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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 Motor City (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 Motor City. 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 doctors and 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.

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

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

  • El Dorado County     (The home county of Motor City)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Motor City, with the one closest to Motor City listed first.
    • Camino
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Newtown
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Newtown is located in El Dorado County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newtown
    • Placerville
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Sportsman Hall ‑ Historic
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
      • Sportsman Hall is located in El Dorado County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sportsman Hall
    • Tiger Lily
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Tiger Lily is located in El Dorado County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tiger Lily
    • Pleasant Valley
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
      • Pleasant Valley is located in El Dorado County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Valley
    • Diamond Springs
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Kelsey
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Kelsey is located in El Dorado County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kelsey
    • Somerset
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • El Dorado
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Gold Hill
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
      • Gold Hill is located in El Dorado County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gold Hill
    • Pollock Pines
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Coloma
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
  • Amador County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Motor City, with the one closest to Motor City listed first.
    • River Pines
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • Fiddletown
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
    • Plymouth
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
    • Volcano
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • Drytown
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
    • Amador City
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
    • Pine Grove
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
    • Pioneer
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Sutter Creek
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
    • Martell
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
    • Jackson
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
    • Carbondale ‑ Historic
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Carbondale is located in Amador County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carbondale
    • May ‑ Historic
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • May is located in Amador County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for May
  • Calaveras County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Motor City, with the one closest to Motor City listed first.
    • West Point
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Bummerville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Bummerville is located in Calaveras County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bummerville
    • Sandy Gulch
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Sandy Gulch is located in Calaveras County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandy Gulch
    • Glencoe
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
    • Wilseyville
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Big Bar
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Big Bar is located in Calaveras County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Bar
    • Mokelumne Hill
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
    • Rail Road Flat
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Nevada County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Motor City, with the one closest to Motor City listed first.
    • Lake of the Pines
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Lake of the Pines is located in Nevada County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake of the Pines
    • Chicago Park
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Placer County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Motor City, with the one closest to Motor City listed first.
    • Foresthill
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
    • Michigan Bluff
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Michigan Bluff is located in Placer County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Michigan Bluff
    • Yankee Jims
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Yankee Jims is located in Placer County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yankee Jims
    • Auburn
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Bowman
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Applegate
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Clipper Gap
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Clipper Gap is located in Placer County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clipper Gap
    • North Auburn
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • North Auburn is located in Placer County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Auburn
    • Granite Bay
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
    • Meadow Vista
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
    • Newcastle
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
    • Ophir
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Ophir is located in Placer County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ophir
    • Penryn
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
  • Sacramento County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Motor City, with the one closest to Motor City listed first.
    • Mormon Island ‑ Historic
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
      • Mormon Island is located in Sacramento County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mormon Island
    • Folsom
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Folsom is located in Sacramento County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Folsom
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 82,726 people
      • Folsom has also been known as:
      • Folsom City
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Folsom <1>
    • Represa
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Represa is located in Sacramento County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Represa
    • Prairie City
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Prairie City is located in Sacramento County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prairie City
    • Folsom Junction
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Folsom Junction is located in Sacramento County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Folsom Junction
    • Natoma
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Natoma is located in Sacramento County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Natoma
    • Rancho Murieta
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Orangevale
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
    • Gold River
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
    • Sloughhouse
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Citrus Heights
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
    • Fair Oaks
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)

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

Cemeteries Near Motor City ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Motor City.

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 Motor City - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Smith Flat Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
  • Oak Hill Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
  • Bennett Memorial Park
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
  • Catholic Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
  • Placerville Union Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Placerville Union Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Placerville Union Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located in Placerville.
    • The Placerville Union Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Union Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #1812538 <2>
  • Westwood Hills Memorial Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
  • Middletown Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
  • Gold Hill Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • The Gold Hill Cemetery is located on private property - be sure to secure permission before visiting.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gold Hill Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Gold Hill Cemetery is located in Gold Hill.
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2348365 <2>
  • Catholic Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
  • James Marshall Gravesite
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
  • Pioneer Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
  • Uniontown Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
  • Continue List   (55 more) ...
    • Chinese Cemetery
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Jayhawk Cemetery
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jayhawk Cemetery
      • To give a relative sense of its location, the Jayhawk Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located in the vicinity of Jayhawk
      • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #8083 <2>
    • Shenandoah Valley Cemetery
      (13 miles [20.9 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.<3>

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

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

  • Placerville
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
  • Pleasant Valley
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Pleasant Valley is located in El Dorado County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Valley
  • El Dorado
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Kelsey
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Kelsey is located in El Dorado County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kelsey
  • Coloma
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
  • Fair Play
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
  • Garden Valley
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
  • Lotus
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
  • Shingle Springs
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Nashville
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Nashville is located in El Dorado County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nashville
  • Pacific
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
    • Pacific is located in El Dorado County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pacific
  • Omo Ranch
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Omo Ranch is located in El Dorado County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Omo Ranch
  • Continue List   (16 more) ...
    • Georgetown
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Grizzly Flatx
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Bryants
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • Bryants is located in El Dorado County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bryants

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

Newspapers Published in Motor City ...

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 57 newspapers that have been published in the area around Motor City.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Motor City, there are papers which were published within 18 miles [29 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Motor City.

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 Motor City:

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>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 Motor City, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<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 drawn from Point A (ie- Motor City) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.