RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> State of California >> Nevada County >> Orleans Flat >> Genealogy HelperIndex...










Learn About
The Commemorative
Quarter for
California

The Commemorative Quarter for California





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 Orleans 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 Orleans 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 Orleans 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 have occurred.

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

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

Orleans Flat is located in Nevada 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 Nevada County: Placer, Sierra, Yuba & Washoe (NV).

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

  • Nevada County     (The home county of Orleans Flat)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Orleans Flat, with the one closest to Orleans Flat listed first.
    • Graniteville
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Graniteville
      • Graniteville is located in Nevada County
    • Washington
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • North Bloomfield ‑ Historic
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Bloomfield
      • North Bloomfield is located in Nevada County
    • Marsh Mill
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marsh Mill
      • Marsh Mill is located in Nevada County
    • Lake City
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake City
      • Lake City is located in Nevada County
    • North Columbia
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Columbia have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Columbia
      • North Columbia is located in Nevada County
    • Scotts Flat
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scotts Flat
      • Scotts Flat is located in Nevada County
    • Blue Tent
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blue Tent
      • Blue Tent is located in Nevada County
    • North San Juan
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
    • Baltimore Town
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Baltimore Town have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baltimore Town
      • Baltimore Town is located in Nevada County
    • Nevada City Rancheria
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Nevada City Rancheria have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nevada City Rancheria
      • Nevada City Rancheria is located in Nevada County
    • Nevada City
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
  • Butte County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Orleans Flat, with the one closest to Orleans Flat listed first.
    • Clipper Mills
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
    • Oroleve
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oroleve
      • Oroleve is located in Butte County
    • Lumpkin ‑ Historic
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lumpkin have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lumpkin
      • Lumpkin is located in Butte County
    • Evansville ‑ Historic
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Evansville. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Evansville
      • Evansville is located in Butte County
    • Forbestown
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
    • Feather Falls
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Robinson Mill
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Robinson Mill
      • Robinson Mill is located in Butte County
    • Bangor
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
  • Placer County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Orleans Flat, with the one closest to Orleans Flat listed first.
    • Emigrant Gap
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Alta
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
    • Dutch Flat
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
    • Casa Loma
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Casa Loma
      • Casa Loma is located in Placer County
    • Gold Run
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
    • Secret Town
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Secret Town have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Secret Town
      • Secret Town is located in Placer County
    • Big Bend
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Bend
      • Big Bend is located in Placer County
    • Chicago Park ‑ Historic
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Chicago Park. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chicago Park
      • Chicago Park is located in Placer County
    • Iowa Hill
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
    • Colfax
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
    • Last Chance ‑ Historic
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Last Chance have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Last Chance
      • Last Chance is located in Placer County
    • Donner
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Donner have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Donner
      • Donner is located in Placer County
  • Plumas County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Orleans Flat, with the one closest to Orleans Flat listed first.
    • La Porte
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Little Grass Valley
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little Grass Valley
      • Little Grass Valley is located in Plumas County
    • Plumas Eureka
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Plumas Eureka have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plumas Eureka
      • Plumas Eureka is located in Plumas County
    • Johnsville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
    • Clio
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Graeagle
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Valley Ranch
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Valley Ranch have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Valley Ranch
      • Valley Ranch is located in Plumas County
    • Whitehawk
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Whitehawk have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whitehawk
      • Whitehawk is located in Plumas County
    • Blairsden
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
    • C-Road
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for C-Road
      • C-Road is located in Plumas County
    • Mohawk
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mohawk have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mohawk
      • Mohawk is located in Plumas County
    • Mohawk Vista
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mohawk Vista
      • Mohawk Vista is located in Plumas County
  • Shasta County
    • Bear Valley ‑ Historic
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Bear Valley. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bear Valley
      • Bear Valley is located in Shasta County
  • Sierra County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Orleans Flat, with the one closest to Orleans Flat listed first.
    • Alleghany
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
    • Forest
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forest
      • Forest is located in Sierra County
    • Goodyears Bar
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Downieville
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Brandy City ‑ Historic
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Brandy City have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brandy City
      • Brandy City is located in Sierra County
    • Loganville
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Loganville have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loganville
      • Loganville is located in Sierra County
    • Sierra City
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Queen City
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Queen City have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Queen City
      • Queen City is located in Sierra County
    • Poker Flat
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Poker Flat
      • Poker Flat is located in Sierra County
    • Sattley
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Calpine
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Sierraville
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
  • Yuba County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Orleans Flat, with the one closest to Orleans Flat listed first.
    • Camptonville
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
    • Depot Hill ‑ Historic
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Depot Hill. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Depot Hill
      • Depot Hill is located in Yuba County
    • Garden Valley ‑ Historic
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Garden Valley have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garden Valley
      • Garden Valley is located in Yuba County
    • Foster Bar ‑ Historic
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Foster Bar have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Foster Bar
      • Foster Bar is located in Yuba County
    • Bullards Bar ‑ Historic
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bullards Bar have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bullards Bar
      • Bullards Bar is located in Yuba County
    • Strawberry Valley
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Dobbins
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
    • Challenge
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
    • Brownsville
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
    • Oregon House
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
    • Rackerby
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
    • Smartville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)

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

Newspapers Published in Orleans 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 60 newspapers that have been published in the area around Orleans Flat.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Orleans Flat, there are papers which were published within 18 miles [29 km]<5>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Orleans Flat.

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 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 Orleans Flat:

Cemeteries Near Orleans Flat ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Orleans 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.

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 Orleans Flat covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

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

  • Alleghany Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
  • Forest City Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
  • Goodyears Bar Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
  • Pike City Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for the Pike City Cemetery. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pike City Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2375331 <6>
  • Pioneer Grove Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pioneer Grove Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pioneer Grove Cemetery
  • Downieville Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
  • Sleighville House Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for the Sleighville House Cemetery. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Sleighville House Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2375335 <6>
  • Camptonville Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
  • Eureka Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Eureka Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Eureka Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #7955 <6>
  • Brandy City Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for the Brandy City Cemetery. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Brandy City Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2217386 <6>
  • Deer Creek Cemetery
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
    • 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 our Gazetteer entry for the Deer Creek Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2400769 <6>
  • Forest View Cemetery
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
  • Continue List   (38 more) ...
    • Pine Grove Cemetery
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Sierra City Cemetery
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for the Sierra City Cemetery. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
      • To give a relative sense of its location, the Sierra City Cemetery is located outside and to the west of Sierra City.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Sierra City Cemetery
      • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2276304 <6>
    • Scales Cemetery
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for the Scales Cemetery. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Scales Cemetery
      • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2361724 <6>

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.<7>

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

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

  • Moore's Flat
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Moore's Flat have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moore's Flat
    • Moore's Flat is located in Nevada County
  • Alleghany
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
  • North Bloomfield ‑ Historic
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Bloomfield
    • North Bloomfield is located in Nevada County
  • Washington
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • Graniteville
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Graniteville
    • Graniteville is located in Nevada County
  • Goodyears Bar
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
  • Maybert ‑ Historic
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Maybert have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maybert
    • Maybert is located in Nevada County
  • Pike
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pike have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pike
    • Pike is located in Sierra County
    • Pike has also been known as:
    • Pike City
  • North Columbia
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Columbia have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Columbia
    • North Columbia is located in Nevada County
  • Downieville
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
  • Camptonville
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
  • Emigrant Gap
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Blue Canyon
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Blue Canyon have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blue Canyon
      • Blue Canyon is located in Placer County
    • North San Juan
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
    • Sierra City
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)

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

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

The official website for Nevada County: www.new.mynevadacounty.com/

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

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 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.
<4>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.
<5>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Orleans Flat) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Orleans Flat. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 39.4288, Longitude: -120.8349       In this case, the coordinates for Orleans Flat have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<6>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.
<7>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 Orleans Flat, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

Copyright 2024
All Rights Reserved

Thank you for visiting our website.

In closing, please keep in mind that we can not guarantee the accuracy or timeliness of the information on this website, so use with care. We encourage you to double-check the information that is critical to you.

If you've found an error or have additional information that you would like to share, please don't hesitate to write: Click here to contact us.

This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024