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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 Hills Flat (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 Hills Flat. 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 Hills Flat ...

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.

  • A typical abbreviation for Hills Flat: Hills Flt.
  • While the name of this community is Hills Flat, be aware that it's the common practice of mapmakers to remove the apostrophe from possessive names<1>. So Hills Flat may originally have been Hill's Flat.

    Sometimes the trailing 's' might be dropped altogether, in which case Hills Flat might be written as Hill Flat.

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 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.

Hills Flat is located in 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 Hills Flat. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Hills Flat:

  • Nevada County     (The home county of Hills Flat)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Hills Flat, with the one closest to Hills Flat listed first.
    • Spring Hill
      (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
      • Spring Hill is located in Nevada County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Hill
    • Grass Valley
      (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
    • Glenbrook
      (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
      • Glenbrook is located in Nevada County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glenbrook
    • Union Hill
      (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
      • Union Hill is located in Nevada County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union Hill
    • The Oaks
      (Less than 2 miles to the west)
      • The Oaks is located in Nevada County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for The Oaks
    • Gold Flat
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Gold Flat is located in Nevada County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gold Flat
    • Cedar Ridge
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Kres
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Kres is located in Nevada County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kres
    • Nevada City Rancheria
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Nevada City
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Newtown
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Newtown is located in Nevada County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newtown
    • Bitney Corner
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
      • Bitney Corner is located in Nevada County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bitney Corner
    • Rough and Ready
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
  • Butte County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Hills Flat, with the one closest to Hills Flat listed first.
    • Bangor
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Clipper Mills
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
    • Oroleve
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Oroleve is located in Butte County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oroleve
    • Evansville ‑ Historic
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Evansville is located in Butte County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Evansville
    • Forbestown
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
    • Robinson Mill
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Robinson Mill is located in Butte County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Robinson Mill
    • Honcut
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
    • Lumpkin ‑ Historic
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Lumpkin is located in Butte County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lumpkin
    • Feather Falls
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Wyandotte
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Wyandotte is located in Butte County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wyandotte
    • Palermo
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
    • South Fork ‑ Historic
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • South Fork is located in Butte County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Fork
    • Bidwell Bar ‑ Historic
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Bidwell Bar is located in Butte County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bidwell Bar
  • El Dorado County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Hills Flat, with the one closest to Hills Flat listed first.
    • Cool
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
    • Greenwood
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
    • Georgetown
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Fornis
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Fornis is located in El Dorado County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fornis
    • Pilot Hill
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
    • Garden Valley
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Quintette
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Quintette is located in El Dorado County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Quintette
    • Coloma
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
    • Lotus
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
  • Placer County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Hills Flat, with the one closest to Hills Flat listed first.
    • Chicago Park ‑ Historic
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Chicago Park is located in Placer County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chicago Park
    • Gold Run
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Colfax
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Secret Town
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Secret Town is located in Placer County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Secret Town
    • Dutch Flat
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Alta
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • Weimar
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • Iowa Hill
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Casa Loma
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • Casa Loma is located in Placer County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Casa Loma
    • Applegate
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
    • Meadow Vista
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
    • Yankee Jims
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Yankee Jims is located in Placer County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yankee Jims
    • Clipper Gap
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
      • Clipper Gap is located in Placer County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clipper Gap
  • Shasta County
    • Bear Valley ‑ Historic
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • 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 Hills Flat, with the one closest to Hills Flat listed first.
    • Alleghany
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Brandy City ‑ Historic
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Brandy City is located in Sierra County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brandy City
    • Forest
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Forest is located in Sierra County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forest
    • Goodyears Bar
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
    • Downieville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Sutter County
    • Yuba City
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
  • Yuba County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Hills Flat, with the one closest to Hills Flat listed first.
    • Dobbins
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Smartville
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
    • Bullards Bar ‑ Historic
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Bullards Bar is located in Yuba County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bullards Bar
    • Garden Valley ‑ Historic
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Garden Valley is located in Yuba County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garden Valley
    • Oregon House
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Timbuctoo ‑ Historic
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
      • Timbuctoo is located in Yuba County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Timbuctoo
    • Camptonville
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
    • Foster Bar ‑ Historic
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
      • Foster Bar is located in Yuba County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Foster Bar
    • Depot Hill ‑ Historic
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • Depot Hill is located in Yuba County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Depot Hill
    • Browns Valley
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
    • Brownsville
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Challenge
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Loma Rica
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
      • Loma Rica is located in Yuba County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loma Rica

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

Cemeteries Near Hills Flat ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Hills Flat.

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 Hills Flat - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Elm Ridge Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
  • Catholic Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
  • Greenwood Memorial Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
  • St. Patricks Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
  • Pine Grove Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Deer Creek Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • 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
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Pioneer Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Rough & Ready Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
  • Pioneer Grove Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
  • Colfax Indian Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
  • Colfax Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
  • Continue List   (57 more) ...
    • Dutch Flat Cemetery
      (11 miles [17.7 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
    • Kneebone Family Cemetery
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Iowa Hill Cemetery
      (13 miles [20.9 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.<4>

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

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

  • Union Hill
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
    • Union Hill is located in Nevada County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union Hill
  • Glenbrook
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
    • Glenbrook is located in Nevada County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glenbrook
  • Kres
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Kres is located in Nevada County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kres
  • Nevada City
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Buena Vista ‑ Historic
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Buena Vista is located in Nevada County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buena Vista
  • Rough and Ready
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
  • Chicago Park
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Sweetland
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Sweetland is located in Nevada County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sweetland
  • You Bet ‑ Historic
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • You Bet is located in Nevada County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for You Bet
  • North San Juan
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
  • Colfax
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
  • Gold Run
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
  • Continue List   (13 more) ...
    • North Columbia
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
      • North Columbia is located in Nevada County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Columbia
    • Dutch Flat
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Wolf
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
      • Wolf is located in Nevada County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wolf

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

Newspapers Published in Hills Flat ...

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 Hills Flat.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Hills Flat, there are papers which were published within 13 miles [20.9 km]<5>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Hills Flat.

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 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 Hills Flat:

Footnotes ...

<1>It's generally believed that possessive apostrophes are removed to prevent confusion on maps where the apostrophe may be confused with a cartographic symbol. While this is generally true, it's not uncommon to find possessive apostrophes in administrative names (such as towns or counties).
<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>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 Hills Flat, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<5>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- Hills Flat) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.