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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 Twin Springs (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 Twin Springs. 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 Twin Springs ...

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 Twin Springs: Twin Spgs. (or less commonly used: Twin Spngs. or Twin Sprngs.)

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

Twin Springs is located in Boise County.

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

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Boise County: Ada, Custer, Elmore, Gem & Valley.

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

  • Boise County     (The home county of Twin Springs)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Twin Springs, with the one closest to Twin Springs listed first.
    • Idaho City
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Placerville
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Quartzburg
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Quartzburg. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Quartzburg
      • Quartzburg is located in Boise County
    • Grimes Pass
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grimes Pass
      • Grimes Pass is located in Boise County
    • Lowman
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lowman have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lowman
      • Lowman is located in Boise County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lowman <1>
    • Horseshoe Bend
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Horseshoe Bend have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Horseshoe Bend
      • Horseshoe Bend is located in Boise County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 822 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Horseshoe Bend <1>
  • Ada County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Twin Springs, with the one closest to Twin Springs listed first.
    • Boise Hills Village
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Boise Hills Village have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boise Hills Village
      • Boise Hills Village is located in Ada County
    • Boise City
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boise City
      • Boise City is located in Ada County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 229,776 people
      • Former name for Boise City:
      • Boise City
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Boise City <1>
    • Boise Junction
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boise Junction
      • Boise Junction is located in Ada County
    • Collister
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Collister
      • Collister is located in Ada County
    • Garden City
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Garden City have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garden City
      • Garden City is located in Ada County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 11,920 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Garden City <1>
  • Elmore County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Twin Springs, with the one closest to Twin Springs listed first.
    • Rocky Bar ‑ Historic
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rocky Bar
      • Rocky Bar is located in Elmore County
    • Mayfield
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Mayfield. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mayfield
      • Mayfield is located in Elmore County
    • Paradise Hot Springs
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paradise Hot Springs
      • Paradise Hot Springs is located in Elmore County
    • Spanish Town ‑ Historic
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Spanish Town have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spanish Town
      • Spanish Town is located in Elmore County
    • Pine
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
    • Reclamation Village
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Reclamation Village have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reclamation Village
      • Reclamation Village is located in Elmore County
    • Dixie
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dixie
      • Dixie is located in Elmore County
    • Alturas City ‑ Historic
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Alturas City have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alturas City
      • Alturas City is located in Elmore County
    • Atlanta
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)

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

Cemeteries Near Twin Springs ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Twin Springs.

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

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

  • Boot Hill Cemetery
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Boot Hill Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Boot Hill Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Idaho City Pioneer Cemetery
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Idaho City Pioneer Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Idaho City Pioneer Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Miner Grave
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Miner Grave
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Miner Grave have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Old Catholic Cemetery
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
  • IOOF Cemetery
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the IOOF Cemetery
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for the IOOF Cemetery. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
  • Idaho State Penitentiary Cemetery
    (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
  • Pine Cemetery
    (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pine Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Pine Cemetery is located in the vicinity of Pine
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2236414 <4>
  • Ft. Boise Military Cemetery
    (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Ft. Boise Military Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Ft. Boise Military Cemetery is located outside and to the northeast of Boise City.
    • The Ft. Boise Military Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Boise Barracks Military Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #80473 <4>
  • Pioneer Cemetery
    (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
  • Continue List   (6 more) ...
    • Grimes Pass Cemetery
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Morris Hill Cemetery
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
    • Pioneer Cemetery
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Mountain View Cemetery
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mountain View Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mountain View Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.

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 Twin Springs in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Twin Springs.

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

  • Idaho City
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Mayfield
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Mayfield. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mayfield
    • Mayfield is located in Elmore County
  • Rocky Bar ‑ Historic
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rocky Bar
    • Rocky Bar is located in Elmore County
  • Pioneerville
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pioneerville have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pioneerville
    • Pioneerville is located in Boise County
  • Placerville
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Pine
    (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
  • Quartzburg
    (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Quartzburg. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Quartzburg
    • Quartzburg is located in Boise County
  • Banner
    (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Banner have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Banner
    • Banner is located in Boise County
  • Boise City
    (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boise City
    • Boise City is located in Ada County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 229,776 people
    • Former name for Boise City:
    • Boise City
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Boise City <1>
  • Graham ‑ Historic
    (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Graham have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Graham
    • Graham is located in Boise County
  • Horseshoe Bend
    (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Horseshoe Bend have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Horseshoe Bend
    • Horseshoe Bend is located in Boise County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 822 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Horseshoe Bend <1>

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

Newspapers Published in Twin Springs ...

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 78 newspapers that have been published in the area around Twin Springs.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Twin Springs, there are papers which were published within 25 miles [40.2 km]<5>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Twin Springs.

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 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 Twin Springs:

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

The official website for Boise County: www.co.boise.id.us/

The official website for State of Idaho: https://idaho.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>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>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or point-to-point) distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Twin Springs) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Twin Springs. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 43.6693, Longitude: -115.7012       In this case, the coordinates for Twin Springs have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<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 Twin Springs, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025