RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> State of Oregon >> Columbia County >> Alston >> Genealogy HelperIndex...










Learn About
The Commemorative
Quarter for
Oregon

The Commemorative Quarter for Oregon





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 Alston (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 Alston. 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 southeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors and hospitals 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.

Alston is located in Columbia 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 Columbia County: Clatsop, Multnomah, Washington, Clark (WA), Cowlitz (WA) & Wahkiakum (WA).

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

  • Columbia County     (The home county of Alston)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Alston, with the one closest to Alston listed first.
    • Rainier
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rainier have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rainier
      • Rainier is located in Columbia County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,021 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Rainier <2>
    • Mayger
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mayger
      • Mayger is located in Columbia County
    • Beaver Springs
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beaver Springs
      • Beaver Springs is located in Columbia County
    • Quincy
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Quincy
      • Quincy is located in Columbia County
    • Clatskanie
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Prescott
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Prescott have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prescott
      • Prescott is located in Columbia County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 63 people
    • Goble
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goble
      • Goble is located in Columbia County
    • Reuben
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reuben
      • Reuben is located in Columbia County
    • Pittsburg
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pittsburg
      • Pittsburg is located in Columbia County
    • Deer Island
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Fishhawk ‑ Historic
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fishhawk have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fishhawk
      • Fishhawk is located in Columbia County
    • Vernonia
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
  • Clatsop County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Alston, with the one closest to Alston listed first.
    • Westport
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
    • Clifton
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clifton
      • Clifton is located in Clatsop County
    • Jewell
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Jewell have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jewell
      • Jewell is located in Clatsop County
    • Brownsmead
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brownsmead
      • Brownsmead is located in Clatsop County
    • Svensen Junction
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Svensen Junction
      • Svensen Junction is located in Clatsop County
  • Washington County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Alston, with the one closest to Alston listed first.
    • Timber
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Buxton
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
    • Manning
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
  • Clark County (WA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Alston, with the one closest to Alston listed first.
    • Woodland
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
    • La Center
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Ridgefield
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Pioneer
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pioneer
      • Pioneer is located in Clark County (WA)
    • Sara
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sara have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sara
      • Sara is located in Clark County (WA)
    • Cherry Grove
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cherry Grove have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cherry Grove
      • Cherry Grove is located in Clark County (WA)
    • Dollar's Corner
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dollar's Corner have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dollar's Corner
      • Dollar's Corner is located in Clark County (WA)
    • King Corner
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for King Corner
      • King Corner is located in Clark County (WA)
  • Cowlitz County (WA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Alston, with the one closest to Alston listed first.
    • Longview
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Longview
      • Longview is located in Cowlitz County (WA)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 38,515 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Longview <2>
    • West Longview
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for West Longview have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Longview
      • West Longview is located in Cowlitz County (WA)
    • Coal Creek
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coal Creek
      • Coal Creek is located in Cowlitz County (WA)
    • Kelso
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kelso
      • Kelso is located in Cowlitz County (WA)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 12,438 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Kelso <2>
    • Longview Heights
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Longview Heights have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Longview Heights
      • Longview Heights is located in Cowlitz County (WA)
    • Stella
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Stella have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stella
      • Stella is located in Cowlitz County (WA)
    • Carrolls
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Ostrander
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ostrander
      • Ostrander is located in Cowlitz County (WA)
    • Rose Valley
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rose Valley
      • Rose Valley is located in Cowlitz County (WA)
    • Kalama
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kalama
      • Kalama is located in Cowlitz County (WA)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,844 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Kalama <2>
    • Castle Rock
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Olequa
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Olequa have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Olequa
      • Olequa is located in Cowlitz County (WA)
  • Lewis County (WA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Alston, with the one closest to Alston listed first.
    • Vader
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vader
      • Vader is located in Lewis County (WA)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 677 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Vader <2>
    • Toledo
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Toledo
      • Toledo is located in Lewis County (WA)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 785 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Toledo <2>
    • Winlock
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winlock
      • Winlock is located in Lewis County (WA)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,490 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Winlock <2>
    • Saint Urban
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Urban
      • Saint Urban is located in Lewis County (WA)
  • Wahkiakum County (WA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Alston, with the one closest to Alston listed first.
    • East Cathlamet
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for East Cathlamet have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Cathlamet
      • East Cathlamet is located in Wahkiakum County (WA)
    • Cathlamet
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Skamokawa
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Brookfield
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Brookfield have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brookfield
      • Brookfield is located in Wahkiakum County (WA)
    • Dahlia
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dahlia
      • Dahlia is located in Wahkiakum County (WA)

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

Newspapers Published in Alston ...

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 74 newspapers that have been published in the area around Alston.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Alston, there are papers which were published within 27 miles [43.5 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Alston.

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 Alston:

Cemeteries Near Alston ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Alston.

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

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

  • Woodbine Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for the Woodbine Cemetery. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Woodbine Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #495875 <5>
  • Hudson Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
  • Green Mtn. Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
  • Mayger Downing Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Mt. Solo Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
  • Longview Memorial Park
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
  • Knights of Pythias Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
  • Dibblee House
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for the Dibblee House. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Dibblee House
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2426176 <5>
  • Stewart Creek Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
  • Stewart Hill Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Stewart Hill Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Stewart Hill Cemetery
  • Apiary Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • Cedar Hill Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for the Cedar Hill Cemetery. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Cedar Hill Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #38613 <5>
  • Continue List   (74 more) ...
    • Stella / Wiest Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for the Stella / Wiest Cemetery. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
      • To give a relative sense of its location, the Stella / Wiest Cemetery is located less than 2 miles<3> to the west of Bunker Hill (WA).
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Stella / Wiest Cemetery
      • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2235225 <5>
    • Catlin Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Maplewood Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)

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 Alston in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Alston.

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

  • Rainier
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rainier have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rainier
    • Rainier is located in Columbia County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,021 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Rainier <2>
  • Apiary ‑ Historic
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Apiary have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Apiary
    • Apiary is located in Columbia County
  • Mayger
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mayger
    • Mayger is located in Columbia County
  • Kelso
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kelso
    • Kelso is located in Cowlitz County (WA)
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 12,438 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Kelso <2>
  • Stella
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Stella have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stella
    • Stella is located in Cowlitz County (WA)
  • Clatskanie
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
  • Carrolls
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
  • Lexington
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lexington have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lexington
    • Lexington is located in Cowlitz County (WA)
  • Oak Point
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Oak Point have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Point
    • Oak Point is located in Cowlitz County (WA)
  • Reuben
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reuben
    • Reuben is located in Columbia County
  • Goble
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goble
    • Goble is located in Columbia County
  • Eagle Cliff
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Eagle Cliff have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eagle Cliff
    • Eagle Cliff is located in Wahkiakum County (WA)
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Kalama
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kalama
      • Kalama is located in Cowlitz County (WA)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,844 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Kalama <2>
    • Waterford
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Waterford have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waterford
      • Waterford is located in Wahkiakum County (WA)
    • Mist
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mist have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mist
      • Mist is located in Columbia County

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

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

The official website for Columbia County: www.co.columbia.or.us/

The official website for State of Oregon: https://www.oregon.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>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- Alston) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Alston. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 46.0993, Longitude: -123.0471       In this case, the coordinates for Alston have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<4>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.
<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 Alston, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

Copyright 2024
All Rights Reserved

Thank you for visiting our website.

In closing, please keep in mind that we can not guarantee the accuracy or timeliness of the information on this website, so use with care. We encourage you to double-check the information that is critical to you.

If you've found an error or have additional information that you would like to share, please don't hesitate to write: Click here to contact us.

This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024