RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> State of California >> Nevada County >> Big Oak Valley >> Genealogy HelperIndex...










Learn About
The Commemorative
Quarter for
California

The Commemorative Quarter for California





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 Oak 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 Big Oak 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.

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 doctors and 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 Oak Valley is located in Nevada 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 Nevada County: Placer, Sierra, Yuba & Washoe (NV).

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

  • Nevada County     (The home county of Big Oak Valley)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Big Oak Valley, with the one closest to Big Oak Valley listed first.
    • Penn Valley
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Lake Wildwood
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Wildwood
      • Lake Wildwood is located in Nevada County
    • Rough and Ready
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Bridgeport
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bridgeport
      • Bridgeport is located in Nevada County
    • Bitney Corner
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bitney Corner
      • Bitney Corner is located in Nevada County
    • The Oaks
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for The Oaks
      • The Oaks is located in Nevada County
    • Newtown
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newtown
      • Newtown is located in Nevada County
    • Grass Valley
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Alta Sierra
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Alta Sierra have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alta Sierra
      • Alta Sierra is located in Nevada County
    • Spring Hill
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Hill
      • Spring Hill is located in Nevada County
    • Union Hill
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union Hill
      • Union Hill is located in Nevada County
    • Birchville
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Birchville
      • Birchville is located in Nevada County
  • Butte County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Big Oak Valley, with the one closest to Big Oak Valley listed first.
    • Bangor
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Honcut
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Robinson Mill
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Robinson Mill
      • Robinson Mill is located in Butte County
    • Wyandotte
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Wyandotte. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wyandotte
      • Wyandotte is located in Butte County
    • Evansville ‑ Historic
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Evansville. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Evansville
      • Evansville is located in Butte County
    • Forbestown
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
    • Palermo
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Robinsons Corner
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Robinsons Corner
      • Robinsons Corner is located in Butte County
    • Oroleve
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oroleve
      • Oroleve is located in Butte County
    • Clipper Mills
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
    • South Fork ‑ Historic
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for South Fork. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Fork
      • South Fork is located in Butte County
    • Peachton
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peachton
      • Peachton is located in Butte County
  • El Dorado County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Big Oak Valley, with the one closest to Big Oak Valley listed first.
    • Cool
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Greenwood
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Pilot Hill
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Fornis
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fornis
      • Fornis is located in El Dorado County
    • Georgetown
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Placer County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Big Oak Valley, with the one closest to Big Oak Valley listed first.
    • Sheridan
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Chicago Park ‑ Historic
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Chicago Park. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chicago Park
      • Chicago Park is located in Placer County
    • Colfax
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
    • Meadow Vista
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
    • Weimar
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
    • Clayton
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Clayton have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clayton
      • Clayton is located in Placer County
    • Applegate
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Clipper Gap
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clipper Gap
      • Clipper Gap is located in Placer County
    • Secret Town
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Secret Town. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Secret Town
      • Secret Town is located in Placer County
    • Lincoln
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • Bowman
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
    • North Auburn
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Auburn have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Auburn
      • North Auburn is located in Placer County
  • Santa Cruz County
  • Sierra County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Big Oak Valley, with the one closest to Big Oak Valley listed first.
    • Brandy City ‑ Historic
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • 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.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brandy City
      • Brandy City is located in Sierra County
    • Alleghany
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Forest
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forest
      • Forest is located in Sierra County
  • Sutter County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Big Oak Valley, with the one closest to Big Oak Valley listed first.
    • Yuba City
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
    • Bogue
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bogue
      • Bogue is located in Sutter County
    • South Yuba City
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for South Yuba City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Yuba City
      • South Yuba City is located in Sutter County
    • Rio Oso
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Live Oak
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Live Oak
      • Live Oak is located in Sutter County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 9,048 people
    • Tierra Buena
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tierra Buena have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tierra Buena
      • Tierra Buena is located in Sutter County
    • Marcuse ‑ Historic
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Marcuse. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marcuse
      • Marcuse is located in Sutter County
    • Nicolas
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Nicolaus
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Sutter
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
    • Pleasant Grove
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Pennington
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pennington
      • Pennington is located in Sutter County
  • Yuba County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Big Oak Valley, with the one closest to Big Oak Valley listed first.
    • Smartville
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Timbuctoo ‑ Historic
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Timbuctoo
      • Timbuctoo is located in Yuba County
    • Browns Valley
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Oregon House
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Loma Rica
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loma Rica
      • Loma Rica is located in Yuba County
    • Dobbins
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • Iowa City
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Iowa City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Iowa City
      • Iowa City is located in Yuba County
    • Dantoni
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dantoni
      • Dantoni is located in Yuba County
    • Wheatland
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Ostrom ‑ Historic
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ostrom
      • Ostrom is located in Yuba County
    • Linda
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
    • Binney Junction
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Binney Junction
      • Binney Junction is located in Yuba County

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

Cemeteries Near Big Oak Valley ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Big Oak 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 Big Oak Valley covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

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

  • Immaculate Conception Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Immaculate Conception Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Immaculate Conception Cemetery is located outside of Smartsville
    • The Immaculate Conception Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Smartsville Catholic Cemetery
    • Smartville Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2189988 <4>
  • Smartsville Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Smartsville Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Smartsville Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located
    • The Smartsville Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Good Templars Cemetery
    • Mason Cemetery
    • McGanney Cemetery
    • Odd Fellows Cemetery
    • Smartsville Fraternal Cemetery
    • Smartville Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #8377 <4>
  • Kneebone Family Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
  • Rough & Ready Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Rough & Ready Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Rough & Ready Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Browns Valley Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
  • Lofton Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
  • Greenwood Memorial Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Greenwood Memorial Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Greenwood Memorial Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Peoria Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Peoria Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Peoria Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Peoria Memorial Park
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
  • Catholic Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • 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.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Catholic Cemetery is located in Grass Valley.
  • St. Patricks Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Patricks Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Patricks Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Camp Far West Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Camp Far West Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Camp Far West Cemetery is located 4 miles [6.4 km]<5> to the southwest of Wheatland.
    • The Camp Far West Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Cantonment Far West Cemetery
    • Far West Graveyard
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2255638 <4>
  • Continue List   (62 more) ...
    • Elm Ridge Cemetery
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Elm Ridge Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Elm Ridge Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Sacred Heart Catholic Cemetery
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • Pioneer Cemetery
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
      • 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.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.

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 Oak Valley in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Big Oak Valley.

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

  • Smartville
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
  • Rough and Ready
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Browns Valley
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
  • Oregon House
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
  • Wolf
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wolf have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wolf
    • Wolf is located in Nevada County
  • Union Hill
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union Hill
    • Union Hill is located in Nevada County
  • Glenbrook
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glenbrook
    • Glenbrook is located in Nevada County
  • Sweetland
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sweetland have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sweetland
    • Sweetland is located in Nevada County
  • Dobbins
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
  • Kres
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Kres. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kres
    • Kres is located in Nevada County
  • Nevada City
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
  • North San Juan
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Wheatland
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Sheridan
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Chicago Park
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)

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

Newspapers Published in Big Oak 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 53 newspapers that have been published in the area around Big Oak Valley.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Big Oak Valley, there are papers which were published within 17 miles [27.4 km]<5>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Big Oak Valley.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we begin with the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These professional and volunteer 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 Oak Valley:

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

The official website for Nevada County: www.new.mynevadacounty.com/

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>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>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Big Oak Valley) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Big Oak Valley. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 39.1917, Longitude: -121.2561       In this case, the coordinates for Big Oak Valley have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<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 Oak Valley, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

Copyright 2025
All Rights Reserved

Thank you for visiting our website.

In closing, please keep in mind that we can not guarantee the accuracy or timeliness of the information on this website, so use with care. We encourage you to double-check the information that is critical to you.

If you've found an error or have additional information that you would like to share, please don't hesitate to write: Click here to contact us.

This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025