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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 Sunrise (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 Sunrise. 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 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.

Sunrise 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 Sunrise. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Sunrise:

  • Pierce County     (The home county of Sunrise)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sunrise, with the one closest to Sunrise listed first.
    • Crystal Mountain
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Longmire
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Greenwater
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
    • Melmont ‑ Historic
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • 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.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Melmont
      • Melmont is located in Pierce County
    • Ashford
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Carbonado
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Wilkeson
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
    • Buckley
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
    • South Prairie
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Kapowsin
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
    • Clay City
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Clay City have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clay City
      • Clay City is located in Pierce County
    • Elbe
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
  • King County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sunrise, with the one closest to Sunrise listed first.
    • Lester ‑ Historic
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lester
      • Lester is located in King County
    • Enumclaw
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Osceola
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Osceola
      • Osceola is located in King County
    • Krain
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Krain
      • Krain is located in King County
    • Palmer
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Palmer have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Palmer
      • Palmer is located in King County
    • Franklin ‑ Historic
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Franklin
      • Franklin is located in King County
    • Kanaskat
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kanaskat
      • Kanaskat is located in King County
  • Kittitas County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sunrise, with the one closest to Sunrise listed first.
    • Cabin Creek
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cabin Creek
      • Cabin Creek is located in Kittitas County
    • Martin
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Martin have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Martin
      • Martin is located in Kittitas County
  • Lewis County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sunrise, with the one closest to Sunrise listed first.
    • Packwood
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
    • Mineral
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Randle
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Yakima County

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

Newspapers Published in Sunrise ...

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 22 newspapers that have been published in the area around Sunrise.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Sunrise, there are papers which were published within 29 miles [46.7 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Sunrise.

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 Sunrise:

Cemeteries Near Sunrise ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Sunrise.

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

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

  • Evergreen Cemetery
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Evergreen Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Evergreen Cemetery
  • Carbonado Cemetery
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Wilkeson Catholic Cemetery
    (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
    • 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
    (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
    • The Wilkeson Town Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Knights of Pythias Cemetery
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Wilkeson Town Cemetery
  • Buckley Cemetery
    (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
  • Peterson Cemetery
    (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Peterson Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Peterson Cemetery
  • Krain Cemetery
    (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Krain Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Krain Cemetery
  • Enumclaw Municipal Cemetery
    (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Enumclaw Municipal Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Enumclaw Municipal Cemetery
  • Holy Cross Cemetery
    (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Holy Cross Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Holy Cross Cemetery
  • Soldiers Home Cemetery
    (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
    • The Soldiers Home Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Old Soldiers Home Cemetery
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Soldiers Home Cemetery
  • Eatonville Cemetery
    (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
    • The Eatonville Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Glacier Park Cemetery
    • Glacier View Cemetery
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Eatonville 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>

While we didn't find Sunrise in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Sunrise.

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

  • Lester ‑ Historic
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lester
    • Lester is located in King County
  • Carbonado
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Wilkeson
    (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
  • Buckley
    (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
  • Burnett
    (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Burnett have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burnett
    • Burnett is located in Pierce County
  • Enumclaw
    (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
  • Boise
    (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Boise have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boise
    • Boise is located in King County
  • Cascade Junction
    (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cascade Junction have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cascade Junction
    • Cascade Junction is located in Pierce County
  • Osceola
    (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Osceola
    • Osceola is located in King County
  • South Prairie
    (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
  • Cora
    (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cora have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cora
    • Cora is located in Lewis County
  • Veazie
    (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Veazie have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Veazie
    • Veazie is located in King County
  • Continue List   (5 more) ...
    • Kapowsin
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
    • Palmer
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Palmer have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Palmer
      • Palmer is located in King County
    • Martin
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Martin have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Martin
      • Martin is located in Kittitas County

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

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Sunrise. 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>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<2>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.
<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 'straight-line' (or 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- Sunrise) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Sunrise. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 46.9148, Longitude: -121.6423       In this case, the coordinates for Sunrise have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<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 Sunrise, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024