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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 Granite Springs (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 Granite Springs. 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 Granite Springs ...

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 Granite Springs: Granite Spgs. (or less commonly used: Granite Spngs. or Granite Sprngs.)

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

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 northwest 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 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 west 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.

Granite Springs is located in Mariposa 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 Mariposa County: Madera, Merced, Mono, Stanislaus & Tuolumne.

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

  • Mariposa County     (The home county of Granite Springs)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Granite Springs, with the one closest to Granite Springs listed first.
    • Coulterville
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Dogtown
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
      • Dogtown is located in Mariposa County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dogtown
    • Bagby ‑ Historic
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Bagby is located in Mariposa County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bagby
    • Bear Valley
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Bear Valley is located in Mariposa County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bear Valley
    • Hornitos
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
    • Mount Bullion
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Mount Bullion is located in Mariposa County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Bullion
    • Catheys Valley
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Mariposa
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Midpines
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
    • Jerseydale
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Jerseydale is located in Mariposa County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jerseydale
    • Bootjack
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Bootjack is located in Mariposa County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bootjack
    • Darrah
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Darrah is located in Mariposa County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Darrah
  • Calaveras County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Granite Springs, with the one closest to Granite Springs listed first.
    • The Shores of Poker Flat
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Melones ‑ Historic
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Melones is located in Calaveras County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Melones
    • Copper Cove Village
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Copper Cove Village is located in Calaveras County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Copper Cove Village
    • Copperopolis
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Vallecito
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
    • Angels Camp
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Douglas Flat
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
    • Altaville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Angels City
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Angels City is located in Calaveras County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Angels City
    • Angels
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Angels is located in Calaveras County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Angels
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,963 people
    • Telegraph City
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Telegraph City is located in Calaveras County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Telegraph City
  • Merced County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Granite Springs, with the one closest to Granite Springs listed first.
    • Merced Falls
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
      • Merced Falls is located in Merced County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Merced Falls
    • Snelling
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Amsterdam
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Amsterdam is located in Merced County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amsterdam
    • Arundel ‑ Historic
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Arundel is located in Merced County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arundel
    • The Grove
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • The Grove is located in Merced County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for The Grove
    • Fluhr
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Fluhr is located in Merced County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fluhr
    • Winton
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Planada
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
    • Tuttle
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Tuttle is located in Merced County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tuttle
    • Ballico
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Cressey
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Atwater
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Stanislaus County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Granite Springs, with the one closest to Granite Springs listed first.
    • La Grange
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Knights Ferry
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
    • Hickman
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
    • Waterford
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
    • East Oakdale
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • East Oakdale is located in Stanislaus County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Oakdale
    • Denair
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Oakdale
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Oakdale is located in Stanislaus County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakdale
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 23,228 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Oakdale <1>
  • Tuolumne County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Granite Springs, with the one closest to Granite Springs listed first.
    • Moccasin
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Big Oak Flat
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Jacksonville ‑ Historic
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
      • Jacksonville is located in Tuolumne County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jacksonville
    • Groveland
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Chinese Camp
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Stent
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Stent is located in Tuolumne County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stent
    • Yosemite Junction
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Yosemite Junction is located in Tuolumne County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yosemite Junction
    • Jamestown
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
    • Mono Village
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Mono Village is located in Tuolumne County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mono Village
    • Standard
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
    • Tuolumne City
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Tuolumne City is located in Tuolumne County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tuolumne City
    • Tuolumne
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)

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

Cemeteries Near Granite Springs ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Granite Springs.

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 Granite Springs - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Granite Spring Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
  • Sturdevant Ranch Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
  • Coulterville Public Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
  • Snelling Pioneer Cemetery
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
  • Ivett Ranch Family Cemetery
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
  • Stent Cemetery
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stent Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Stent Cemetery is located in the vicinity of Stent
    • The Stent Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Poverty Hill Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2229117 <2>
  • Roberts Ferry Cemetery
    (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
  • Santa Cruz Cemetery
    (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
  • Jamestown Cemetery
    (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
  • Tuolumne Cemetery
    (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
  • Carter's Cemetery
    (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carter's Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Carter's Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located outside and to the north of Tuolumne.
    • The Carter's Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Tuolumne City Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #1103592 <2>
  • Hopeton Cemetery
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
  • Continue List   (30 more) ...
    • IOOF Cemetery
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
    • Masonic Cemetery
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
    • Cherokee Cemetery
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cherokee Cemetery
      • To give a relative sense of its location, the Cherokee Cemetery is located less than 2 miles<3> to the northwest of Tuolumne.
      • The Cherokee Cemetery has also been known as:
      • Arastraville Cemetery
      • Cherokee Memorial Park
      • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2216200 <2>

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 Granite Springs in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Granite Springs.

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

  • Coulterville
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
  • Big Oak Flat
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
  • La Grange
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
  • Groveland
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
  • Merced Falls
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • Merced Falls is located in Merced County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Merced Falls
  • Bear Valley
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Bear Valley is located in Mariposa County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bear Valley
  • Chinese Camp
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
  • Snelling
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
  • Hornitos
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
  • Jamestown
    (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
  • Tuolumne
    (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
  • Hopeton
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Hopeton is located in Merced County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hopeton
  • Continue List   (13 more) ...
    • Mount Bullion
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Mount Bullion is located in Mariposa County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Bullion
    • Soulsbyville
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
    • Sonora
      (20 miles [32.2 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 Granite Springs. See our List of 1890's Communities around Granite Springs.

Newspapers Published in Granite Springs ...

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 69 newspapers that have been published in the area around Granite Springs.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Granite Springs, there are papers which were published within 25 miles [40.2 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Granite Springs.

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 Granite Springs:

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 'straight-line' (or 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- Granite Springs) 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 Granite Springs, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.