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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 Folsom (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 Folsom. 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 Folsom ...

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.

The community of Folsom was originally named Granite City

Folsom has also been known as: Folsom City.

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.

A Few Details for Folsom ...

While it's still very early in our research, we found that:

  • The naming (or the toponymy) of Folsom: Named for Joseph L. Folsom (1817-1855), a real estate investor and founder of Folsom.
  • It was incorporated on April 20, 1946.

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 hospitals 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.

Folsom is located in Sacramento 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 Sacramento County: Amador, Contra Costa, Placer, San Joaquin, Solano, Sutter & Yolo.

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

  • Sacramento County     (The home county of Folsom)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Folsom, with the one closest to Folsom listed first.
    • Represa
      (Less than 2 miles to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Represa
      • Represa is located in Sacramento County
    • Prairie City
      (Less than 2 miles to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Prairie City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prairie City
      • Prairie City is located in Sacramento County
    • Natoma
      (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Natoma have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Natoma
      • Natoma is located in Sacramento County
    • Folsom Junction
      (Less than 2 miles to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Folsom Junction
      • Folsom Junction is located in Sacramento County
    • Mormon Island ‑ Historic
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
      • 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.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mormon Island
      • Mormon Island is located in Sacramento County
    • Orangevale
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Gold River
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Fair Oaks
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Citrus Heights
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Rancho Cordova
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Carmichael
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Foothill Farms
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Foothill Farms have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Foothill Farms
      • Foothill Farms is located in Sacramento County
  • Amador County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Folsom, with the one closest to Folsom listed first.
    • May ‑ Historic
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for May have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for May
      • May is located in Amador County
    • Carbondale ‑ Historic
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Carbondale have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carbondale
      • Carbondale is located in Amador County
    • Plymouth
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Drytown
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
    • River Pines
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
    • Amador City
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Fiddletown
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Ione
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ione
      • Ione is located in Amador County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 8,326 people
      • Former names for Ione:
      • Bedbug
      • Freeze Out
      • Hardscrabble
      • Ione City
      • Ione Valley
      • Jone City
      • Jone Valley
      • Rickeyville
      • Woosterville
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ione <3>
    • Sutter Creek
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Martell
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Camanche Village
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Camanche Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Camanche Village
      • Camanche Village is located in Amador County
    • Jackson
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
  • El Dorado County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Folsom, with the one closest to Folsom listed first.
    • La Cresta Village
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for La Cresta Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for La Cresta Village
      • La Cresta Village is located in El Dorado County
    • Ridgeview Village
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ridgeview Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ridgeview Village
      • Ridgeview Village is located in El Dorado County
    • Lakeridge Oaks
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lakeridge Oaks
      • Lakeridge Oaks is located in El Dorado County
    • Crescent Ridge Village
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Crescent Ridge Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crescent Ridge Village
      • Crescent Ridge Village is located in El Dorado County
    • El Dorado Hills
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Governors Village
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Governors Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Governors Village
      • Governors Village is located in El Dorado County
    • Oak Ridge Village
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Oak Ridge Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Ridge Village
      • Oak Ridge Village is located in El Dorado County
    • Park Village
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Park Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Park Village
      • Park Village is located in El Dorado County
    • Crown Village
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Crown Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crown Village
      • Crown Village is located in El Dorado County
    • Franciscan Village
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Franciscan Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Franciscan Village
      • Franciscan Village is located in El Dorado County
    • Marina Village
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Marina Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marina Village
      • Marina Village is located in El Dorado County
    • Oak Tree Village
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Oak Tree Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Tree Village
      • Oak Tree Village is located in El Dorado County
  • Nevada County
    • Lake of the Pines
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lake of the Pines have been provided by the GNIS.<1> 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
  • Placer County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Folsom, with the one closest to Folsom listed first.
    • Granite Bay
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Roseville
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Rocklin
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Loomis
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Penryn
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • Newcastle
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Whitney ‑ Historic
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whitney
      • Whitney is located in Placer County
    • Ophir
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ophir
      • Ophir is located in Placer County
    • Auburn
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
    • Virginiatown
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Virginiatown
      • Virginiatown is located in Placer County
    • Lincoln
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Clayton
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Clayton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clayton
      • Clayton is located in Placer County
  • Sutter County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Folsom, with the one closest to Folsom listed first.
    • Pleasant Grove
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Nicolas
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Nicolaus
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Rio Oso
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
  • Yolo County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Folsom, with the one closest to Folsom listed first.
    • Broderick
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
    • Bryte
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
    • West Sacramento
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
    • Clarksburg
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Swingle
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Swingle have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Swingle
      • Swingle is located in Yolo County
    • Greendale
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Greendale have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greendale
      • Greendale is located in Yolo County
    • El Macero
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
  • Yuba County
    • Wheatland
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Folsom ...

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 172 newspapers that have been published in the area around Folsom.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

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

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 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 Folsom:

Cemeteries Near Folsom ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Folsom.

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

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

  • Lakeside Memorial Lawn Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lakeside Memorial Lawn Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lakeside Memorial Lawn Cemetery
  • Folsom Prison Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for the Folsom Prison Cemetery. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Folsom Prison Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located in Folsom.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Folsom Prison Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2193831 <5>
  • Mormon Island Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mormon Island Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mormon Island Cemetery
  • Clarksville Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Clarksville Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Clarksville Cemetery
  • Mt. Vernon Memorial Park
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
  • Fair Oaks Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Fair Oaks Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Fair Oaks Cemetery
  • Mathew Kilgore Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mathew Kilgore Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mathew Kilgore Cemetery
  • Sylvan Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Sylvan Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Sylvan Cemetery
  • Green Valley Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
  • Roseville Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Roseville Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Roseville Cemetery
  • Calvary Catholic Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
  • Sierra Hills Memorial Park
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
  • Continue List   (77 more) ...
    • Bryant Cemetery
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Jayhawk Cemetery
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Camellia Memorial Lawn Cemetery
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)

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 in 1895, Folsom had a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Folsom had a population of 82,726 people.

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

  • Natoma
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Natoma have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Natoma
    • Natoma is located in Sacramento County
  • Alder Creek
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Alder Creek have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alder Creek
    • Alder Creek is located in Sacramento County
  • Orangevale
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
  • White Rock
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for White Rock have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Rock
    • White Rock is located in Sacramento County
  • Clarksville
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Clarksville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clarksville
    • Clarksville is located in El Dorado County
  • Salsbury ‑ Historic
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Salsbury have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salsbury
    • Salsbury is located in Sacramento County
  • Salmon Falls ‑ Historic
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Salmon Falls have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salmon Falls
    • Salmon Falls is located in El Dorado County
  • Roseville
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
  • Rocklin
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
  • Loomis
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
  • Latrobe
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Latrobe have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Latrobe
    • Latrobe is located in El Dorado County
  • Shingle Springs
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Antelope
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
    • Mayhew
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mayhew have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mayhew
      • Mayhew is located in Sacramento County
    • Penryn
      (12 miles [19.3 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 Folsom. See our List of 1890's Communities around Folsom.

The official website for Folsom: www.folsom.ca.us/

The official website for Sacramento County: www.saccounty.net/

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

Footnotes ...

<1>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.
<2>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.
<3>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<4>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or point-to-point) distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Folsom) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Folsom. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 38.6694, Longitude: -121.1538    
<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 Folsom, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024