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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 Deer Harbor (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 Deer Harbor. 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 Deer Harbor ...

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 Deer Harbor: Deer Hbr. (or less commonly used: Deer Harb. or Deer Hrbr.)

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 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.

Deer Harbor is located in San Juan 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 San Juan County: Island, Skagit & Whatcom.

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

  • San Juan County     (The home county of Deer Harbor)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Deer Harbor, with the one closest to Deer Harbor listed first.
    • Orcas
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Shaw Island
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shaw Island
      • Shaw Island is located in San Juan County
    • Waldron
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waldron
      • Waldron is located in San Juan County
    • Eastsound
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Friday Harbor
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Roche Harbor
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Olga
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Argyle
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Argyle
      • Argyle is located in San Juan County
    • Lopez
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lopez
      • Lopez is located in San Juan County
    • False Bay
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Lopez Island
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lopez Island
      • Lopez Island is located in San Juan County
    • Decatur Island
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Island County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Deer Harbor, with the one closest to Deer Harbor listed first.
    • Oak Harbor
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
    • San de Fuca
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for San de Fuca
      • San de Fuca is located in Island County
  • Skagit County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Deer Harbor, with the one closest to Deer Harbor listed first.
    • Urban
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Urban
      • Urban is located in Skagit County
    • Indian Village
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Indian Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Indian Village
      • Indian Village is located in Skagit County
    • Alexander Beach
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Alexander Beach have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alexander Beach
      • Alexander Beach is located in Skagit County
    • Anacortes
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Similk Beach
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Similk Beach
      • Similk Beach is located in Skagit County
    • Snee Oosh
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Snee Oosh have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Snee Oosh
      • Snee Oosh is located in Skagit County
    • Bay View
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bay View have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bay View
      • Bay View is located in Skagit County
    • Edison
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Edison have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edison
      • Edison is located in Skagit County
    • Swinomish Village
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Swinomish Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Swinomish Village
      • Swinomish Village is located in Skagit County
    • Bow
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
    • Shelter Bay
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Shelter Bay have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shelter Bay
      • Shelter Bay is located in Skagit County
    • La Conner
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Alger
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Alger have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alger
      • Alger is located in Skagit County
  • Whatcom County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Deer Harbor, with the one closest to Deer Harbor listed first.
    • Lummi Island
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Lummi
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lummi
      • Lummi is located in Whatcom County
    • Kickerville
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kickerville
      • Kickerville is located in Whatcom County
    • Chuckanut Village
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Chuckanut Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chuckanut Village
      • Chuckanut Village is located in Whatcom County
    • Birch Bay
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
    • Ferndale
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
    • Point Roberts
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
    • Bellingham
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
    • Custer
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Blaine
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Geneva
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Geneva have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Geneva
      • Geneva is located in Whatcom County
    • Sudden Valley
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sudden Valley have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sudden Valley
      • Sudden Valley is located in Whatcom County

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

Newspapers Published in Deer Harbor ...

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 67 newspapers that have been published in the area around Deer Harbor.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Deer Harbor, there are papers which were published within 27 miles [43.5 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Deer Harbor.

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 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 Deer Harbor:

Cemeteries Near Deer Harbor ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Deer Harbor.

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

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

  • Woodlawn Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Woodlawn Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Woodlawn Cemetery
  • Olga - Doe Bay Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
  • Lopez Union Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
  • Eden Cemetery
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Eden Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Eden Cemetery
  • Pender Island Cemetery
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Royal Oak Burial Park
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
  • Congregation Emanu-El Cemetery
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
  • Grandview Cemetery
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Grandview Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Grandview Cemetery
  • Lummi Cemetery
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lummi Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lummi Cemetery
  • Holy Trinity Anglican Church Cemetery
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
  • St. Stephen's Anglican Church Cemetery
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
  • Quadra Street Cemetery
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Continue List   (27 more) ...
    • Ross Bay Cemetery
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Harling Point Chinese Cemetery
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Veteran's Cemetery
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)

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

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

  • Orcas
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
  • Waldron
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waldron
    • Waldron is located in San Juan County
  • Roche Harbor
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
  • Friday Harbor
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • Eastsound
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Argyle
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Argyle
    • Argyle is located in San Juan County
  • Olga
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
  • Lopez Island
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lopez Island
    • Lopez Island is located in San Juan County
  • Doe Bay
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Doe Bay have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Doe Bay
    • Doe Bay is located in San Juan County
  • Decatur Island
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Richardson
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Richardson have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Richardson
    • Richardson is located in San Juan County
  • Beach
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Beach have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beach
    • Beach is located in Whatcom County
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Guemes
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Guemes have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Guemes
      • Guemes is located in Skagit County
    • Anacortes
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Lummi
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lummi
      • Lummi is located in Whatcom County

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

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

The official website for San Juan County: www.co.san-juan.wa.us/

The official website for State of Washington: https://access.wa.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>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.
<3>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Deer Harbor) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Deer Harbor. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 48.6287, Longitude: -122.9986    
<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 Deer Harbor, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024