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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 Spanish 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 Spanish 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 Spanish 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.

For example, a typical abbreviation for Spanish Flat: Spanish Flt.

You might be interested in other communities that are also named Spanish Flat. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Spanish 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 northeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most 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.

Spanish Flat 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 Spanish Flat. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Spanish Flat:

  • El Dorado County     (The home county of Spanish Flat)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Spanish Flat, with the one closest to Spanish Flat listed first.
    • Kelsey
      (Less than 2 miles to the south)
      • Kelsey is located in El Dorado County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kelsey
    • Garden Valley
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Coloma
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Fornis
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
      • Fornis is located in El Dorado County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fornis
    • Gold Hill
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
      • Gold Hill is located in El Dorado County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gold Hill
    • Lotus
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Georgetown
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Placerville
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Greenwood
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Motor City
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Motor City is located in El Dorado County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Motor City
    • Diamond Springs
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Camino
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
  • Amador County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Spanish Flat, with the one closest to Spanish Flat listed first.
    • River Pines
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
    • Fiddletown
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
    • Plymouth
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
    • Drytown
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
    • Amador City
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
    • Volcano
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
    • May ‑ Historic
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • May is located in Amador County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for May
    • Pine Grove
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
    • Sutter Creek
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
    • Pioneer
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Carbondale ‑ Historic
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Carbondale is located in Amador County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carbondale
  • Nevada County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Spanish Flat, with the one closest to Spanish Flat listed first.
    • Lake of the Pines
      (19 miles [30.6 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
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
    • Alta Sierra
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Alta Sierra is located in Nevada County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alta Sierra
    • You Bet ‑ Historic
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • You Bet is located in Nevada County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for You Bet
    • Cedar Ridge
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Kres
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Kres is located in Nevada County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kres
    • Union Hill
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Union Hill is located in Nevada County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union Hill
    • Grass Valley
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
    • The Oaks
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • The Oaks is located in Nevada County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for The Oaks
    • Spring Hill
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Spring Hill is located in Nevada County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Hill
  • Placer County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Spanish Flat, with the one closest to Spanish Flat listed first.
    • Foresthill
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
    • Yankee Jims
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Yankee Jims is located in Placer County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yankee Jims
    • Michigan Bluff
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
      • Michigan Bluff is located in Placer County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Michigan Bluff
    • Applegate
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Bowman
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Clipper Gap
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Clipper Gap is located in Placer County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clipper Gap
    • Auburn
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
    • Meadow Vista
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
    • North Auburn
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
      • North Auburn is located in Placer County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Auburn
    • Weimar
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Newcastle
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
    • Ophir
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Ophir is located in Placer County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ophir
  • Sacramento County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Spanish Flat, with the one closest to Spanish Flat listed first.
    • Mormon Island ‑ Historic
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
      • Mormon Island is located in Sacramento County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mormon Island
    • Represa
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Represa is located in Sacramento County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Represa
    • Folsom
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • 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>
    • Folsom Junction
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Folsom Junction is located in Sacramento County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Folsom Junction
    • Prairie City
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Prairie City is located in Sacramento County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prairie City
    • Natoma
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Natoma is located in Sacramento County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Natoma
    • Orangevale
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Citrus Heights
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
    • Fair Oaks
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Gold River
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Rancho Murieta
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Antelope
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)

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

Cemeteries Near Spanish Flat ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Spanish 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.

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 Spanish Flat - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Catholic Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
  • James Marshall Gravesite
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
  • Pioneer Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Uniontown Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
  • Gold Hill Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • 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>
  • Westwood Hills Memorial Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • Middletown Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • Bennett Memorial Park
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • Georgetown Pioneer Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
  • Placerville Union Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • 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>
  • Catholic Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • Smith Flat Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Continue List   (56 more) ...
    • Greenwood Pioneer Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Pioneer Graves Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Jayhawk Cemetery
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
      • 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>

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 Spanish Flat in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Spanish Flat.

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

  • Kelsey
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
    • Kelsey is located in El Dorado County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kelsey
  • Garden Valley
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
  • Coloma
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
  • Lotus
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
  • Georgetown
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
  • Placerville
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • El Dorado
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
  • Cool
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
  • Pilot Hill
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
  • Shingle Springs
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Pleasant Valley
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Pleasant Valley is located in El Dorado County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Valley
  • Salmon Falls ‑ Historic
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
    • Salmon Falls is located in El Dorado County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salmon Falls
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Yankee Jims
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Yankee Jims is located in Placer County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yankee Jims
    • Michigan Bluff
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
      • Michigan Bluff is located in Placer County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Michigan Bluff
    • Clipper Gap
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Clipper Gap is located in Placer County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clipper Gap

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

Newspapers Published in Spanish 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 62 newspapers that have been published in the area around Spanish Flat.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Spanish Flat, there are papers which were published within 17 miles [27.4 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Spanish Flat.

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 helpful 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 Spanish Flat:

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 Spanish Flat, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<4>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 drawn from Point A (ie- Spanish Flat) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.