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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 Sparks (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 Sparks. 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 Sparks ...

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.

The city of Sparks was originally named Harriman

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.

A Few Details for Sparks ...

While it's still very early in our research, we found that:

  • Sparks was established in 1850.

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

Sparks is located in Washoe County.

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

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Washoe County: Lassen (CA), Modoc (CA), Nevada (CA), Placer (CA), Sierra (CA), Carson City, Churchill, Humboldt, Lyon, Pershing, Storey, Harney (OR) & Lake (OR).

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

  • Washoe County     (The home county of Sparks)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sparks, with the one closest to Sparks listed first.
    • Vista
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Vista have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vista
      • Vista is located in Washoe County
    • Hidden Valley
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hidden Valley
      • Hidden Valley is located in Washoe County
    • Reno
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reno
      • Reno is located in Washoe County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 259,290 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Reno <2>
    • Sun Valley
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Panther Valley
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Panther Valley
      • Panther Valley is located in Washoe County
    • Golden Valley
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Golden Valley
      • Golden Valley is located in Washoe County
    • Raleigh Heights
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Raleigh Heights
      • Raleigh Heights is located in Washoe County
    • Spanish Springs
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Spanish Springs have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spanish Springs
      • Spanish Springs is located in Washoe County
    • Lemmon Valley
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lemmon Valley
      • Lemmon Valley is located in Washoe County
    • Lawton
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lawton
      • Lawton is located in Washoe County
    • Mogul
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mogul
      • Mogul is located in Washoe County
    • Steamboat
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Steamboat have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Steamboat
      • Steamboat is located in Washoe County
  • Carson City
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sparks, with the one closest to Sparks listed first.
    • Lakeview Summit
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lakeview Summit have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lakeview Summit
      • Lakeview Summit is located in Carson City
    • Empire
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Empire have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Empire
      • Empire is located in Carson City
    • Carson City
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
    • New Empire
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Empire
      • New Empire is located in Carson City
  • Lyon County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sparks, with the one closest to Sparks listed first.
    • Carson Rapids City
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Carson Rapids City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carson Rapids City
      • Carson Rapids City is located in Lyon County
    • Silver City
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Silver City
      • Silver City is located in Lyon County
    • Sutro ‑ Historic
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sutro
      • Sutro is located in Lyon County
    • Johntown ‑ Historic
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Johntown have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Johntown
      • Johntown is located in Lyon County
    • Dayton
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
    • Mound House
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
    • Stagecoach
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stagecoach
      • Stagecoach is located in Lyon County
    • Eureka ‑ Historic
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eureka
      • Eureka is located in Lyon County
    • Fernley
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
    • Silver Springs
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
    • Fort Churchill ‑ Historic
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fort Churchill
      • Fort Churchill is located in Lyon County
  • Storey County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sparks, with the one closest to Sparks listed first.
    • Lockwood
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lockwood
      • Lockwood is located in Storey County
    • Lousetown ‑ Historic
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Lousetown. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lousetown
      • Lousetown is located in Storey County
    • Virginia City Highlands
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Virginia City Highlands have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Virginia City Highlands
      • Virginia City Highlands is located in Storey County
    • Clark
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clark
      • Clark is located in Storey County
    • Virginia City
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
    • Thisby
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Thisby have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thisby
      • Thisby is located in Storey County
    • Flowery City ‑ Historic
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Flowery City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flowery City
      • Flowery City is located in Storey County
    • Gold Hill
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gold Hill have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gold Hill
      • Gold Hill is located in Storey County
    • American City ‑ Historic
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for American City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for American City
      • American City is located in Storey County
    • American Flat ‑ Historic
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for American Flat have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for American Flat
      • American Flat is located in Storey County
  • Nevada County (CA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sparks, with the one closest to Sparks listed first.
    • Mystic ‑ Historic
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mystic
      • Mystic is located in Nevada County (CA)
    • Bronco
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bronco have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bronco
      • Bronco is located in Nevada County (CA)
    • Floriston
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
    • Polaris
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Polaris have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Polaris
      • Polaris is located in Nevada County (CA)
    • Prosser Lake Heights
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prosser Lake Heights
      • Prosser Lake Heights is located in Nevada County (CA)
    • Truckee
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Truckee
      • Truckee is located in Nevada County (CA)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 16,982 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Truckee <2>
  • Placer County (CA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sparks, with the one closest to Sparks listed first.
    • Kings Beach
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Brockway
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Tahoe Vista
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Carnelian Bay
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
  • Plumas County (CA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sparks, with the one closest to Sparks listed first.
    • Chilcoot - Vinton
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Chilcoot - Vinton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chilcoot - Vinton
      • Chilcoot - Vinton is located in Plumas County (CA)
    • Chilcoot
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Vinton
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Sierra County (CA)
    • Loyalton
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Sparks ...

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 99 newspapers that have been published in the area around Sparks.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Sparks. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Sparks and those printed in the larger area surrounding Sparks.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 28 miles [45.1 km]<4> of Sparks.

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 helpful 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 Sparks:

Cemeteries Near Sparks ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Sparks.

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

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

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

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

  • Vista
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Vista have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vista
    • Vista is located in Washoe County
  • Reno
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reno
    • Reno is located in Washoe County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 259,290 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Reno <2>
  • Anderson ‑ Historic
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Anderson have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Anderson
    • Anderson is located in Washoe County
    • Anderson has also been known as:
    • Junction House
    • Sparks Ranch
  • Huffakers ‑ Historic
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Huffakers
    • Huffakers is located in Washoe County
  • Hafed
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hafed have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hafed
    • Hafed is located in Washoe County
  • Lawton
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lawton
    • Lawton is located in Washoe County
  • Steamboat
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Steamboat have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Steamboat
    • Steamboat is located in Washoe County
  • Verdi
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
  • Marmol ‑ Historic
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Marmol have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marmol
    • Marmol is located in Washoe County
  • Washoe City
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Washoe City
    • Washoe City is located in Washoe County
  • Clarks ‑ Historic
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Clarks have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clarks
    • Clarks is located in Washoe County
  • Mystic ‑ Historic
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mystic
    • Mystic is located in Nevada County (CA)
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Virginia City
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
    • Thisby
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Thisby have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thisby
      • Thisby is located in Storey County
    • Floriston
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)

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

The official website for Sparks: www.ci.sparks.nv.us/

The official website for Washoe County: www.co.washoe.nv.us/

The official website for State of Nevada: nv.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>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 'straight-line' (or 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- Sparks) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Sparks. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 39.5435, Longitude: -119.7442    
<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 Sparks, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024