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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 Valley Lake Ranchos (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 Valley Lake Ranchos. 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 Valley Lake Ranchos ...

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 Valley Lake Ranchos: Valley Lk. Ranchos

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 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.

Valley Lake Ranchos is located in Madera 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 Madera County: Fresno, Mariposa, Merced & Mono.

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

  • Madera County     (The home county of Valley Lake Ranchos)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Valley Lake Ranchos, with the one closest to Valley Lake Ranchos listed first.
    • Madera Acres
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Madera Acres
      • Madera Acres is located in Madera County
    • Madera
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Berenda
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berenda
      • Berenda is located in Madera County
    • Parksdale
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parksdale
      • Parksdale is located in Madera County
    • Parkwood
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parkwood
      • Parkwood is located in Madera County
    • Bonadelle Ranchos - Madera Ranchos
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Knowles Junction
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Knowles Junction
      • Knowles Junction is located in Madera County
    • Raymond
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Raymond
      • Raymond is located in Madera County
    • Knowles ‑ Historic
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Knowles have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Knowles
      • Knowles is located in Madera County
    • La Vina
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for La Vina
      • La Vina is located in Madera County
    • Chowchilla
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
    • Yosemite Lakes Park
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yosemite Lakes Park
      • Yosemite Lakes Park is located in Madera County
      • Yosemite Lakes Park has also been known as:
      • Yosemite Lakes
  • Fresno County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Valley Lake Ranchos, with the one closest to Valley Lake Ranchos listed first.
    • Herndon
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Herndon
      • Herndon is located in Fresno County
    • Friant
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
    • Barstow
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Barstow have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barstow
      • Barstow is located in Fresno County
    • Biola
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
    • Raco
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Raco
      • Raco is located in Fresno County
    • Highway City
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Highway City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Highway City
      • Highway City is located in Fresno County
    • Gordon
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gordon
      • Gordon is located in Fresno County
    • Pinedale
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Muscatel
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Muscatel
      • Muscatel is located in Fresno County
    • Floyd
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Floyd
      • Floyd is located in Fresno County
    • Pratton
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pratton have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pratton
      • Pratton is located in Fresno County
    • Rolinda
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rolinda
      • Rolinda is located in Fresno County
  • Mariposa County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Valley Lake Ranchos, with the one closest to Valley Lake Ranchos listed first.
    • Catheys Valley
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
    • Bootjack
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bootjack
      • Bootjack is located in Mariposa County
    • Mariposa
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
    • Mount Bullion
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Bullion
      • Mount Bullion is located in Mariposa County
  • Merced County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Valley Lake Ranchos, with the one closest to Valley Lake Ranchos listed first.
    • Le Grand
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Plainsburg
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Plainsburg have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plainsburg
      • Plainsburg is located in Merced County
    • Athlone
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Athlone have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Athlone
      • Athlone is located in Merced County
    • Planada
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Tuttle
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tuttle
      • Tuttle is located in Merced County
    • El Nido
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
    • Merced
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)

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

Newspapers Published in Valley Lake Ranchos ...

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 91 newspapers that have been published in the area around Valley Lake Ranchos.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Valley Lake Ranchos, there are papers which were published within 29 miles [46.7 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Valley Lake Ranchos.

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 Valley Lake Ranchos:

Cemeteries Near Valley Lake Ranchos ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Valley Lake Ranchos.

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

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

  • Arbor Vitae Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Borden's Chinese Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
  • Raymond Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
  • New Hope Cemetery
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
  • Chowchilla Cemetery
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Chowchilla Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located 2 miles [3.2 km]<3> to the northeast of Chowchilla.
    • The Chowchilla Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Chowchilla District Cemetery
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Chowchilla Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #7906 <4>
  • Bethany Cemetery
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bethany Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bethany Cemetery
  • White Rock Cemetery
    (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the White Rock Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the White Rock Cemetery
  • Helm - Turner Cemetery
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Helm - Turner Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Helm - Turner Cemetery
  • Winchell Cove Cemetery
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
  • Picayune Cemetery
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Picayune Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Picayune Cemetery
  • Pate Cemetery
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pate Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pate Cemetery
  • Winchell Cove Cemetery
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Winchell Cove Cemetery is located outside and to the east of Friant.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Winchell Cove Cemetery
  • Continue List   (27 more) ...
    • Clovis Cemetery
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Fine Gold Cemetery
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Fine Gold Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Fine Gold Cemetery
      • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #7970 <4>
    • Fresno Memorial Gardens
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Fresno Memorial Gardens have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Fresno Memorial Gardens

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.<5>

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

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

  • Raymond
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Raymond
    • Raymond is located in Madera County
  • La Vina
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for La Vina
    • La Vina is located in Madera County
  • Knowles ‑ Historic
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Knowles have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Knowles
    • Knowles is located in Madera County
  • Herndon
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Herndon
    • Herndon is located in Fresno County
  • Muscatel
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Muscatel
    • Muscatel is located in Fresno County
  • Ben Hur
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ben Hur have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ben Hur
    • Ben Hur is located in Mariposa County
  • Plainsburg
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Plainsburg have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plainsburg
    • Plainsburg is located in Merced County
  • Athlone
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Athlone have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Athlone
    • Athlone is located in Merced County
  • Grub Gulch ‑ Historic
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Grub Gulch have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grub Gulch
    • Grub Gulch is located in Madera County
  • Continue List   (6 more) ...
    • Fresno
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
    • Firebaugh
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Letcher ‑ Historic
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Letcher have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Letcher
      • Letcher is located in Fresno County
    • Sentinel ‑ Historic
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sentinel have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sentinel
      • Sentinel is located in Fresno County
    • Auberry
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
    • Mariposa
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)

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

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

The official website for Madera County: www.madera-county.com/

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>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 from Point A (ie- Valley Lake Ranchos) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Valley Lake Ranchos. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 37.0613, Longitude: -120.0157       In this case, the coordinates for Valley Lake Ranchos have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<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>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 Valley Lake Ranchos, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024