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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 Richardson 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 Richardson 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 Richardson 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.

For example, a typical abbreviation for Richardson Springs: Richardson Spgs. (or less commonly used: Richardson Spngs. or Richardson Sprngs.)

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 northeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals and doctors were in the next county to the east. Almost all of the nearby churches and cemeteries were in the county to the north.

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 north 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.

Richardson Springs is located in Butte 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 Butte County: Colusa, Glenn, Plumas, Sutter, Tehama & Yuba.

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

  • Butte County     (The home county of Richardson Springs)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Richardson Springs, with the one closest to Richardson Springs listed first.
    • Forest Ranch
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forest Ranch
      • Forest Ranch is located in Butte County
    • Irish Town
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Irish Town have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Irish Town
      • Irish Town is located in Butte County
    • Nimshew
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nimshew
      • Nimshew is located in Butte County
    • Chico
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chico
      • Chico is located in Butte County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 102,867 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Chico <2>
    • De Sabla
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for De Sabla
      • De Sabla is located in Butte County
    • Paradise Pines
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paradise Pines
      • Paradise Pines is located in Butte County
    • Paradise
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Magalia
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Nord ‑ Historic
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Nord. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nord
      • Nord is located in Butte County
    • Powellton
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Powellton. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Powellton
      • Powellton is located in Butte County
    • Stirling City
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • Durham
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
  • Glenn County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Richardson Springs, with the one closest to Richardson Springs listed first.
    • Hamilton City
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Capay
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Capay have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Capay
      • Capay is located in Glenn County
    • Orland
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
    • Glenn
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Artois
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Butte City
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Afton
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Afton
      • Afton is located in Glenn County
  • Plumas County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Richardson Springs, with the one closest to Richardson Springs listed first.
    • Storrie
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
    • Tobin
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tobin have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tobin
      • Tobin is located in Plumas County
    • Belden
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Tehama County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Richardson Springs, with the one closest to Richardson Springs listed first.
    • Vina
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Los Molinos
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Tehama
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Corning
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
    • Gerber
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Proberta
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Rawson
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Rawson. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rawson
      • Rawson is located in Tehama County

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

Cemeteries Near Richardson Springs ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Richardson 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 Richardson Springs covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

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

  • Cohasset Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Cohasset Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Cohasset Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Nicholl Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Nicholl Cemetery
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for the Nicholl Cemetery. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
  • Chico Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Chico Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Chico Cemetery is a very large cemetery that is located in Chico.
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #7900 <4>
  • Centerville Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Centerville Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Centerville Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Forest Ranch Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Forest Ranch Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Forest Ranch Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Mechoopda Indian Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
  • Glen Oaks Memorial Park
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Glen Oaks Memorial Park
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Glen Oaks Memorial Park have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Coutolenc Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Coutolenc Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Coutolenc Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Durham Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Durham Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Durham Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Pine Creek Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pine Creek Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pine Creek Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Dayton Cemetery
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Dayton Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Dayton Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located outside and to the northeast of Dayton.
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2144284 <4>
  • Clear Creek Cemetery
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Clear Creek Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Clear Creek Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (31 more) ...
    • Vina Cemetery
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Vina Cemetery
      • To give a relative sense of its location, the Vina Cemetery is located 3 miles [4.8 km]<5> to the southwest of Vina.
      • The Vina Cemetery has also been known as:
      • Carter Cemetery
      • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #7884 <4>
    • Inskip Pioneer Cemetery
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Inskip Pioneer Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Inskip Pioneer Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Monroeville Pioneer Cemetery
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)

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.<6>

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

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

  • Forest Ranch
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forest Ranch
    • Forest Ranch is located in Butte County
  • Chico
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chico
    • Chico is located in Butte County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 102,867 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Chico <2>
  • Nimshew
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nimshew
    • Nimshew is located in Butte County
  • Paradise
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
  • Anita
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Anita have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Anita
    • Anita is located in Butte County
  • Nord ‑ Historic
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Nord. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nord
    • Nord is located in Butte County
  • Magalia
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
  • Lovelock
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lovelock have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lovelock
    • Lovelock is located in Butte County
  • Cana
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cana have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cana
    • Cana is located in Butte County
  • Powellton
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Powellton. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Powellton
    • Powellton is located in Butte County
  • Durham
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
  • Pentz
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pentz have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pentz
    • Pentz is located in Butte County
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Yankee Hill
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Yankee Hill have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yankee Hill
      • Yankee Hill is located in Butte County
    • Inskip ‑ Historic
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Inskip. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Inskip
      • Inskip is located in Butte County
    • Vina
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)

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

Newspapers Published in Richardson 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 34 newspapers that have been published in the area around Richardson Springs.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Richardson Springs, there are papers which were published within 26 miles [41.8 km]<5>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Richardson Springs.

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 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 Richardson Springs:

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

The official website for Butte County: www.buttecounty.net/

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

Footnotes ...

<1>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.
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<3>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.
<4>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.
<5>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- Richardson Springs) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Richardson Springs. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 39.8399, Longitude: -121.7769       In this case, the coordinates for Richardson Springs have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<6>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 Richardson Springs, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025