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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 Fir Grove (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 Fir Grove. 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 Fir Grove ...

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.

For example, a typical abbreviation for Fir Grove: Fir Grv.

You might be interested in other communities that are also named Fir Grove. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Fir Grove.

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 doctors and 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.

Fir Grove is located in Kootenai County.

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

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Kootenai County: Benewah, Bonner, Shoshone & Spokane (WA).

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

  • Kootenai County     (The home county of Fir Grove)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Fir Grove, with the one closest to Fir Grove listed first.
    • Echo Beach
      (Less than 2 miles to the east)
      • Echo Beach is also located in Kootenai County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Echo Beach
    • Sturgeon
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Sturgeon is also located in Kootenai County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sturgeon
    • Spirit Lake
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Rathdrum
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
      • Rathdrum is also located in Kootenai County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rathdrum
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 9,419 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Rathdrum <1>
    • Garwood
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Garwood is also located in Kootenai County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garwood
    • Coeur d'Alene Junction
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
      • Coeur d'Alene Junction is also located in Kootenai County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coeur d'Alene Junction
    • Hauser
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Hauser is also located in Kootenai County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hauser
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 726 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hauser <1>
    • Athol
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
      • Athol is also located in Kootenai County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Athol
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 809 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Athol <1>
    • Hayden
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Hayden is also located in Kootenai County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hayden
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 15,713 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hayden <1>
    • Hayden Lake
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Belmont
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
      • Belmont is also located in Kootenai County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belmont
    • Dalton Gardens
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Bonner County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Fir Grove, with the one closest to Fir Grove listed first.
    • Blanchard
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Careywood
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Priest River
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
    • Laclede
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
    • Oldtown
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
    • Cocolalla
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Lakeview
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • Lakeview is located in Bonner County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lakeview
    • Westmond
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Westmond is located in Bonner County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westmond
    • Cedar Creek
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Cedar Creek is located in Bonner County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Creek
    • Dufort
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Dufort is located in Bonner County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dufort
    • Wrencoe
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Wrencoe is located in Bonner County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wrencoe
    • Algoma
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Algoma is located in Bonner County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Algoma
  • Pend Oreille County (WA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Fir Grove, with the one closest to Fir Grove listed first.
    • Camden
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
      • Camden is located in Pend Oreille County (WA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Camden
    • Newport
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Newport is located in Pend Oreille County (WA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newport
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,266 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Newport <1>
    • Dalkena
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Dalkena is located in Pend Oreille County (WA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dalkena
  • Spokane County (WA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Fir Grove, with the one closest to Fir Grove listed first.
    • Newman Lake
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Otis Orchards - East Farms
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Otis Orchards
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Peone
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Peone is located in Spokane County (WA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peone
    • Liberty Lake
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Green Bluff
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Green Bluff is located in Spokane County (WA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Bluff
    • Elk
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
    • Greenacres
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Trentwood
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Trentwood is located in Spokane County (WA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trentwood
    • Irwin
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Irwin is located in Spokane County (WA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Irwin
    • Chattaroy
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
    • Colbert
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
  • Stevens County (WA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Fir Grove, with the one closest to Fir Grove listed first.
    • Clavton
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
    • Clayton
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)

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

Cemeteries Near Fir Grove ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Fir Grove.

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.

Although we don't have the information ourselves, if you need information about a burial or interment, photos, transcripts, how to contact the cemetery or local authorities, please visit our list of websites on our Genealogy Helper Page for Fir Grove - one of the links might be able to help.

If not found below, our Cemetery List for Fir Grove covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

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

  • Pine Grove Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • Greenwood Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
  • Rimrock Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Pine Grove Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
  • Mountain View Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
  • Evergreen Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Evergreen Cemetery
    • The Evergreen Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located in Post Falls.
    • The Evergreen Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Post Falls Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #80458 <3>
  • Restlawn Memorial Park
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Bestland Cemetery
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
  • Riverview Cemetery
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
  • Forest Cemetery
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forest Cemetery
    • The Forest Cemetery is a very large cemetery that is located in Coeur d'Alene.
    • The Forest Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Ft. Sherman Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #80471 <3>
  • St. Thomas Cemetery
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
  • St. Josephs Cemetery
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Continue List   (34 more) ...

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.<4>

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

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

  • Ramsey
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Ramsey is also located in Kootenai County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ramsey
  • Rathdrum
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Rathdrum is also located in Kootenai County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rathdrum
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 9,419 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Rathdrum <1>
  • Hauser
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Hauser is also located in Kootenai County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hauser
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 726 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hauser <1>
  • Athol
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Athol is also located in Kootenai County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Athol
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 809 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Athol <1>
  • Post Falls
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
  • Coeur d'Alene
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
  • Peone
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Peone is located in Spokane County (WA)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peone
  • Priest River
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
  • Cocolalla
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
  • Chattaroy
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
  • Buckeye
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
    • Buckeye is located in Spokane County (WA)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buckeye
  • Mead
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Continue List   (7 more) ...
    • Chester
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Chester is located in Spokane County (WA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chester
    • East Spokane
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • East Spokane is located in Spokane County (WA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Spokane
    • Deer Park
      (26 miles [41.8 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 Fir Grove. See our List of 1890's Communities around Fir Grove.

Newspapers Published in Fir Grove ...

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 75 newspapers that have been published in the area around Fir Grove.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Fir Grove, there are papers which were published within 27 miles [43.5 km]<2>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Fir Grove.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we start with 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 Fir Grove:

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>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or 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- Fir Grove) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.
<3>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.
<4>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 Fir Grove, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.