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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 Burien (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 Burien. 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 doctors and 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.

Burien is located in King 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 King County: Chelan, Kittitas, Pierce & Snohomish.

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

  • King County     (The home county of Burien)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Burien, with the one closest to Burien listed first.
    • Seahurst
      (Less than 2 miles to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seahurst
      • Seahurst is located in King County
    • Riverton Heights
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riverton Heights
      • Riverton Heights is located in King County
    • Riverton-Boulevard Park
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Riverton-Boulevard Park. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riverton-Boulevard Park
      • Riverton-Boulevard Park is located in King County
    • Normandy Park
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
    • SeaTac
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
    • White Center
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for White Center have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Center
      • White Center is located in King County
    • North Hill
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Hill have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Hill
      • North Hill is located in King County
    • Tukwila
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Des Moines
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Orillia
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orillia
      • Orillia is located in King County
    • Van Asselt
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Van Asselt have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Van Asselt
      • Van Asselt is located in King County
    • Zenith
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zenith
      • Zenith is located in King County
    • Vashon
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
  • Jefferson County
  • Kitsap County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Burien, with the one closest to Burien listed first.
    • Southworth
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Southworth
      • Southworth is located in Kitsap County
    • Olalla
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • South Colby
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Colby
      • South Colby is located in Kitsap County
    • Colby
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colby
      • Colby is located in Kitsap County
    • Colchester
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colchester
      • Colchester is located in Kitsap County
    • Fort Ward
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fort Ward
      • Fort Ward is located in Kitsap County
    • Manchester
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • South Park Village
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
    • Bainbridge Island
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bainbridge Island
      • Bainbridge Island is located in Kitsap County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 25,358 people
      • Bainbridge Island has also been known as:
      • Winslow
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bainbridge Island <2>
    • Bethel
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
    • Burley
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
    • East Port Orchard
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Port Orchard
      • East Port Orchard is located in Kitsap County
    • Parkwood
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Parkwood have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parkwood
      • Parkwood is located in Kitsap County
  • Mason County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Burien, with the one closest to Burien listed first.
    • Belfair
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
    • Allyn
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
    • Grapeview
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
  • Pierce County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Burien, with the one closest to Burien listed first.
    • Dash Point
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dash Point
      • Dash Point is located in Pierce County
    • Northeast Tacoma
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Northeast Tacoma
      • Northeast Tacoma is located in Pierce County
    • Gig Harbor
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Ruston
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ruston have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ruston
      • Ruston is located in Pierce County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 848 people
    • Edgewood
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
    • Gardenville ‑ Historic
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gardenville
      • Gardenville is located in Pierce County
    • Tacoma
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
    • Wauna
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wauna
      • Wauna is located in Pierce County
    • Fife
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fife
      • Fife is located in Pierce County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 10,458 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Fife <2>
    • Firwood ‑ Historic
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Firwood. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Firwood
      • Firwood is located in Pierce County
    • Lake Tapps
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Tapps
      • Lake Tapps is located in Pierce County
    • Artondale
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Artondale have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Artondale
      • Artondale is located in Pierce County
    • Fircrest
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Snohomish County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Burien, with the one closest to Burien listed first.
    • Brier
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brier
      • Brier is located in Snohomish County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 6,955 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Brier <2>
    • Esperance
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Esperance have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Esperance
      • Esperance is located in Snohomish County
    • Mountlake Terrace
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
    • Woodway
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Woodway have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodway
      • Woodway is located in Snohomish County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,391 people
    • Canyon Park
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Canyon Park
      • Canyon Park is located in Snohomish County
    • Edmonds
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
    • Alderwood Manor
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Alderwood Manor have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alderwood Manor
      • Alderwood Manor is located in Snohomish County
    • Lynnwood
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
    • North Creek
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Creek
      • North Creek is located in Snohomish County
    • Echo Lake
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Echo Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Echo Lake
      • Echo Lake is located in Snohomish County
    • Maltby
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maltby
      • Maltby is located in Snohomish County
    • Martha Lake
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Martha Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Martha Lake
      • Martha Lake is located in Snohomish County
    • Clearview
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clearview
      • Clearview is located in Snohomish County
  • Thurston County
    • Puget
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Puget
      • Puget is located in Thurston County

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Burien ...

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 622 newspapers that have been published in the area around Burien.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Burien. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Burien and those printed in the larger area surrounding Burien.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 10 miles [16.1 km]<4> of Burien.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we begin 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 Burien:

Cemeteries Near Burien ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Burien.

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

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

  • Washington Memorial Park
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Washington Memorial Park have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Washington Memorial Park
  • Highview Recreational Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Highview Recreational Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Highview Recreational Cemetery
  • Riverton Crest Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Riverton Crest Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Riverton Crest Cemetery
  • St. Patrick Catholic Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Forest Lawn Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • Comet Lodge Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • The Comet Lodge Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Georgetown Cemetery
    • Graham Street Burying Ground
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Comet Lodge Cemetery
  • Episcopal Church Of The Holy Spirit Memory Garden
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
  • Penbrock Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Penbrock Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Penbrock Cemetery
  • Saar Pioneer Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Saar Pioneer Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Saar Pioneer Cemetery
  • Mt. Olivet Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mt. Olivet Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mt. Olivet Cemetery
  • Greenwood Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Greenwood Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Greenwood Cemetery
  • Sedgwick Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
  • Continue List   (100 more) ...
    • Suise Creek Cemetery
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Suise Creek Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Suise Creek Cemetery
    • Fraola Cemetery
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Fraola Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Fraola Cemetery
    • Mountain View Cemetery
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)

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

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

  • Sunnydale
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sunnydale have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunnydale
    • Sunnydale is located in King County
  • Latona ‑ Historic
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Latona have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Latona
    • Latona is located in King County
  • Duwamish
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Duwamish have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Duwamish
    • Duwamish is located in King County
  • Des Moines
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
  • Vashon
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
  • Chautauqua
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Chautauqua have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chautauqua
    • Chautauqua is located in King County
  • Maury
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Maury have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maury
    • Maury is located in King County
  • Orillia
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orillia
    • Orillia is located in King County
  • Van Asselt
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Van Asselt have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Van Asselt
    • Van Asselt is located in King County
  • O'Brien
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for O'Brien have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for O'Brien
    • O'Brien is located in King County
  • Renton
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
  • West Seattle
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for West Seattle have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Seattle
    • West Seattle is located in King County
  • Continue List   (16 more) ...
    • Kent
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kent
      • Kent is located in King County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 130,676 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Kent <2>
    • May Creek
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for May Creek have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for May Creek
      • May Creek is located in King County
    • Olalla
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)

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

The official website for Burien: www.ci.burien.wa.us/

The official website for King County: www.metrokc.gov/

The official website for State of Washington: https://access.wa.gov/

Footnotes ...

<1>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.
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<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>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a '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- Burien) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Burien. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 47.4704, Longitude: -122.3470    
<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 Burien, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024