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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 Sunshine (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 Sunshine. 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 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.

Sunshine is located in Whitman 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 Whitman County: Benewah (ID), Latah (ID), Nez Perce (ID), Adams, Asotin, Columbia, Franklin, Garfield, Lincoln & Spokane.

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

  • Whitman County     (The home county of Sunshine)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sunshine, with the one closest to Sunshine listed first.
    • Staley
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Staley have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Staley
      • Staley is located in Whitman County
    • Pullman
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Chambers
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chambers
      • Chambers is located in Whitman County
    • Albion
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Shawnee
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Shawnee have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shawnee
      • Shawnee is located in Whitman County
    • Colton
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Uniontown
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • Palouse
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
    • Leon
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Leon have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leon
      • Leon is located in Whitman County
    • Grinnell
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grinnell
      • Grinnell is located in Whitman County
    • Glenwood
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Glenwood have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glenwood
      • Glenwood is located in Whitman County
    • Colfax
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Elberton
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elberton
      • Elberton is located in Whitman County
  • Asotin County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sunshine, with the one closest to Sunshine listed first.
    • Clarkston
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
    • Silcott
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Silcott have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Silcott
      • Silcott is located in Asotin County
    • West Clarkston - Highland
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for West Clarkston - Highland. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Clarkston - Highland
      • West Clarkston - Highland is located in Asotin County
    • Clarkston Heights - Vineland
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Clarkston Heights - Vineland. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clarkston Heights - Vineland
      • Clarkston Heights - Vineland is located in Asotin County
    • Asotin
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
  • Garfield County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sunshine, with the one closest to Sunshine listed first.
    • Mayview
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mayview have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mayview
      • Mayview is located in Garfield County
    • Gould City
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gould City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gould City
      • Gould City is located in Garfield County
    • Pataha
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pataha
      • Pataha is located in Garfield County
    • Pomeroy
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Benewah County (ID)
    • De Smet
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for De Smet have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for De Smet
      • De Smet is located in Benewah County (ID)
  • Latah County (ID)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sunshine, with the one closest to Sunshine listed first.
    • Moscow
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Moscow have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moscow
      • Moscow is located in Latah County (ID)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 26,128 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Moscow <2>
    • Viola
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Viola have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Viola
      • Viola is located in Latah County (ID)
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Viola <2>
    • Howell
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Howell have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Howell
      • Howell is located in Latah County (ID)
    • Lenville
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lenville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lenville
      • Lenville is located in Latah County (ID)
    • Genesee
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Genesee have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Genesee
      • Genesee is located in Latah County (ID)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 976 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Genesee <2>
    • Troy
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Troy have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Troy
      • Troy is located in Latah County (ID)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 913 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Troy <2>
    • Potlatch Junction
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Potlatch Junction
      • Potlatch Junction is located in Latah County (ID)
    • Potlatch
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Onaway
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Onaway have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Onaway
      • Onaway is located in Latah County (ID)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 198 people
    • Freeze
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Freeze
      • Freeze is located in Latah County (ID)
    • Princeton
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Princeton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Princeton
      • Princeton is located in Latah County (ID)
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Princeton <2>
    • Cora
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cora have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cora
      • Cora is located in Latah County (ID)
    • Juliaetta
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
  • Nez Perce County (ID)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sunshine, with the one closest to Sunshine listed first.
    • Leon
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Leon have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leon
      • Leon is located in Nez Perce County (ID)
    • Lewiston
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lewiston
      • Lewiston is located in Nez Perce County (ID)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 33,039 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lewiston <2>
    • North Lapwai
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Spalding
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Spalding have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spalding
      • Spalding is located in Nez Perce County (ID)
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Spalding <2>
    • Cherrylane
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cherrylane
      • Cherrylane is located in Nez Perce County (ID)
    • Lapwai
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lapwai have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lapwai
      • Lapwai is located in Nez Perce County (ID)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,152 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lapwai <2>
    • Cameron
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cameron
      • Cameron is located in Nez Perce County (ID)
    • Sweetwater
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sweetwater
      • Sweetwater is located in Nez Perce County (ID)
    • Lenore
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lenore have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lenore
      • Lenore is located in Nez Perce County (ID)
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lenore <2>

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

Newspapers Published in Sunshine ...

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 50 newspapers that have been published in the area around Sunshine.

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

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 Sunshine:

Cemeteries Near Sunshine ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Sunshine.

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

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

  • Pullman City Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
  • Farr Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Farr Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Farr Cemetery
  • Memorial Gardens Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Memorial Gardens Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Memorial Gardens Cemetery
  • Sunset Memorial Gardens Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Sunset Memorial Gardens Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Sunset Memorial Gardens Cemetery
  • Pitts Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pitts Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pitts Cemetery
  • Blaine Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Blaine Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Blaine Cemetery
  • Guy Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Guy Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Guy Cemetery
  • Cordelia Lutheran Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Cordelia Lutheran Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Cordelia Lutheran Cemetery
  • Buchanan Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Buchanan Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Buchanan Cemetery
  • Genesee Valley Lutheran Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Genesee Valley Lutheran Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Genesee Valley Lutheran Cemetery
  • Mt. Olivet Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mt. Olivet Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mt. Olivet Cemetery
  • Greenwood Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • 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
  • Continue List   (58 more) ...
    • Davis Cemetery
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Davis Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Davis Cemetery
    • St. Johns Lutheran Cemetery
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Johns Lutheran Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Johns Lutheran Cemetery
    • Beulah Cemetery
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Beulah Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Beulah 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, Sunshine had railroad service and no post office.

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

  • Pullman Junction
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pullman Junction have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pullman Junction
    • Pullman Junction is located in Whitman County
  • Whelan
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Whelan have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whelan
    • Whelan is located in Whitman County
  • Staley
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Staley have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Staley
    • Staley is located in Whitman County
  • Moscow
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Moscow have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moscow
    • Moscow is located in Latah County (ID)
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 26,128 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Moscow <2>
  • Pullman
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
  • Johnson
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Johnson have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Johnson
    • Johnson is located in Whitman County
  • Fallon
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fallon have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fallon
    • Fallon is located in Whitman County
  • Viola
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Viola have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Viola
    • Viola is located in Latah County (ID)
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Viola <2>
  • Colton
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
  • Cornwall
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cornwall have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cornwall
    • Cornwall is located in Latah County (ID)
  • Joel
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Joel have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Joel
    • Joel is located in Latah County (ID)
  • Shawnee
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Shawnee have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shawnee
    • Shawnee is located in Whitman County
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Uniontown
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • Leon
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Leon have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leon
      • Leon is located in Nez Perce County (ID)
    • Lenville
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lenville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lenville
      • Lenville is located in Latah County (ID)

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

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

The official website for Whitman County: www.whitmancounty.org/

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 things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Sunshine) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Sunshine. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 46.7196, Longitude: -117.0960       In this case, the coordinates for Sunshine 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 Sunshine, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024