RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> State of California >> Nevada County >> Buena Vista >> Genealogy HelperIndex...

Our Genealogy Helper

Introduction ...

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

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

Although our information shows that the community of Buena Vista is historic, it would have been located within present day Nevada 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 Nevada County: Placer, Sierra, Yuba & Washoe (NV).

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

  • Nevada County     (The home county of Buena Vista)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Buena Vista, with the one closest to Buena Vista listed first.
    • Cedar Ridge
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
    • Kres
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
      • Kres is located in Nevada County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kres
    • Chicago Park
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Union Hill
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
      • Union Hill is located in Nevada County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union Hill
    • You Bet ‑ Historic
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
      • You Bet is located in Nevada County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for You Bet
    • Glenbrook
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Glenbrook is located in Nevada County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glenbrook
    • Gold Flat
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Gold Flat is located in Nevada County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gold Flat
    • Spring Hill
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Spring Hill is located in Nevada County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Hill
    • Grass Valley
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Nevada City
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Alta Sierra
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
      • Alta Sierra is located in Nevada County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alta Sierra
    • Nevada City Rancheria
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Butte County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Buena Vista, with the one closest to Buena Vista listed first.
    • Clipper Mills
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Oroleve
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Oroleve is located in Butte County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oroleve
    • Bangor
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Evansville ‑ Historic
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Evansville is located in Butte County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Evansville
    • Forbestown
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Robinson Mill
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Robinson Mill is located in Butte County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Robinson Mill
  • El Dorado County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Buena Vista, with the one closest to Buena Vista listed first.
    • Cool
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • Georgetown
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • Greenwood
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • Fornis
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Fornis is located in El Dorado County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fornis
    • Garden Valley
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
    • Pilot Hill
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
    • Quintette
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Quintette is located in El Dorado County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Quintette
    • Coloma
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
    • Lotus
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
    • Kelsey
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Kelsey is located in El Dorado County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kelsey
    • Gold Hill
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Gold Hill is located in El Dorado County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gold Hill
    • Salmon Falls ‑ Historic
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Salmon Falls is located in El Dorado County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salmon Falls
  • Placer County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Buena Vista, with the one closest to Buena Vista listed first.
    • Chicago Park ‑ Historic
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
      • Chicago Park is located in Placer County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chicago Park
    • Secret Town
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
      • Secret Town is located in Placer County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Secret Town
    • Gold Run
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Colfax
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Dutch Flat
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Alta
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Iowa Hill
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Casa Loma
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
      • Casa Loma is located in Placer County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Casa Loma
    • Weimar
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Yankee Jims
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Yankee Jims is located in Placer County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yankee Jims
    • Applegate
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • Meadow Vista
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
  • Shasta County
    • Bear Valley ‑ Historic
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Bear Valley is located in Shasta County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bear Valley
  • Sierra County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Buena Vista, with the one closest to Buena Vista listed first.
    • Alleghany
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
    • Forest
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Forest is located in Sierra County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forest
    • Brandy City ‑ Historic
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Brandy City is located in Sierra County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brandy City
    • Goodyears Bar
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
    • Downieville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
    • Loganville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Loganville is located in Sierra County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loganville
  • Yuba County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Buena Vista, with the one closest to Buena Vista listed first.
    • Dobbins
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Smartville
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
    • Camptonville
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
    • Bullards Bar ‑ Historic
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
      • Bullards Bar is located in Yuba County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bullards Bar
    • Garden Valley ‑ Historic
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
      • Garden Valley is located in Yuba County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garden Valley
    • Timbuctoo ‑ Historic
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
      • Timbuctoo is located in Yuba County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Timbuctoo
    • Foster Bar ‑ Historic
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Foster Bar is located in Yuba County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Foster Bar
    • Oregon House
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Depot Hill ‑ Historic
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Depot Hill is located in Yuba County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Depot Hill
    • Browns Valley
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
    • Challenge
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Brownsville
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)

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

Cemeteries Near Buena Vista ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Buena Vista.

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 Buena Vista - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Elm Ridge Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Deer Creek Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Deer Creek Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Deer Creek Cemetery is located outside and to the east of Nevada City.
    • The Deer Creek Cemetery has also been known as:
    • New Odd Fellows Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2400769 <3>
  • Forest View Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • Pine Grove Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • Pioneer Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
  • St. Patricks Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
  • Catholic Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
  • Colfax Indian Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • Colfax Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • Greenwood Memorial Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Dutch Flat Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dutch Flat Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Dutch Flat Cemetery is located in the vicinity of Alta
  • Iowa Hill Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Continue List   (51 more) ...
    • Pioneer Grove Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Rough & Ready Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Foresthill Cemetery
      (14 miles [22.5 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.

Buena Vista itself is historic and was described in the Rand McNally Atlas as having railroad service and no post office.

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

  • Kres
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
    • Kres is located in Nevada County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kres
  • Chicago Park
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
  • Union Hill
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Union Hill is located in Nevada County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union Hill
  • You Bet ‑ Historic
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • You Bet is located in Nevada County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for You Bet
  • Glenbrook
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Glenbrook is located in Nevada County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glenbrook
  • Nevada City
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
  • Colfax
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • Gold Run
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
  • Dutch Flat
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
  • Alta
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
  • Towle
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Towle is located in Placer County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Towle
  • Rough and Ready
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
  • Continue List   (18 more) ...
    • Weimar
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Wolf
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Wolf is located in Nevada County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wolf
    • Yankee Jims
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Yankee Jims is located in Placer County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yankee Jims

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

Newspapers Published in Buena Vista ...

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 56 newspapers that have been published in the area around Buena Vista.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Buena Vista, there are papers which were published within 14 miles [22.5 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Buena Vista.

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 Buena Vista:

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 Buena Vista, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<3>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.
<4>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Buena Vista) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.