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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 Spruce (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 Spruce. 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 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 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.

Spruce is located in Douglas County.

To see how the shape of Colorado's counties have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Douglas County: Arapahoe, El Paso, Elbert, Jefferson, Park & Teller.

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

  • Douglas County     (The home county of Spruce)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Spruce, with the one closest to Spruce listed first.
    • Larkspur
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Larkspur have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Larkspur
      • Larkspur is located in Douglas County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 203 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Larkspur <2>
    • Perry Park
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Perry Park have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Perry Park
      • Perry Park is located in Douglas County
    • Castle Rock
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
    • Founders Village
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Founders Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Founders Village
      • Founders Village is located in Douglas County
    • Westcreek
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westcreek
      • Westcreek is located in Douglas County
    • Franktown
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
    • Sedalia
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
    • Castle Pines
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Castle Pines have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Castle Pines
      • Castle Pines is located in Douglas County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Castle Pines <2>
    • Twin Cedars ‑ Historic
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Twin Cedars have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Twin Cedars
      • Twin Cedars is located in Douglas County
    • Castle Pines North
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Castle Pines North have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Castle Pines North
      • Castle Pines North is located in Douglas County
      • Estimated population in 2011: 10,602 people
    • The Pinery
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for The Pinery
      • The Pinery is located in Douglas County
    • Louviers
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
  • Arapahoe County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Spruce, with the one closest to Spruce listed first.
    • Castlewood
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Castlewood have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Castlewood
      • Castlewood is located in Arapahoe County
    • Centennial
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
    • Southglenn
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Southglenn have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Southglenn
      • Southglenn is located in Arapahoe County
    • Algonquin Acres
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Algonquin Acres
      • Algonquin Acres is located in Arapahoe County
    • Cherry Knolls
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cherry Knolls
      • Cherry Knolls is located in Arapahoe County
    • Foxfield
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Foxfield have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Foxfield
      • Foxfield is located in Arapahoe County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 771 people
  • El Paso County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Spruce, with the one closest to Spruce listed first.
    • Palmer Lake
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Palmer Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Palmer Lake
      • Palmer Lake is located in El Paso County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,037 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Palmer Lake <2>
    • Monument
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Woodmoor
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Woodmoor have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodmoor
      • Woodmoor is located in El Paso County
    • Gleneagle
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gleneagle have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gleneagle
      • Gleneagle is located in El Paso County
    • Black Forest
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Black Forest have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Black Forest
      • Black Forest is located in El Paso County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Black Forest <2>
    • Crystola
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Crystola have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crystola
      • Crystola is located in El Paso County
    • Green Mountain Falls
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Chipita Park
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
    • Eastonville ‑ Historic
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eastonville
      • Eastonville is located in El Paso County
    • Cascade
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
    • Manitou Springs
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • Falcon
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
  • Elbert County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Spruce, with the one closest to Spruce listed first.
    • Elbert
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
    • Elizabeth
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Elizabeth have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elizabeth
      • Elizabeth is located in Elbert County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,867 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Elizabeth <2>
    • Ponderosa Park
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ponderosa Park have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ponderosa Park
      • Ponderosa Park is located in Elbert County
    • Kiowa
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kiowa have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kiowa
      • Kiowa is located in Elbert County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 826 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Kiowa <2>
    • Fondis
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fondis
      • Fondis is located in Elbert County
  • Jefferson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Spruce, with the one closest to Spruce listed first.
    • Dome Rock
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dome Rock
      • Dome Rock is located in Jefferson County
    • Buffalo Creek
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Buffalo Creek have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buffalo Creek
      • Buffalo Creek is located in Jefferson County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Buffalo Creek <2>
    • Foxton ‑ Historic
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Foxton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Foxton
      • Foxton is located in Jefferson County
    • Pine
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Indian Springs Village
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Indian Springs Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Indian Springs Village
      • Indian Springs Village is located in Jefferson County
  • Park County
    • Lake George
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lake George have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake George
      • Lake George is located in Park County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lake George <2>
  • Teller County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Spruce, with the one closest to Spruce listed first.
    • Woodland Park
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Woodland Park have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodland Park
      • Woodland Park is located in Teller County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 8,151 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Woodland Park <2>
    • Divide
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Divide have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Divide
      • Divide is located in Teller County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Divide <2>
    • Florissant
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Florissant have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Florissant
      • Florissant is located in Teller County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Florissant <2>

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

Newspapers Published in Spruce ...

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 126 newspapers that have been published in the area around Spruce.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Spruce, 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 Spruce.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first turn to the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These websites either 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 Spruce:

Cemeteries Near Spruce ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Spruce.

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

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

  • Monument Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
  • St. Matthias Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • The Church of the Woodmoor Columbarium
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the The Church of the Woodmoor Columbarium have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the The Church of the Woodmoor Columbarium
  • Spring Valley Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Spring Valley Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Spring Valley Cemetery
  • St. Benedict Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Benedict Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Benedict Cemetery
  • Glen Grove Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Glen Grove Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Glen Grove Cemetery
  • United States Air Force Academy Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
  • Table Rock Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Table Rock Cemetery is located 9 miles [14.5 km]<3> to the west of Monument.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Table Rock Cemetery
  • Capps Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for the Capps Cemetery. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Capps Cemetery
  • James Cemetery
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the James Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the James Cemetery
  • Templeton Cemetery
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
    • The Templeton Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Pioneer Cemetery
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Templeton Cemetery
  • Woodland Park Cemetery
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
  • Continue List   (42 more) ...
    • Mt. St. Francis Cemetery
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
    • Rooks Family Cemetery
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for the Rooks Family Cemetery. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Rooks Family Cemetery
    • Cedar Hill Cemetery
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)

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>

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

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

  • Greenland
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Greenland have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenland
    • Greenland is located in Douglas County
  • Palmer Lake
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Palmer Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Palmer Lake
    • Palmer Lake is located in El Paso County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,037 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Palmer Lake <2>
  • Monument
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
  • Larkspur
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Larkspur have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Larkspur
    • Larkspur is located in Douglas County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 203 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Larkspur <2>
  • Castle Rock
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
  • Green Mountain Falls
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Pikeview
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pikeview have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pikeview
    • Pikeview is located in El Paso County
  • Franktown
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
  • Eastonville ‑ Historic
    (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eastonville
    • Eastonville is located in El Paso County
  • Elbert
    (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
  • Sedalia
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
  • Manitou Springs
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Falcon
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Elizabeth
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Elizabeth have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elizabeth
      • Elizabeth is located in Elbert County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,867 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Elizabeth <2>
    • Colorado Springs
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colorado Springs
      • Colorado Springs is located in El Paso County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 482,131 people
      • Former names for Colorado Springs:
      • El Paso
      • Fountain Colony
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Colorado Springs <2>

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

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

The official website for Douglas County: www.douglas.co.us/

The official website for State of Colorado: https://www.colorado.gov/

Footnotes ...

<1>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.
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<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- Spruce) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Spruce. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 39.1567, Longitude: -104.8783       In this case, the coordinates for Spruce have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<4>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.
<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 Spruce, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024