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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 Bruce Crossing (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 Bruce Crossing. 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 Bruce Crossing ...

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 occur.

For example, a typical abbreviation for Bruce Crossing: Bruce Xing.

You might be interested in other communities that are also named Bruce Crossing. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Bruce Crossing.

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 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.

Bruce Crossing is located in Calaveras County.

To see how the shape of California's counties may 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 Bruce Crossing. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Bruce Crossing:

  • Calaveras County     (The home county of Bruce Crossing)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bruce Crossing, with the one closest to Bruce Crossing listed first.
    • Big Meadow
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Big Meadow is located in Calaveras County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Meadow
    • Big Trees Village
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
      • Big Trees Village is located in Calaveras County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Trees Village
    • Camp Connell
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Dorrington
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • Bummerville
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Bummerville is located in Calaveras County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bummerville
    • Big Trees
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
      • Big Trees is located in Calaveras County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Trees
    • Wilseyville
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
    • West Point
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
    • Arnold
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
    • Sandy Gulch
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Sandy Gulch is located in Calaveras County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandy Gulch
    • Meadowmont
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
      • Meadowmont is located in Calaveras County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meadowmont
    • Pinebrook
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
      • Pinebrook is located in Calaveras County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pinebrook
  • Alpine County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bruce Crossing, with the one closest to Bruce Crossing listed first.
    • Bear Valley
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
    • Lake Alpine
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • Lake Alpine is located in Alpine County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Alpine
    • Sorensens
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Sorensens is located in Alpine County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sorensens
    • Marklee Village
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Marklee Village is located in Alpine County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marklee Village
    • Markleeville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Amador County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bruce Crossing, with the one closest to Bruce Crossing listed first.
    • Kit Carson
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Pioneer
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
    • Kirkwood
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
    • Volcano
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
    • Pine Grove
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
    • Electra ‑ Historic
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Electra is located in Amador County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Electra
    • River Pines
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
    • Fiddletown
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
    • Jackson
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
    • Martell
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
    • Sutter Creek
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
    • Amador City
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
  • El Dorado County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bruce Crossing, with the one closest to Bruce Crossing listed first.
    • Grizzly Flatx
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Kyburz
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
    • White Hall
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • White Hall is located in El Dorado County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Hall
    • Riverton
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Riverton is located in El Dorado County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riverton
    • Fair Play
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
    • Strawberry
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
    • Fresh Pond
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Fresh Pond is located in El Dorado County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fresh Pond
    • Pacific
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Pacific is located in El Dorado County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pacific
    • Twin Bridges
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
    • Phillips
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Phillips is located in El Dorado County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Phillips
    • Pleasant Valley
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Pleasant Valley is located in El Dorado County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Valley
    • Mount Aukum
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
  • Tuolumne County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bruce Crossing, with the one closest to Bruce Crossing listed first.
    • Bumblebee
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Bumblebee is located in Tuolumne County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bumblebee
    • Strawberry
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • Strawberry is located in Tuolumne County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Strawberry
    • Cold Springs
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Pinecrest
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Dardanelle
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
    • Long Barn
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
    • Cedar Ridge
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Cedar Ridge is located in Tuolumne County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Ridge
    • Mi-Wuk Village
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
    • Sierra Village
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Sierra Village is located in Tuolumne County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sierra Village
    • Phoenix Lake - Cedar Ridge
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
    • Twain Harte
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)

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

Cemeteries Near Bruce Crossing ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Bruce Crossing.

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.

Although we don't have the information ourselves, if you need information about a burial or interment, photos, transcripts, how to contact the cemetery or local authorities, please visit our list of websites on our Genealogy Helper Page for Bruce Crossing - one of the links might be able to help.

If not found below, our Cemetery List for Bruce Crossing covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

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

  • Maidens Gravesite
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Amador Memorial Cemetery
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
  • Inedpendence Cemetery
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
  • Indian Diggings Cemetery
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
  • Andreason Cemetery
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
  • Catholic Cemetery
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
  • Protestant Cemetery
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
  • Pine Grove Cemetery
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
  • Mountain Ranch Cemetery
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Jesus Maria Cemetery
    (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
  • Fiddletown Cemetery
    (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
  • Briseno Ranch Burial Ground
    (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
  • Continue List   (13 more) ...
    • St. Sava Servian Orthodox Cemetery
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
    • Jackson Cemetery
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
    • Catholic 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.<4>

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

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

  • West Point
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
  • Big Trees
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
    • Big Trees is located in Calaveras County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Trees
  • Rail Road Flat
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Grizzly Flatx
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Omo Ranch
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Omo Ranch is located in El Dorado County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Omo Ranch
  • Glencoe
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
  • Avery
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
  • Volcano
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
  • Bryants
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Bryants is located in El Dorado County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bryants
  • Pine Grove
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
  • Rich Gulch
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Rich Gulch is located in Calaveras County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rich Gulch
  • Sheep Ranch
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Continue List   (11 more) ...
    • Mountain Ranch
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Fair Play
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
    • Pacific
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Pacific is located in El Dorado County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pacific

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

Newspapers Published in Bruce Crossing ...

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 12 newspapers that have been published in the area around Bruce Crossing.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Bruce Crossing, there are papers which were published within 26 miles [41.8 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Bruce Crossing.

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 websites either 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 Bruce Crossing:

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 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.
<3>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Bruce Crossing) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.
<4>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 Bruce Crossing, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.