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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 Port Angeles (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 Port Angeles. 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 Port Angeles ...

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 Port Angeles: Prt. Angeles

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 and doctors 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.

Port Angeles is located in Clallam County and is the County Seat.

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

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

  • Clallam County     (The home county of Port Angeles)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Port Angeles, with the one closest to Port Angeles listed first.
    • Little Oklahoma
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little Oklahoma
      • Little Oklahoma is located in Clallam County
    • Elwha
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elwha
      • Elwha is located in Clallam County
    • Carlsborg
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
    • Old Town
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Old Town have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Old Town
      • Old Town is located in Clallam County
    • Joyce
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
    • River Road
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for River Road
      • River Road is located in Clallam County
    • Port Crescent ‑ Historic
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Port Crescent
      • Port Crescent is located in Clallam County
    • Sequim
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
    • Bell Hill
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bell Hill have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bell Hill
      • Bell Hill is located in Clallam County
    • Port Williams
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Port Williams have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Port Williams
      • Port Williams is located in Clallam County
    • Blyn
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blyn
      • Blyn is located in Clallam County
    • Twin
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Twin have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Twin
      • Twin is located in Clallam County
  • Jefferson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Port Angeles, with the one closest to Port Angeles listed first.
    • Gardiner
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
    • Adelma Beach
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adelma Beach
      • Adelma Beach is located in Jefferson County
    • Leland
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Leland have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leland
      • Leland is located in Jefferson County
    • Irondale ‑ Historic
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Irondale have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Irondale
      • Irondale is located in Jefferson County
    • Port Hadlock - Irondale
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
    • Port Townsend
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Port Angeles ...

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 83 newspapers that have been published in the area around Port Angeles.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Port Angeles. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Port Angeles and those printed in the larger area surrounding Port Angeles.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<3> of Port Angeles.

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 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 Port Angeles:

Cemeteries Near Port Angeles ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Port Angeles.

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

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

  • Mt. Angeles Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mt. Angeles Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mt. Angeles Cemetery
  • Ocean View Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Ocean View Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Ocean View Cemetery
  • Port Crescent Pioneer Memorial Cemetery
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
  • Sequim View Cemetery
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Sequim View Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Sequim View Cemetery
  • Jamestown Cemetery
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Jamestown Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Jamestown Cemetery
  • St. Mary's Cemetery
    (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the St. Mary's Cemetery is located in the vicinity of Metchosin (BC)
    • The St. Mary's Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Metchosin Pioneer Cemetery
    • St. Mary the Virgin Anglican Church Cemetery
    • St. Mary The Virgin Church Yard Cemetery
    • St. Mary The Virgin Churchyard Cemetery
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Mary's Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2459848 <4>
  • Harling Point Chinese Cemetery
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
  • Ross Bay Cemetery
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
  • Quadra Street Cemetery
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
  • Sooke Harbour Cemetery
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Congregation Emanu-El Cemetery
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
  • Veteran's Cemetery
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
  • Continue List   (7 more) ...
    • Knox Presbyterian Church Cemetery
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Muir Family Cemetery
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Sooke Millenium Memorial Park
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • To give a relative sense of its location, the Sooke Millenium Memorial Park is located in Sooke (BC).
      • The Sooke Millenium Memorial Park has also been known as:
      • Millenium Memorial Park
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Sooke Millenium Memorial Park

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>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Port Angeles had a population of 316 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service. In 2020, Port Angeles had a population of 20,381 people.

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

  • Rena
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rena have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rena
    • Rena is located in Clallam County
  • Port Crescent ‑ Historic
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Port Crescent
    • Port Crescent is located in Clallam County
  • Port Williams
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Port Williams have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Port Williams
    • Port Williams is located in Clallam County
  • Blyn
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blyn
    • Blyn is located in Clallam County
  • Fairholm
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fairholm have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairholm
    • Fairholm is located in Clallam County
  • Twin
    (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Twin have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Twin
    • Twin is located in Clallam County
  • Port Discovery ‑ Historic
    (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Port Discovery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Port Discovery
    • Port Discovery is located in Jefferson County
  • Leland
    (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Leland have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leland
    • Leland is located in Jefferson County

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

The official website for Port Angeles: www.ci.port-angeles.wa.us/

The official website for Clallam County: www.clallam.net/

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 things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Port Angeles) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Port Angeles. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 48.1148, Longitude: -123.4349    
<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 Port Angeles, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024