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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 Old Town (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 Old Town. 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 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.

Old Town is located in Douglas County.

To see how the shape of Oregon'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: Coos, Curry, Jackson, Josephine, Klamath & Lane.

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

  • Douglas County     (The home county of Old Town)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Old Town, with the one closest to Old Town listed first.
    • Oakland
      (Less than 2 miles to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Oakland have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakland
      • Oakland is located in Douglas County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 954 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Oakland <2>
    • Sutherlin
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sutherlin have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sutherlin
      • Sutherlin is located in Douglas County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 8,227 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sutherlin <2>
    • Isadore
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Isadore have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Isadore
      • Isadore is located in Douglas County
    • Rice Hill
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Wilbur
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Elkhead
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Elkhead have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elkhead
      • Elkhead is located in Douglas County
    • Umpqua
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Yoncalla
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Yoncalla have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yoncalla
      • Yoncalla is located in Douglas County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,102 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Yoncalla <2>
    • Winchester
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Glide
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Glide have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glide
      • Glide is located in Douglas County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Glide <2>
    • Cleveland
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cleveland have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cleveland
      • Cleveland is located in Douglas County
    • Roseburg
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
    • Drain
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Drain
      • Drain is located in Douglas County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,201 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Drain <2>
  • Lane County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Old Town, with the one closest to Old Town listed first.
    • Divide ‑ Historic
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Divide. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Divide
      • Divide is located in Lane County
    • Cottage Grove
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Lorane
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
    • Culp Creek
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Dorena ‑ Historic
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Saginaw
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)

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

Newspapers Published in Old Town ...

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 51 newspapers that have been published in the area around Old Town.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Old Town, there are papers which were published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Old Town.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first visit 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 Old Town:

Cemeteries Near Old Town ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Old Town.

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

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

  • IOOF Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the IOOF Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the IOOF Cemetery
  • Oakland Masonic & Old Town Oakland Cemeteries
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
  • Reason - Reed Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Reason - Reed Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Reason - Reed Cemetery
  • Sutherlin Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Sutherlin Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Sutherlin Cemetery
  • Fair Oaks Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
  • Harvey Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Harvey Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Harvey Cemetery
  • Metz Hill Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Metz Hill Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Metz Hill Cemetery
  • Tyee View Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Tyee View Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Tyee View Cemetery
  • Hurst Family Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hurst Family Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hurst Family Cemetery
  • Harris Family Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Harris Family Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Harris Family Cemetery
  • Otey Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Otey Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Otey Cemetery
  • Wilbur Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Wilbur Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Wilbur Cemetery
  • Continue List   (62 more) ...
    • Coles Valley Cemetery
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Coles Valley Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Coles Valley Cemetery
    • Oak Creek Cemetery
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Oak Creek Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Oak Creek Cemetery
    • Applegate Pioneer Cemetery
      (11 miles [17.7 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 Old Town in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Old Town.

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

  • Oakland
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Oakland have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakland
    • Oakland is located in Douglas County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 954 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Oakland <2>
  • Isadore
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Isadore have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Isadore
    • Isadore is located in Douglas County
  • Stephens
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Stephens have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stephens
    • Stephens is located in Douglas County
  • Rice Hill
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
  • Wilbur
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
  • Elkhead
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Elkhead have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elkhead
    • Elkhead is located in Douglas County
  • Coles Valley
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Coles Valley have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coles Valley
    • Coles Valley is located in Douglas County
  • Winchester
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
  • Yoncalla
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Yoncalla have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yoncalla
    • Yoncalla is located in Douglas County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,102 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Yoncalla <2>
  • Millwood
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Millwood have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millwood
    • Millwood is located in Douglas County
  • Oak Creek ‑ Historic
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Oak Creek have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Creek
    • Oak Creek is located in Douglas County
  • Cleveland
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cleveland have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cleveland
    • Cleveland is located in Douglas County
  • Continue List   (13 more) ...
    • Glide
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Glide have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glide
      • Glide is located in Douglas County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Glide <2>
    • Roseburg
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
    • Melrose
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Melrose
      • Melrose is located in Douglas County

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

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

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

The official website for State of Oregon: https://www.oregon.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 obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Old Town) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Old Town. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 43.4329, Longitude: -123.2956       In this case, the coordinates for Old Town have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<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 Old Town, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024