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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 Sweeneys Crossing (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 Sweeneys Crossing. 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 Sweeneys Crossing ...

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 occur.

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

    Sometimes the trailing 's' might be dropped altogether, in which case Sweeneys Crossing might be written as Sweeney Crossing.

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 southwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals were in the next county to the west. 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 west 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.

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

  • El Dorado County     (The home county of Sweeneys Crossing)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sweeneys Crossing, with the one closest to Sweeneys Crossing listed first.
    • Pleasant Valley
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Pleasant Valley is located in El Dorado County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Valley
    • Somerset
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Newtown
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Newtown is located in El Dorado County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newtown
    • Fair Play
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Grizzly Flatx
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Sportsman Hall ‑ Historic
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
      • Sportsman Hall is located in El Dorado County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sportsman Hall
    • Camino
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Pollock Pines
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Motor City
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Motor City is located in El Dorado County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Motor City
    • Mount Aukum
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Tiger Lily
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
      • Tiger Lily is located in El Dorado County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tiger Lily
    • Fresh Pond
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Fresh Pond is located in El Dorado County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fresh Pond
    • Pacific
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Pacific is located in El Dorado County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pacific
  • Amador County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sweeneys Crossing, with the one closest to Sweeneys Crossing listed first.
    • River Pines
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Fiddletown
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Volcano
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
    • Pioneer
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
    • Pine Grove
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
    • Plymouth
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Amador City
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Drytown
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Sutter Creek
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Martell
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Electra ‑ Historic
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Electra is located in Amador County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Electra
    • Jackson
      (22 miles [35.4 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
  • Calaveras County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sweeneys Crossing, with the one closest to Sweeneys Crossing listed first.
    • Bummerville
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Bummerville is located in Calaveras County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bummerville
    • West Point
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
    • Sandy Gulch
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
      • Sandy Gulch is located in Calaveras County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandy Gulch
    • Wilseyville
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
    • Glencoe
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • Rail Road Flat
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
    • Big Bar
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Big Bar is located in Calaveras County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Bar
    • Mokelumne Hill
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
    • Mountain Ranch
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
    • Big Trees Village
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Big Trees Village is located in Calaveras County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Trees Village
    • Camp Connell
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Dorrington
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Placer County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sweeneys Crossing, with the one closest to Sweeneys Crossing listed first.
    • Michigan Bluff
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Michigan Bluff is located in Placer County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Michigan Bluff
    • Foresthill
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Yankee Jims
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Yankee Jims is located in Placer County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yankee Jims
    • Greekstore
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Greekstore is located in Placer County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greekstore
    • Auburn
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Granite Bay
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
    • Bowman
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Clipper Gap
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Clipper Gap is located in Placer County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clipper Gap
  • Sacramento County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sweeneys Crossing, with the one closest to Sweeneys Crossing listed first.
    • Mormon Island ‑ Historic
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Mormon Island is located in Sacramento County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mormon Island
    • Rancho Murieta
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Folsom
      (28 miles [45.1 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 <2>
    • Prairie City
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Prairie City is located in Sacramento County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prairie City
    • Represa
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Represa is located in Sacramento County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Represa
    • Folsom Junction
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Folsom Junction is located in Sacramento County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Folsom Junction
    • Natoma
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Natoma is located in Sacramento County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Natoma

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

Cemeteries Near Sweeneys Crossing ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Sweeneys Crossing.

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 Sweeneys Crossing - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Oak Hill Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
  • Indian Diggings Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
  • Andreason Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
  • Smith Flat Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
  • Bennett Memorial Park
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Catholic Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Placerville Union Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
    • 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 <3>
  • Shenandoah Valley Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Fiddletown Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Middletown Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Westwood Hills Memorial Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Chinese Cemetery
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
  • Continue List   (47 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.<4>

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

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

  • Pleasant Valley
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Pleasant Valley is located in El Dorado County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Valley
  • Fair Play
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Omo Ranch
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Omo Ranch is located in El Dorado County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Omo Ranch
  • Grizzly Flatx
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
  • Bryants
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Bryants is located in El Dorado County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bryants
  • Pacific
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Pacific is located in El Dorado County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pacific
  • Placerville
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
  • Nashville
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Nashville is located in El Dorado County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nashville
  • Fiddletown
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
  • El Dorado
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
  • Volcano
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
  • Kelsey
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Kelsey is located in El Dorado County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kelsey
  • Continue List   (13 more) ...
    • Plymouth
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Pine Grove
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
    • Shingle Springs
      (16 miles [25.7 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 Sweeneys Crossing. See our List of 1890's Communities around Sweeneys Crossing.

Newspapers Published in Sweeneys Crossing ...

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 90 newspapers that have been published in the area around Sweeneys Crossing.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Sweeneys Crossing, there are papers which were published within 22 miles [35.4 km]<5>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Sweeneys Crossing.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we start 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 Sweeneys Crossing:

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 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.
<4>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 Sweeneys Crossing, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<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- Sweeneys Crossing) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.