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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 Peaceful Valley (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 Peaceful Valley. 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 Peaceful Valley ...

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 Peaceful Valley: Peaceful Vly. (or less commonly used: Peaceful Vally. or Peaceful Vlly.)

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 northwest 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 north.

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 north 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.

Peaceful Valley is located in Whatcom 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 Whatcom County: Okanogan, San Juan & Skagit.

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

  • Whatcom County     (The home county of Peaceful Valley)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Peaceful Valley, with the one closest to Peaceful Valley listed first.
    • Kendall
      (Less than 2 miles to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kendall have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kendall
      • Kendall is located in Whatcom County
    • Maple Falls
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Sumas
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sumas
      • Sumas is located in Whatcom County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,629 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sumas <2>
    • Nooksack
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Nooksack have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nooksack
      • Nooksack is located in Whatcom County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,659 people
    • Deming
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Clearbrook
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clearbrook
      • Clearbrook is located in Whatcom County
    • Everson
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Glacier
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Clipper
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clipper
      • Clipper is located in Whatcom County
    • Lynden
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
    • Acme
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
    • Geneva
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Geneva have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Geneva
      • Geneva is located in Whatcom County
    • Sudden Valley
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sudden Valley have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sudden Valley
      • Sudden Valley is located in Whatcom County
  • Skagit County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Peaceful Valley, with the one closest to Peaceful Valley listed first.
    • Alger
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Alger have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alger
      • Alger is located in Skagit County
    • Lyman
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
    • Bow
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Hamilton
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
    • Edison
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Edison have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edison
      • Edison is located in Skagit County
    • Sedro - Woolley
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)

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

Newspapers Published in Peaceful Valley ...

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 71 newspapers that have been published in the area around Peaceful Valley.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Peaceful Valley, 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 Peaceful Valley.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we like to start with 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 Peaceful Valley:

Cemeteries Near Peaceful Valley ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Peaceful Valley.

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

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

  • St. Peters Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
  • Kendall Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Kendall Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Kendall Cemetery
  • Nooksack Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Nooksack Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Nooksack Cemetery
  • Mt. Hope Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mt. Hope Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mt. Hope Cemetery
  • Musselwhite Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
  • South Poplar Mennonite Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
  • Van Zandt Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Van Zandt Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Van Zandt Cemetery
  • Yarrow Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
  • Hazelwood Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
  • MacLure Road Mennonite Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
  • Indian Joe Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Indian Joe Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Indian Joe Cemetery
  • Vedder View Gardens Cemetery
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
  • Continue List   (36 more) ...
    • Carman United Church Cemetery
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
    • St. Marys Cemetery
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Greenwood Cemetery
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Greenwood Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Greenwood 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 Peaceful Valley in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Peaceful Valley.

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

  • Welcome
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Welcome have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Welcome
    • Welcome is located in Whatcom County
  • Sumas
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sumas
    • Sumas is located in Whatcom County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,629 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sumas <2>
  • Nooksack
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Nooksack have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nooksack
    • Nooksack is located in Whatcom County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,659 people
  • Deming
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
  • Clearbrook
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clearbrook
    • Clearbrook is located in Whatcom County
  • Hampton
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hampton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hampton
    • Hampton is located in Whatcom County
  • Everson
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
  • Goshen
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Goshen have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goshen
    • Goshen is located in Whatcom County
  • Wahl
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wahl have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wahl
    • Wahl is located in Whatcom County
  • Lynden
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
  • Van Wyck
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Van Wyck have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Van Wyck
    • Van Wyck is located in Whatcom County
  • Acme
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Laurel
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Laurel have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laurel
      • Laurel is located in Whatcom County
    • Silver Beach
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Silver Beach have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Silver Beach
      • Silver Beach is located in Whatcom County
    • Geneva
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Geneva have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Geneva
      • Geneva 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 Peaceful Valley. See our List of 1890's Communities around Peaceful Valley.

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

The official website for Whatcom County: www.co.whatcom.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 '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- Peaceful Valley) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Peaceful Valley. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 48.9381, Longitude: -122.1473       In this case, the coordinates for Peaceful Valley 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 Peaceful Valley, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.









 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024