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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 Orrs Springs (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 Orrs Springs. 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 Orrs Springs ...

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 Orrs Springs: Orrs Spgs. (or less commonly used: Orrs Spngs. or Orrs Sprngs.)
  • While the name of this community is Orrs Springs, be aware that it's the common practice of mapmakers to remove the apostrophe from possessive names<1>. So Orrs Springs may originally have been Orr's Springs.

    Sometimes the trailing 's' might be dropped altogether, in which case Orrs Springs might be written as Orr Springs.

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 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.

Orrs Springs is located in Mendocino 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 Mendocino County: Glenn, Humboldt, Lake, Sonoma, Tehama & Trinity.

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

  • Mendocino County     (The home county of Orrs Springs)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Orrs Springs, with the one closest to Orrs Springs listed first.
    • Calpella
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • The Forks
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for The Forks
      • The Forks is located in Mendocino County
    • Redwood Valley
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Ukiah
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ukiah
      • Ukiah is located in Mendocino County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 15,883 people
      • Ukiah has also been known as:
      • Ukiah City
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ukiah <2>
    • Navarro
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Philo
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Willits
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • Talmage
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Comptche
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Shake City
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Shake City have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shake City
      • Shake City is located in Mendocino County
    • Potter Valley
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Hemlock Ranch
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Hemlock Ranch. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hemlock Ranch
      • Hemlock Ranch is located in Mendocino County
      • Hemlock Ranch has also been known as:
      • Hemlock
    • Boonville
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
  • Lake County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Orrs Springs, with the one closest to Orrs Springs listed first.
    • Saratoga Springs
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saratoga Springs
      • Saratoga Springs is located in Lake County
    • Witter Springs ‑ Historic
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Witter Springs have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Witter Springs
      • Witter Springs is located in Lake County
    • Upper Lake
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
    • North Lakeport
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Lakeport
      • North Lakeport is located in Lake County
    • Robinson Rancheria
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Robinson Rancheria
      • Robinson Rancheria is located in Lake County
    • Lakeport
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Nice
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
    • Finley
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)

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

Newspapers Published in Orrs Springs ...

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 74 newspapers that have been published in the area around Orrs Springs.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Orrs Springs, there are papers which were published within 28 miles [45.1 km]<5>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Orrs Springs.

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 Orrs Springs:

Cemeteries Near Orrs Springs ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Orrs Springs.

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 Orrs Springs covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

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

  • Pinoleville Rancheria Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Ukiah Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Ukiah Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Ukiah Cemetery
  • Shields Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Shields Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Shields Cemetery
  • Little Lake Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Little Lake Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Little Lake Cemetery
  • Willits Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Willits Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Willits Cemetery
  • Evergreen Cemetery
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Evergreen Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Evergreen Cemetery
  • Indian Cemetery
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Indian Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Indian Cemetery
  • Potter Valley Cemetery
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Potter Valley Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Potter Valley Cemetery
  • Ornbaun Springs Cemetery
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Ornbaun Springs Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Ornbaun Springs Cemetery
  • Hopland Cemetery
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hopland Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hopland Cemetery
  • Little River Cemetery
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Little River Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Little River Cemetery
  • Evergreen Cemetery
    (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Evergreen Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Evergreen Cemetery
  • Continue List   (9 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.<7>

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

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

  • Calpella
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
  • Navarro
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
  • Ukiah
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ukiah
    • Ukiah is located in Mendocino County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 15,883 people
    • Ukiah has also been known as:
    • Ukiah City
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ukiah <2>
  • Philo
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
  • Talmage
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Willits
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
  • Comptche
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
  • Potter Valley
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
  • Boonville
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
  • Hemlock Ranch
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Hemlock Ranch. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hemlock Ranch
    • Hemlock Ranch is located in Mendocino County
    • Hemlock Ranch has also been known as:
    • Hemlock
  • Pomo
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pomo have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pomo
    • Pomo is located in Mendocino County
  • Largo ‑ Historic
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Largo have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Largo
    • Largo is located in Mendocino County
  • Continue List   (13 more) ...
    • Hearst
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hearst have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hearst
      • Hearst is located in Mendocino County
    • Elk
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
    • Albion
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)

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

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

The official website for Mendocino County: www.co.mendocino.ca.us/

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 '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- Orrs Springs) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Orrs Springs. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 39.2295, Longitude: -123.3653    
<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 Orrs Springs, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024