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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 Upper Lake (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 Upper Lake. 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 southeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors and 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.

Upper Lake is located in Lake 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 Lake County: Colusa, Glenn, Mendocino, Napa, Sonoma & Yolo.

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

  • Lake County     (The home county of Upper Lake)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Upper Lake, with the one closest to Upper Lake listed first.
    • Robinson Rancheria
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Robinson Rancheria
      • Robinson Rancheria is located in Lake County
    • Saratoga Springs
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saratoga Springs
      • Saratoga Springs is located in Lake County
    • Nice
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Witter Springs ‑ Historic
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Witter Springs have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Witter Springs
      • Witter Springs is located in Lake County
    • North Lakeport
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Lakeport
      • North Lakeport is located in Lake County
    • Lucerne
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Lakeport
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Bartlett Springs
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bartlett Springs have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bartlett Springs
      • Bartlett Springs is located in Lake County
    • Finley
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Kelseyville
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • Glenhaven
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Soda Bay
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Hough Springs
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hough Springs have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hough Springs
      • Hough Springs is located in Lake County
  • Colusa County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Upper Lake, with the one closest to Upper Lake listed first.
    • Lodoga
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lodoga
      • Lodoga is located in Colusa County
    • Stonyford
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Leesville
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leesville
      • Leesville is located in Colusa County
    • Wilbur Springs
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
    • Devils Elbow
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Devils Elbow have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Devils Elbow
      • Devils Elbow is located in Colusa County
  • Glenn County
    • Dogtown
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dogtown have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dogtown
      • Dogtown is located in Glenn County
  • Mendocino County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Upper Lake, with the one closest to Upper Lake listed first.
    • Hemlock Ranch
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
      • 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.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hemlock Ranch
      • Hemlock Ranch is located in Mendocino County
      • Hemlock Ranch has also been known as:
      • Hemlock
    • Talmage
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
    • Potter Valley
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Largo ‑ Historic
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Largo have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Largo
      • Largo is located in Mendocino County
    • Calpella
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
    • The Forks
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for The Forks
      • The Forks is located in Mendocino County
    • Ukiah
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
      • 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 <1>
    • Redwood Valley
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Hopland
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Hermitage ‑ Historic
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Hermitage. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hermitage
      • Hermitage is located in Mendocino County
    • Yorkville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Orrs Springs
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orrs Springs
      • Orrs Springs is located in Mendocino County
    • Boonville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Sonoma County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Upper Lake, with the one closest to Upper Lake listed first.
    • Preston
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Preston have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Preston
      • Preston is located in Sonoma County
    • Cloverdale
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
    • Mercuryville ‑ Historic
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mercuryville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mercuryville
      • Mercuryville is located in Sonoma County

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Upper Lake ...

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 67 newspapers that have been published in the area around Upper Lake.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Upper Lake. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Upper Lake and those printed in the larger area surrounding Upper Lake.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 29 miles [46.7 km]<4> of Upper Lake.

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 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 Upper Lake:

Cemeteries Near Upper Lake ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Upper Lake.

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

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

  • Upper Lake Rancheria Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
  • Upper Lake Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
  • Robinson Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
  • Hartley Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
  • Kelsay Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
  • Pioneer Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
  • Henry Alter Gravesite
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for the Henry Alter Gravesite. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Henry Alter Gravesite
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2507467 <5>
  • Kelseyville Cemetery
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
  • Stone & Kelsey Gravesite
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
  • Indian Cemetery
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Indian Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> 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 northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Potter Valley Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Potter Valley Cemetery
  • Ukiah Cemetery
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Ukiah Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Ukiah Cemetery
  • Continue List   (16 more) ...
    • Hopland Cemetery
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hopland Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hopland Cemetery
    • Pinoleville Rancheria Cemetery
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
    • St. Gregory of Sinai Monastery Cemetery
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for the St. Gregory of Sinai Monastery Cemetery. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • To give a relative sense of its location, the St. Gregory of Sinai Monastery Cemetery is located 8 miles [12.9 km]<4> to the northwest of Kelseyville.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Gregory of Sinai Monastery Cemetery
      • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2677191 <5>

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 Upper Lake had a population of 296 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service.

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

  • Lakeport
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
  • Hemlock Ranch
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • 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.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hemlock Ranch
    • Hemlock Ranch is located in Mendocino County
    • Hemlock Ranch has also been known as:
    • Hemlock
  • Bartlett Springs
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bartlett Springs have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bartlett Springs
    • Bartlett Springs is located in Lake County
  • Kelseyville
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
  • Pomo
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pomo have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pomo
    • Pomo is located in Mendocino County
  • Talmage
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
  • Largo ‑ Historic
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Largo have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Largo
    • Largo is located in Mendocino County
  • Highland Springs
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Highland Springs have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Highland Springs
    • Highland Springs is located in Lake County
  • Hough Springs
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hough Springs have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hough Springs
    • Hough Springs is located in Lake County
  • Potter Valley
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
  • Calpella
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
  • Ukiah
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
    • 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 <1>
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Hopland
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Pieta
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pieta have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pieta
      • Pieta is located in Mendocino County
    • Preston
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Preston have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Preston
      • Preston is located in Sonoma County

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

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

The official website for Lake County: www.co.lake.ca.us/

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>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.
<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>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Upper Lake) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Upper Lake. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 39.1659, Longitude: -122.9077    
<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 Upper Lake, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024