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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 Alicel (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 Alicel. 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 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.

Alicel is located in Union County.

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

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Union County: Baker, Grant, Umatilla & Wallowa.

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

  • Union County     (The home county of Alicel)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Alicel, with the one closest to Alicel listed first.
    • Conley
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Conley
      • Conley is located in Union County
    • Imbler
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Summerville
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Island City
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Island City
      • Island City is located in Union County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,024 people
    • La Grande
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Orodell ‑ Historic
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Orodell. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orodell
      • Orodell is located in Union County
    • Hot Lake
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hot Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hot Lake
      • Hot Lake is located in Union County
    • Elgin
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elgin
      • Elgin is located in Union County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,801 people
      • Former names for Elgin:
      • Fish Trap
      • Indian Valley
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Elgin <1>
    • Cove
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Hilgard
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hilgard have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hilgard
      • Hilgard is located in Union County
    • Union
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Starkey
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
    • North Powder
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Powder have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Powder
      • North Powder is located in Union County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 458 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for North Powder <1>
  • Baker County
    • Hutchinson ‑ Historic
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hutchinson have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hutchinson
      • Hutchinson is located in Baker County
  • Umatilla County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Alicel, with the one closest to Alicel listed first.
    • Meacham
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
    • Tollgate
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tollgate
      • Tollgate is located in Umatilla County
    • Bingham Springs
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bingham Springs
      • Bingham Springs is located in Umatilla County
    • Gibbon
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gibbon have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gibbon
      • Gibbon is located in Umatilla County
  • Wallowa County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Alicel, with the one closest to Alicel listed first.
    • Wallowa
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wallowa have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wallowa
      • Wallowa is located in Wallowa County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 831 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Wallowa <1>
    • Evans
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Evans
      • Evans is located in Wallowa County
    • Lostine
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)

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

Newspapers Published in Alicel ...

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 42 newspapers that have been published in the area around Alicel.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Alicel, there are papers which were published within 27 miles [43.5 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Alicel.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first turn to 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 Alicel:

Cemeteries Near Alicel ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Alicel.

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

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

  • Ackles Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Ackles Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Ackles Cemetery
  • Summerville - Imbler Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Summerville - Imbler Cemetery is located between<5> the communities of Imbler and Summerville.  The cemetery lies less than 2 miles<4> to the southeast of Summerville.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Summerville - Imbler Cemetery
  • Island City Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Island City Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Island City Cemetery
  • Lower Cove Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • The Lower Cove Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Wright Cemetery
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lower Cove Cemetery
  • Hillcrest Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Hillcrest Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located in La Grande.
    • The Hillcrest Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Masonic Cemetery
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hillcrest Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #38904 <6>
  • Hillcrest East Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Calvary Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Calvary Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Calvary Cemetery
  • Grandview Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
  • Indian Creek Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Indian Creek Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Indian Creek Cemetery
  • Cove Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Cove Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Cove Cemetery
  • Elgin Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Elgin Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Elgin Cemetery
  • Hilgard Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hilgard Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hilgard Cemetery
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Galloway Cemetery
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
    • Rugg Cemetery
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Rugg Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Rugg Cemetery
    • Highland Cemetery
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Highland Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Highland 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.<7>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that in 1895, Alicel had a post office and railroad service.

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

  • Imbler
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
  • Summerville
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • Island City
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Island City
    • Island City is located in Union County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,024 people
  • La Grande
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Perry
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Perry have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Perry
    • Perry is located in Union County
  • Hot Lake
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hot Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hot Lake
    • Hot Lake is located in Union County
  • Cove
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Elgin
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elgin
    • Elgin is located in Union County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,801 people
    • Former names for Elgin:
    • Fish Trap
    • Indian Valley
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Elgin <1>
  • Hilgard
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hilgard have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hilgard
    • Hilgard is located in Union County
  • Union
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
  • North Fork
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Fork have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Fork
    • North Fork is located in Umatilla County
  • Huron
    (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Huron have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Huron
    • Huron is located in Umatilla County
  • Continue List   (9 more) ...
    • Kamela
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kamela have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kamela
      • Kamela is located in Union County
    • Telocaset
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Telocaset have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Telocaset
      • Telocaset is located in Union County
    • Meacham
      (22 miles [35.4 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 Alicel. See our List of 1890's Communities around Alicel.

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

The official website for Union County: www.union-county.org/

The official website for State of Oregon: https://www.oregon.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' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Alicel) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Alicel. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 45.4043, Longitude: -117.9799       In this case, the coordinates for Alicel have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<5>To help visualize the location of the cemetery, we've drawn a straight line between the communities of Imbler and Summerville. The cemetery can be found near that line and roughly halfway between the two communities. Remember that this is just an approximate location.
<6>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.
<7>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 Alicel, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024