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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 Colfax (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 Colfax. 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 southeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors were in the next county to the east. 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 east 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.

Colfax is located in Placer 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 Placer County: El Dorado, Nevada, Sacramento, Sutter, Yuba, Carson City (NV), Douglas (NV) & Washoe (NV).

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

  • Placer County     (The home county of Colfax)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Colfax, with the one closest to Colfax listed first.
    • Chicago Park ‑ Historic
      (Less than 2 miles to the north)
      • 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.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chicago Park
      • Chicago Park is located in Placer County
    • Iowa Hill
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Weimar
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Secret Town
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Secret Town have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Secret Town
      • Secret Town is located in Placer County
    • Yankee Jims
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Yankee Jims have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yankee Jims
      • Yankee Jims is located in Placer County
    • Gold Run
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Applegate
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Meadow Vista
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Dutch Flat
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Clipper Gap
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clipper Gap
      • Clipper Gap is located in Placer County
    • Foresthill
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Alta
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
  • El Dorado County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Colfax, with the one closest to Colfax listed first.
    • Greenwood
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
    • Georgetown
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Cool
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
    • Fornis
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fornis
      • Fornis is located in El Dorado County
    • Garden Valley
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
    • Pilot Hill
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
    • Quintette
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Quintette
      • Quintette is located in El Dorado County
    • Lotus
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • Coloma
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
    • Salmon Falls ‑ Historic
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Salmon Falls have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salmon Falls
      • Salmon Falls is located in El Dorado County
    • Jayhawk
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jayhawk
      • Jayhawk is located in El Dorado County
    • Equestrian Village
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Equestrian Village have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Equestrian Village
      • Equestrian Village is located in El Dorado County
  • Nevada County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Colfax, with the one closest to Colfax listed first.
    • Chicago Park
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Alta Sierra
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Alta Sierra have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alta Sierra
      • Alta Sierra is located in Nevada County
    • Lake of the Pines
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lake of the Pines have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake of the Pines
      • Lake of the Pines is located in Nevada County
    • Cedar Ridge
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • You Bet ‑ Historic
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for You Bet have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for You Bet
      • You Bet is located in Nevada County
    • Union Hill
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union Hill
      • Union Hill is located in Nevada County
    • Gold Flat
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gold Flat have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gold Flat
      • Gold Flat is located in Nevada County
    • Glenbrook
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glenbrook
      • Glenbrook is located in Nevada County
    • Grass Valley
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • The Oaks
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for The Oaks
      • The Oaks is located in Nevada County
    • Spring Hill
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Hill
      • Spring Hill is located in Nevada County
    • Nevada City
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
  • Sacramento County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Colfax, with the one closest to Colfax listed first.
    • Mormon Island ‑ Historic
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Mormon Island. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mormon Island
      • Mormon Island is located in Sacramento County
    • Represa
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Represa
      • Represa is located in Sacramento County
  • Shasta County
    • Bear Valley ‑ Historic
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Bear Valley. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bear Valley
      • Bear Valley is located in Shasta County
  • Sierra County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Colfax, with the one closest to Colfax listed first.
    • Alleghany
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
    • Forest
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forest
      • Forest is located in Sierra County
    • Brandy City ‑ Historic
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Brandy City have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brandy City
      • Brandy City is located in Sierra County
    • Goodyears Bar
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
  • Yuba County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Colfax, with the one closest to Colfax listed first.
    • Smartville
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
    • Timbuctoo ‑ Historic
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Timbuctoo
      • Timbuctoo is located in Yuba County
    • Dobbins
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
    • Oregon House
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
    • Camptonville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
    • Garden Valley ‑ Historic
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Garden Valley have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garden Valley
      • Garden Valley is located in Yuba County
    • Bullards Bar ‑ Historic
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bullards Bar have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bullards Bar
      • Bullards Bar is located in Yuba County
    • Foster Bar ‑ Historic
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Foster Bar have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Foster Bar
      • Foster Bar is located in Yuba County
    • Browns Valley
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
    • Wheatland
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
    • Depot Hill ‑ Historic
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Depot Hill. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Depot Hill
      • Depot Hill is located in Yuba County
    • Loma Rica
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loma Rica
      • Loma Rica is located in Yuba County

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Colfax ...

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 78 newspapers that have been published in the area around Colfax.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Colfax. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Colfax and those printed in the larger area surrounding Colfax.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 18 miles [29 km]<4> of Colfax.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first turn to 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 Colfax:

Cemeteries Near Colfax ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Colfax.

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

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

  • Colfax Indian Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
  • Colfax Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Colfax Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Colfax Cemetery
  • Iowa Hill Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Iowa Hill Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Iowa Hill Cemetery
  • Foresthill Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Foresthill Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Foresthill Cemetery
  • Foresthill Community Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
  • Dutch Flat Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Dutch Flat Cemetery is located in the vicinity of Alta
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Dutch Flat Cemetery
  • Elm Ridge Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Elm Ridge Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Elm Ridge Cemetery
  • Catholic Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • 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.
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Catholic Cemetery is located in Grass Valley.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Catholic Cemetery
  • St. Patricks Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Patricks Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Patricks Cemetery
  • Greenwood Memorial Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Greenwood Memorial Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Greenwood Memorial Cemetery
  • Deer Creek Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • 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 our Gazetteer entry for the Deer Creek Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2400769 <5>
  • Forest View Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
  • Continue List   (52 more) ...
    • Pine Grove Cemetery
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Spanish Dry Diggings Cemetery
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Pioneer Cemetery
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • 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.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pioneer Cemetery

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>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Colfax had a population of 670 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Colfax had a population of 2,009 people.

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

  • Chicago Park
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
  • Weimar
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
  • Buena Vista ‑ Historic
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Buena Vista have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buena Vista
    • Buena Vista is located in Nevada County
  • Yankee Jims
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Yankee Jims have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yankee Jims
    • Yankee Jims is located in Placer County
  • Kres
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kres have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kres
    • Kres is located in Nevada County
  • Gold Run
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Union Hill
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union Hill
    • Union Hill is located in Nevada County
  • You Bet ‑ Historic
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for You Bet have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for You Bet
    • You Bet is located in Nevada County
  • Clipper Gap
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clipper Gap
    • Clipper Gap is located in Placer County
  • Dutch Flat
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
  • Wolf
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wolf have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wolf
    • Wolf is located in Nevada County
  • Glenbrook
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glenbrook
    • Glenbrook is located in Nevada County
  • Continue List   (18 more) ...
    • Towle
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Towle have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Towle
      • Towle is located in Placer County
    • Alta
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Nevada City
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)

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

The official website for Colfax: www.ci.colfax.ca.us/

The official website for Placer County: www.placer.ca.gov/

The official website for State of California: https://www.ca.gov/

Footnotes ...

<1>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.
<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 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>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- Colfax) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Colfax. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 39.1004, Longitude: -120.9528    
<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 Colfax, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024