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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 Ayer (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 Ayer. 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 southwest 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 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.

Ayer is located in Walla Walla County.

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

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Walla Walla County: Umatilla (OR), Benton, Columbia & Franklin.

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

  • Walla Walla County     (The home county of Ayer)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ayer, with the one closest to Ayer listed first.
    • Magallon
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Magallon have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Magallon
      • Magallon is located in Walla Walla County
    • Tompkins
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tompkins
      • Tompkins is located in Walla Walla County
    • Clyde
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clyde
      • Clyde is located in Walla Walla County
    • Prescott
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Prescott have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prescott
      • Prescott is located in Walla Walla County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 310 people
    • Paddock
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paddock
      • Paddock is located in Walla Walla County
    • Eureka
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Eureka have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eureka
      • Eureka is located in Walla Walla County
    • Waitsburg
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Rulo
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rulo have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rulo
      • Rulo is located in Walla Walla County
  • Adams County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ayer, with the one closest to Ayer listed first.
    • Washtucna
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Hatton
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Cunningham
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Lind
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
  • Columbia County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ayer, with the one closest to Ayer listed first.
    • Grange City ‑ Historic
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Grange City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grange City
      • Grange City is located in Columbia County
    • Starbuck
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Relief
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Relief have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Relief
      • Relief is located in Columbia County
    • Delaney
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Delaney have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Delaney
      • Delaney is located in Columbia County
    • Menoken
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Menoken
      • Menoken is located in Columbia County
    • Huntsville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Huntsville
      • Huntsville is located in Columbia County
    • Dayton
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
  • Franklin County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ayer, with the one closest to Ayer listed first.
    • Kahlotus
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Windust
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Windust
      • Windust is located in Franklin County
    • Connell
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
  • Whitman County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ayer, with the one closest to Ayer listed first.
    • Hooper
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
    • LaCrosse
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)

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

Newspapers Published in Ayer ...

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 42 newspapers that have been published in the area around Ayer.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Ayer, there are papers which were published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Ayer.

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 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 Ayer:

Cemeteries Near Ayer ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Ayer.

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

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

  • Old Bones Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Old Bones Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Old Bones Cemetery
  • Lakeview Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • The Lakeview Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Kahlotus Cemetery
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lakeview Cemetery
  • Washtucna Pioneer Memorial Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
  • Delight Cemetery
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Michigan Prairie Cemetery
    (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
  • Ivy Cemetery
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Ivy Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Ivy Cemetery
  • Bemis Cemetery
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bemis Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bemis Cemetery
  • IOOF Cemetery
    (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
    • 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
  • Connell Cemetery
    (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Connell Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Connell Cemetery
  • Pioneer Cemetery
    (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pioneer Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pioneer Cemetery
  • Turner Cemetery
    (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Turner Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Turner Cemetery
  • Hatton Cemetery
    (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
  • Continue List   (7 more) ...
    • Covello Cemetery
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Covello Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Covello Cemetery
    • Bundy Hollow Cemetery
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bundy Hollow Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bundy Hollow Cemetery
    • Lind Cemetery
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lind Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lind Cemetery

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

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

  • Grange City ‑ Historic
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Grange City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grange City
    • Grange City is located in Columbia County
  • Kahlotus
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
  • Starbuck
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Washtucna
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
  • Clyde
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clyde
    • Clyde is located in Walla Walla County
  • Hooper
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
  • Relief
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Relief have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Relief
    • Relief is located in Columbia County
  • Alto
    (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Alto have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alto
    • Alto is located in Columbia County
  • Delaney
    (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Delaney have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Delaney
    • Delaney is located in Columbia County
  • Fletcher
    (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fletcher have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fletcher
    • Fletcher is located in Adams County
  • Sulphur
    (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sulphur have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sulphur
    • Sulphur is located in Franklin County
  • Lee
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lee have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lee
    • Lee is located in Walla Walla County
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Prescott
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Prescott have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prescott
      • Prescott is located in Walla Walla County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 310 people
    • Hay
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hay have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hay
      • Hay is located in Whitman County
    • Menoken
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Menoken
      • Menoken is located in Columbia County

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

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

The official website for Walla Walla County: www.co.walla-walla.wa.us/

The official website for State of Washington: https://access.wa.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 'straight-line' (or point-to-point) distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Ayer) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Ayer. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 46.5963, Longitude: -118.3483       In this case, the coordinates for Ayer 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 Ayer, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024