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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 South Prairie (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 South Prairie. 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 South Prairie ...

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 South Prairie: S. Prairie

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 southeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals and doctors were in the next county to the east. 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 east 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.

South Prairie is located in Pierce 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 Pierce County: King, Kitsap, Kittitas, Lewis, Mason, Thurston & Yakima.

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

  • Pierce County     (The home county of South Prairie)
    • The following are listed by their distance from South Prairie, with the one closest to South Prairie listed first.
    • Prairie Ridge
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Prairie Ridge have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prairie Ridge
      • Prairie Ridge is located in Pierce County
    • Buckley
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Wilkeson
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Bonney Lake
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Carbonado
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Orting
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Alderton
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alderton
      • Alderton is located in Pierce County
    • McMillin
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McMillin
      • McMillin is located in Pierce County
    • Lake Tapps
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Tapps
      • Lake Tapps is located in Pierce County
    • Sumner
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Melmont ‑ Historic
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Melmont. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Melmont
      • Melmont is located in Pierce County
    • South Hill
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for South Hill have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Hill
      • South Hill is located in Pierce County
  • King County
    • The following are listed by their distance from South Prairie, with the one closest to South Prairie listed first.
    • Osceola
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Osceola
      • Osceola is located in King County
    • Enumclaw
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Krain
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Krain
      • Krain is located in King County
    • Green River
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Green River have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green River
      • Green River is located in King County
    • Pacific
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Black Diamond
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • One Hundred One Pines
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • Franklin ‑ Historic
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Franklin
      • Franklin is located in King County
    • Algona
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Auburn
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Milton
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Lake Morton - Berrydale
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
  • Kitsap County
  • Lewis County
  • Thurston County
    • The following are listed by their distance from South Prairie, with the one closest to South Prairie listed first.
    • North Yelm
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Yelm have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Yelm
      • North Yelm is located in Thurston County
    • Yelm
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yelm
      • Yelm is located in Thurston County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 9,591 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Yelm <2>
    • Nisqually Indian Community
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Nisqually Indian Community. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nisqually Indian Community
      • Nisqually Indian Community is located in Thurston County

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of South Prairie ...

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 149 newspapers that have been published in the area around South Prairie.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of South Prairie. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of South Prairie and those printed in the larger area surrounding South Prairie.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 18 miles [29 km]<4> of South Prairie.

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 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 South Prairie:

Cemeteries Near South Prairie ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of South Prairie.

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

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

  • Wilkeson Catholic Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
    • The Wilkeson Catholic Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Lady of the Lourdes Catholic Church Cemetery
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Wilkeson Catholic Cemetery
  • Wilkeson Town Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
    • The Wilkeson Town Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Knights of Pythias Cemetery
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Wilkeson Town Cemetery
  • Carbonado Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Buckley Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Lake Tapps Pioneer Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • The Lake Tapps Pioneer Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Dieringer Cemetery
    • Dieringer Pioneer Cemetery
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lake Tapps Pioneer Cemetery
  • Holy Cross Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Holy Cross Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Holy Cross Cemetery
  • Orting Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • The Orting Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Orting IOOF Cemetery
    • Orting IOOF Cemetery
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Orting Cemetery
  • Soldiers Home Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • The Soldiers Home Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Old Soldiers Home Cemetery
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Soldiers Home Cemetery
  • Enumclaw Municipal Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Enumclaw Municipal Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Enumclaw Municipal Cemetery
  • Krain Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Krain Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Krain Cemetery
  • Sumner Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • The Sumner Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Sumner Pioneer Cemetery
    • Sumner Town Cemetery
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Sumner Cemetery
  • Woodbine Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • The Woodbine Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Puyallup Cemetery
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Woodbine Cemetery
  • Continue List   (65 more) ...
    • White Lake Cemetery
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Firwood Indian Cemetery
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Franklin Cemetery
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for the Franklin Cemetery. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Franklin 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.<6>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that in 1895, South Prairie had a post office and railroad service. In 2020, South Prairie had a population of 442 people.

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

  • Cascade Junction
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cascade Junction have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cascade Junction
    • Cascade Junction is located in Pierce County
  • Burnett
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Burnett have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burnett
    • Burnett is located in Pierce County
  • Wilkeson
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
  • Buckley
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Carbonado
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Boise
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Boise have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boise
    • Boise is located in King County
  • Osceola
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Osceola
    • Osceola is located in King County
  • Orting
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • Enumclaw
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Alderton
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alderton
    • Alderton is located in Pierce County
  • McMillin
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McMillin
    • McMillin is located in Pierce County
  • Lake Tapps
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Tapps
    • Lake Tapps is located in Pierce County
  • Continue List   (17 more) ...
    • Sumner
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Meeker
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Meeker have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meeker
      • Meeker is located in Pierce County
    • Puyallup
      (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 South Prairie. See our List of 1890's Communities around South Prairie.

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

The official website for Pierce County: www.co.pierce.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>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.
<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- South Prairie) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in South Prairie. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 47.1393, Longitude: -122.0979    
<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 South Prairie, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024