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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 Happy Valley (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 Happy Valley. 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 Happy Valley ...

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.

For example, a typical abbreviation for Happy Valley: Happy Vly. (or less commonly used: Happy Vally. or Happy Vlly.)

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 doctors and 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.

Happy Valley is located in El Dorado 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 El Dorado County: Alpine, Amador, Placer, Sacramento & Douglas (NV).

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

  • El Dorado County     (The home county of Happy Valley)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Happy Valley, with the one closest to Happy Valley listed first.
    • Grizzly Flatx
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Fresh Pond
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fresh Pond have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fresh Pond
      • Fresh Pond is located in El Dorado County
    • Pollock Pines
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Pleasant Valley
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Valley
      • Pleasant Valley is located in El Dorado County
    • Pacific
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pacific have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pacific
      • Pacific is located in El Dorado County
    • Sportsman Hall ‑ Historic
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sportsman Hall
      • Sportsman Hall is located in El Dorado County
    • Newtown
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newtown
      • Newtown is located in El Dorado County
    • Camino
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Somerset
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Riverton
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Riverton have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riverton
      • Riverton is located in El Dorado County
    • Fair Play
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Motor City
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Motor City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Motor City
      • Motor City is located in El Dorado County
  • Alpine County
  • Amador County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Happy Valley, with the one closest to Happy Valley listed first.
    • River Pines
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Volcano
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
    • Fiddletown
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Pioneer
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
    • Pine Grove
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
    • Plymouth
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Amador City
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Drytown
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Kit Carson
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
    • Sutter Creek
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
    • Electra ‑ Historic
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Electra have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Electra
      • Electra is located in Amador County
    • Jackson
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
  • Calaveras County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Happy Valley, with the one closest to Happy Valley listed first.
    • Bummerville
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bummerville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bummerville
      • Bummerville is located in Calaveras County
    • West Point
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
    • Sandy Gulch
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandy Gulch
      • Sandy Gulch is located in Calaveras County
    • Wilseyville
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
    • Glencoe
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
    • Rail Road Flat
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
    • Big Bar
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Bar
      • Big Bar is located in Calaveras County
    • Mokelumne Hill
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
    • Camp Connell
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Big Meadow
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Meadow
      • Big Meadow is located in Calaveras County
    • Big Trees Village
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Trees Village
      • Big Trees Village is located in Calaveras County
    • Dorrington
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Placer County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Happy Valley, with the one closest to Happy Valley listed first.
    • Michigan Bluff
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Michigan Bluff
      • Michigan Bluff is located in Placer County
    • Greekstore
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greekstore
      • Greekstore is located in Placer County
    • Foresthill
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Yankee Jims
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Yankee Jims have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yankee Jims
      • Yankee Jims is located in Placer County
    • Last Chance ‑ Historic
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Last Chance have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Last Chance
      • Last Chance is located in Placer County
  • Sacramento County
    • Mormon Island ‑ Historic
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • 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.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mormon Island
      • Mormon Island is located in Sacramento County

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

Newspapers Published in Happy Valley ...

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 70 newspapers that have been published in the area around Happy Valley.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Happy Valley, there are papers which were published within 23 miles [37 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Happy Valley.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we start with the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These helpful 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 Happy Valley:

Cemeteries Near Happy Valley ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Happy Valley.

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

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

  • Indian Diggings Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Indian Diggings Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Indian Diggings Cemetery
  • Andreason Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Andreason Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Andreason Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #7839 <5>
  • Smith Flat Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Smith Flat Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Smith Flat Cemetery
  • Oak Hill Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Oak Hill Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Oak Hill Cemetery
  • Bennett Memorial Park
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bennett Memorial Park have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bennett Memorial Park
  • Catholic Cemetery
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Catholic Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Catholic Cemetery
  • Placerville Union Cemetery
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
  • Middletown Cemetery
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Middletown Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Middletown Cemetery
  • Westwood Hills Memorial Cemetery
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Westwood Hills Memorial Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Westwood Hills Memorial Cemetery
  • Shenandoah Valley Cemetery
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Fiddletown Cemetery
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Catholic Cemetery
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Catholic Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Catholic Cemetery
  • Continue List   (39 more) ...
    • Protestant Cemetery
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Protestant Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Protestant Cemetery
    • Chinese Cemetery
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Chinese Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Chinese Cemetery
    • Pine Grove Cemetery
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)

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>

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

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

  • Grizzly Flatx
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
  • Bryants
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bryants have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bryants
    • Bryants is located in El Dorado County
  • Pleasant Valley
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Valley
    • Pleasant Valley is located in El Dorado County
  • Omo Ranch
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Omo Ranch have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Omo Ranch
    • Omo Ranch is located in El Dorado County
  • Pacific
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pacific have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pacific
    • Pacific is located in El Dorado County
  • Fair Play
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
  • Placerville
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
  • El Dorado
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
  • Nashville
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Nashville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nashville
    • Nashville is located in El Dorado County
  • Fiddletown
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Volcano
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
  • Kelsey
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kelsey have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kelsey
    • Kelsey is located in El Dorado County
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...

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

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Happy Valley. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.

The official website for El Dorado County: www.co.el-dorado.ca.us/

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

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 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.
<3>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.
<4>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- Happy Valley) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Happy Valley. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 38.6818, Longitude: -120.5633       In this case, the coordinates for Happy Valley have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<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 Happy Valley, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024