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Our Genealogy Helper

Introduction ...

So far, we found very little information about La Branza. The little that we've found leads us believe that the community is historic.<1>

We've added La Branza to our Gazetteer with the hope that we can develop more information. If you can help us with La Branza, please Contact Us.

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 La Branza (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 La Branza. 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 hospitals 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.

Although our information shows that the community of La Branza is historic, it would have been located within present day Merced 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 Merced County: Fresno, Madera, Mariposa, San Benito, Santa Clara & Stanislaus.

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

  • Merced County     (The home county of La Branza)
    • The following are listed by their distance from La Branza, with the one closest to La Branza listed first.
    • Athlone
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Athlone have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Athlone
      • Athlone is located in Merced County
    • Plainsburg
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Plainsburg have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plainsburg
      • Plainsburg is located in Merced County
    • Le Grand
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Planada
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Tuttle
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tuttle
      • Tuttle is located in Merced County
    • El Nido
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Merced
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Santa Rita Park
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Fluhr
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fluhr
      • Fluhr is located in Merced County
    • Atwater
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Amsterdam
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amsterdam
      • Amsterdam is located in Merced County
    • Dos Palos
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Fresno County
    • The following are listed by their distance from La Branza, with the one closest to La Branza listed first.
    • Firebaugh
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
    • Benito
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Benito
      • Benito is located in Fresno County
    • Oro Loma ‑ Historic
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oro Loma
      • Oro Loma is located in Fresno County
    • Mendota
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
    • Biola
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Madera County
    • The following are listed by their distance from La Branza, with the one closest to La Branza listed first.
    • Chowchilla
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Lincoln ‑ Historic
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lincoln have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lincoln
      • Lincoln is located in Madera County
    • Berenda
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berenda
      • Berenda is located in Madera County
    • Madera Acres
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Madera Acres
      • Madera Acres is located in Madera County
    • Madera
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Knowles Junction
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Knowles Junction
      • Knowles Junction is located in Madera County
    • Raymond
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Raymond
      • Raymond is located in Madera County
    • Parksdale
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parksdale
      • Parksdale is located in Madera County
    • Parkwood
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parkwood
      • Parkwood is located in Madera County
    • La Vina
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for La Vina
      • La Vina is located in Madera County
    • Knowles ‑ Historic
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Knowles have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Knowles
      • Knowles is located in Madera County
    • Bonadelle Ranchos - Madera Ranchos
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
  • Mariposa County
    • The following are listed by their distance from La Branza, with the one closest to La Branza listed first.
    • Catheys Valley
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Hornitos
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
    • Mount Bullion
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Bullion
      • Mount Bullion is located in Mariposa County
    • Bear Valley
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bear Valley
      • Bear Valley is located in Mariposa County
    • Mariposa
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)

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

Newspapers Published in La Branza ...

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 95 newspapers that have been published in the area around La Branza.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of La Branza, there are papers which were published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for La Branza.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we begin with 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 La Branza:

Cemeteries Near La Branza ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of La Branza.

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

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

  • Helm - Turner Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Helm - Turner Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Helm - Turner Cemetery
  • Chowchilla Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Chowchilla Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located 2 miles [3.2 km]<4> to the northeast of Chowchilla.
    • The Chowchilla Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Chowchilla District Cemetery
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Chowchilla Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #7906 <5>
  • Evergreen Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Evergreen Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Evergreen Cemetery
  • Calvary Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Calvary Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Calvary Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located in Merced.
    • The Calvary Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Calvary Catholic Cemetery
    • Calvary Merced Cemetery District
    • Be careful not to confuse this cemetery with another one that is also named Calvary Cemetery (located 56 miles to the north).
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Calvary Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #7873 <5>
  • Pate Cemetery
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pate Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pate Cemetery
  • White Rock Cemetery
    (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the White Rock Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the White Rock Cemetery
  • Arbor Vitae Cemetery
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
  • Santa Cruz Cemetery
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Santa Cruz Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Santa Cruz Cemetery
  • New Hope Cemetery
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
  • Raymond Cemetery
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
  • Dos Palos Cemetery
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Catheys Valley Cemetery
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Catheys Valley Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Catheys Valley Cemetery
  • Continue List   (10 more) ...

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.

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

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

  • Athlone
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Athlone have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Athlone
    • Athlone is located in Merced County
  • Plainsburg
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Plainsburg have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plainsburg
    • Plainsburg is located in Merced County
  • Merced
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Atwater
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
  • Dos Palos
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Raymond
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Raymond
    • Raymond is located in Madera County
  • Hornitos
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
  • Firebaugh
    (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
  • La Vina
    (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for La Vina
    • La Vina is located in Madera County
  • Ben Hur
    (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ben Hur have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ben Hur
    • Ben Hur is located in Mariposa County
  • Arena
    (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Arena have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arena
    • Arena is located in Merced County
  • Snelling
    (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
  • Continue List   (7 more) ...
    • Merced Falls
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Merced Falls
      • Merced Falls is located in Merced County
    • Knowles ‑ Historic
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Knowles have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Knowles
      • Knowles is located in Madera County
    • Hopeton
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hopeton have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hopeton
      • Hopeton is located in Merced County

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

The official website for Merced County: www.co.merced.ca.us/

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

Footnotes ...

<1>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 La Branza, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<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>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 things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- La Branza) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in La Branza. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 37.1747, Longitude: -120.3177       In this case, the coordinates for La Branza 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.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024