
      • Lakemont Pines is located in Calaveras County
    • Avery
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Hathaway Pines
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Bummerville
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bummerville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bummerville
      • Bummerville is located in Calaveras County
  • Alpine County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Big Meadow, with the one closest to Big Meadow listed first.
    • Bear Valley
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Lake Alpine
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Alpine
      • Lake Alpine is located in Alpine County
    • Kirkwood
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
    • Marklee Village
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Marklee Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marklee Village
      • Marklee Village is located in Alpine County
    • Markleeville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Sorensens
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sorensens
      • Sorensens is located in Alpine County
    • Loope ‑ Historic
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loope
      • Loope is located in Alpine County
    • Alpine Village
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Alpine Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alpine Village
      • Alpine Village is located in Alpine County
  • Amador County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Big Meadow, with the one closest to Big Meadow listed first.
    • Kit Carson
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
    • Pioneer
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
    • Volcano
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
    • Pine Grove
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
    • Electra ‑ Historic
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Electra have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Electra
      • Electra is located in Amador County
  • El Dorado County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Big Meadow, with the one closest to Big Meadow listed first.
    • Kyburz
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
    • Strawberry
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
    • Phillips
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Phillips have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Phillips
      • Phillips is located in El Dorado County
    • Twin Bridges
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • Grizzly Flatx
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Echo Lake
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
    • White Hall
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for White Hall have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Hall
      • White Hall is located in El Dorado County
    • Riverton
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Riverton have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riverton
      • Riverton is located in El Dorado County
  • Tuolumne County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Big Meadow, with the one closest to Big Meadow listed first.
    • Bumblebee
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bumblebee have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bumblebee
      • Bumblebee is located in Tuolumne County
    • Dardanelle
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
    • Strawberry
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Strawberry have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Strawberry
      • Strawberry is located in Tuolumne County
    • Pinecrest
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Cold Springs
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
    • Long Barn
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
    • Sierra Village
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sierra Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sierra Village
      • Sierra Village is located in Tuolumne County
    • Mi-Wuk Village
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
    • Cedar Ridge
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Ridge
      • Cedar Ridge is located in Tuolumne County
    • Twain Harte
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
    • Cedar Rock Lodge
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Rock Lodge
      • Cedar Rock Lodge is located in Tuolumne County
    • Phoenix Lake - Cedar Ridge
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • 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

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

Newspapers Published in Big Meadow ...

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 15 newspapers that have been published in the area around Big Meadow.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Big Meadow, there are papers which were published within 27 miles [43.5 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Big Meadow.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we like to start with the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These helpful 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 Meadow:

Cemeteries Near Big Meadow ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Big Meadow.

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

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

  • Maidens Gravesite
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
  • Inedpendence Cemetery
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
  • Mountain Ranch Cemetery
    (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Andreason Cemetery
    (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Andreason Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Andreason Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #7839 <5>
  • Indian Diggings Cemetery
    (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Indian Diggings Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Indian Diggings Cemetery
  • Catholic Cemetery
    (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Catholic Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Catholic Cemetery
  • Protestant Cemetery
    (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Protestant Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Protestant Cemetery
  • Jesus Maria Cemetery
    (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
  • Briseno Ranch Burial Ground
    (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Continue List   (6 more) ...
    • Vallecito Cemetery
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Woodfords Washoe Indian Cemetery
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Old Woodfords Cemetery
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for the Old Woodfords Cemetery. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Old Woodfords Cemetery
      • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2160446 <5>
    • Pine Grove Cemetery
      (29 miles [46.7 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 Big Meadow in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Big Meadow.

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

  • Big Trees
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Trees
    • Big Trees is located in Calaveras County
  • Avery
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
  • Rail Road Flat
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
  • West Point
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
  • Sheep Ranch
    (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
  • Glencoe
    (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
  • Mountain Ranch
    (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Murphys
    (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Markleeville
    (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Douglas Flat
    (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
  • Grizzly Flatx
    (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
  • Omo Ranch
    (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Omo Ranch have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Omo Ranch
    • Omo Ranch is located in El Dorado County
  • Continue List   (5 more) ...
    • Volcano
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
    • Rich Gulch
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rich Gulch have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rich Gulch
      • Rich Gulch is located in Calaveras County
    • Bryants
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bryants have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bryants
      • Bryants is located in El Dorado County

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

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Big Meadow. 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>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 things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Big Meadow) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Big Meadow. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 38.4149, Longitude: -120.1147    
<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 Big Meadow, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024