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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 Topaz (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 Topaz. 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.

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.

Topaz is located in Mono 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 Mono County: Alpine, Fresno, Inyo, Madera, Tuolumne, Douglas (NV), Esmeralda (NV), Lyon (NV) & Mineral (NV).

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

  • Mono County     (The home county of Topaz)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Topaz, with the one closest to Topaz listed first.
    • Coleville
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Walker
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Sonora Junction
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sonora Junction
      • Sonora Junction is located in Mono County
    • Fales Hot Springs
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fales Hot Springs
      • Fales Hot Springs is located in Mono County
    • Belfort ‑ Historic
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belfort
      • Belfort is located in Mono County
    • Chemung Mine ‑ Historic
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Chemung Mine. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chemung Mine
      • Chemung Mine is located in Mono County
    • Masonic ‑ Historic
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Masonic. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Masonic
      • Masonic is located in Mono County
    • Bridgeport
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Alpine County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Topaz, with the one closest to Topaz listed first.
    • Loope ‑ Historic
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loope
      • Loope is located in Alpine County
    • Marklee Village
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Marklee Village have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marklee Village
      • Marklee Village is located in Alpine County
    • Markleeville
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
    • Alpine Village
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Alpine Village have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alpine Village
      • Alpine Village is located in Alpine County
    • Mesa Vista
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mesa Vista
      • Mesa Vista is located in Alpine County
    • Paynesville
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paynesville
      • Paynesville is located in Alpine County
    • Sorensens
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sorensens
      • Sorensens is located in Alpine County
    • Lake Alpine
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Alpine
      • Lake Alpine is located in Alpine County
    • Bear Valley
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
    • Kirkwood
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
  • Tuolumne County
  • Douglas County (NV)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Topaz, with the one closest to Topaz listed first.
    • Topaz Lake
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Topaz Lake
      • Topaz Lake is located in Douglas County (NV)
    • Gardnerville Ranchos
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gardnerville Ranchos have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gardnerville Ranchos
      • Gardnerville Ranchos is located in Douglas County (NV)
    • Centerville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Centerville
      • Centerville is located in Douglas County (NV)
    • Gardnerville
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Sheridan ‑ Historic
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sheridan
      • Sheridan is located in Douglas County (NV)
    • Buckeye ‑ Historic
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Buckeye have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buckeye
      • Buckeye is located in Douglas County (NV)
    • Minden
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Mottsville ‑ Historic
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mottsville
      • Mottsville is located in Douglas County (NV)
    • Walleys Hot Springs
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walleys Hot Springs
      • Walleys Hot Springs is located in Douglas County (NV)
  • Lyon County (NV)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Topaz, with the one closest to Topaz listed first.
    • Wellington
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Smith
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Pine Grove ‑ Historic
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Grove
      • Pine Grove is located in Lyon County (NV)
    • Wichman
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wichman
      • Wichman is located in Lyon County (NV)

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

Newspapers Published in Topaz ...

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 18 newspapers that have been published in the area around Topaz.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Topaz, there are papers which were published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Topaz.

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 Topaz:

Cemeteries Near Topaz ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Topaz.

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

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

  • Antelope Valley Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
  • McMichael Family Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for the McMichael Family Cemetery. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the McMichael Family Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2547975 <5>
  • Hillcrest Cemetery
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
  • Valley Grove Cemetery
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Happy Hunting Grounds Cemetery
    (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
  • Clinton Cemetery
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for the Clinton Cemetery. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Clinton Cemetery is located 2 miles [3.2 km]<4> to the southwest of Belfort.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Clinton Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2492064 <5>
  • Old Woodfords Cemetery
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for the Old Woodfords Cemetery. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Old Woodfords Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2160446 <5>
  • Woodfords Washoe Indian Cemetery
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
  • Fredericksburg Cemetery
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
  • Clara Holbrook Frank Family
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
  • Pine Grove Cemetery
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for the Pine Grove Cemetery. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Pine Grove Cemetery is located 21 miles [33.8 km]<4> to the north of Yerington (NV).
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pine Grove Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2134920 <5>
  • Washoe Cemetery
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
  • Continue List   (7 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.<6>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that in 1895, Topaz had a post office and no railroad service.

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

  • Coleville
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
  • Wellington
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Markleeville
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
  • Woodfords
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Woodfords have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodfords
    • Woodfords is located in Alpine County
  • Gardnerville
    (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
  • Sheridan ‑ Historic
    (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sheridan
    • Sheridan is located in Douglas County (NV)
  • Bridgeport
    (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Mason
    (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mason have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mason
    • Mason is located in Lyon County (NV)

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

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

The official website for Mono County: www.monocounty.ca.gov/

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

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>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.
<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>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 drawn from Point A (ie- Topaz) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Topaz. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 38.6145, Longitude: -119.5195    
<5>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.
<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 Topaz, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024