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 Aurora (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 Aurora. 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 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.
Aurora is located in Marion County.
To see how the shape of Oregon's counties may have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.
The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Marion County: Benton, Clackamas, Deschutes, Linn, Polk, Wasco & Yamhill.
Below are the counties that are near Aurora. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Aurora:
- Marion County (The home county of Aurora)
- The following are listed by their distance from Aurora, with the one closest to Aurora listed first.
- Butteville Station ‑ Historic
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Butteville Station is located in Marion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Butteville Station
- Hubbard
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Donald
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Butteville
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Butteville is located in Marion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Butteville
- Woodburn
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Champoeg ‑ Historic
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Champoeg is located in Marion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Champoeg
- McKee
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- McKee is located in Marion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McKee
- Gervais
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Saint Paul
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Mount Angel
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Downs
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Downs is located in Marion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Downs
- Scotts Mills
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Clackamas County
- The following are listed by their distance from Aurora, with the one closest to Aurora listed first.
- Barlow
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Barlow is located in Clackamas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barlow
- Population from the 2020 Census: 147 people
- Canby
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Macksburg
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Macksburg is located in Clackamas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Macksburg
- Needy ‑ Historic
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Needy is located in Clackamas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Needy
- Wilsonville
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Liberal
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Liberal is located in Clackamas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Liberal
- Mulino
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Carus
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Carus is located in Clackamas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carus
- Willamette
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Willamette is located in Clackamas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willamette
- Canemah
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Canemah is located in Clackamas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Canemah
- Mount Pleasant
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Mount Pleasant is located in Clackamas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Pleasant
- Oregon City
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Multnomah County
- The following are listed by their distance from Aurora, with the one closest to Aurora listed first.
- Milwaukie
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Fulton ‑ Historic
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Fulton is located in Multnomah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fulton
- Hillsdale
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Hillsdale is located in Multnomah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hillsdale
- Woodstock
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Woodstock is located in Multnomah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodstock
- Portland
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Laurelhurst
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Laurelhurst is located in Multnomah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laurelhurst
- Montavilla
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Montavilla is located in Multnomah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montavilla
- Albina
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Albina is located in Multnomah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Albina
- Hazelwood
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Hazelwood is located in Multnomah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hazelwood
- Russellville
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Russellville is located in Multnomah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Russellville
- Maywood Park
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Gresham
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Polk County
- The following are listed by their distance from Aurora, with the one closest to Aurora listed first.
- Lincoln
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Lincoln is located in Polk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lincoln
- Salemtowne
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Salemtowne is located in Polk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salemtowne
- Zena
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Zena is located in Polk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zena
- Eola
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Eola is located in Polk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eola
- Crowley
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Crowley is located in Polk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crowley
- Smithfield
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Smithfield is located in Polk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smithfield
- Rickreall
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Washington County
- The following are listed by their distance from Aurora, with the one closest to Aurora listed first.
- Middleton
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Middleton is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Middleton
- Sherwood
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Durham
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- King City
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Tigard
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Kinton ‑ Historic
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Kinton is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kinton
- Scholls
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Metzger
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Metzger is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Metzger
- Progress
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Progress is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Progress
- Beaverton
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Raleigh Hills
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Raleigh Hills is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Raleigh Hills
- Farmington
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Farmington is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Farmington
- Yamhill County
- The following are listed by their distance from Aurora, with the one closest to Aurora listed first.
- Newberg
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Dundee
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Dayton
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Lafayette
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- Hopewell
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Saint Joseph
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Saint Joseph is located in Yamhill County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Joseph
- Eola Village
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Eola Village is located in Yamhill County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eola Village
- Carlton
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Cove Orchard
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Cove Orchard is located in Yamhill County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cove Orchard
- McMinnville
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Whiteson
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Whiteson is located in Yamhill County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whiteson
- Yamhill
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Clark County (WA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Aurora, with the one closest to Aurora listed first.
- Fisher
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Fisher is located in Clark County (WA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fisher
- Cascade Park West
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Cascade Park West is located in Clark County (WA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cascade Park West
- Vancouver
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Cascade Park East
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Hazel Dell
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Minnehaha
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Minnehaha is located in Clark County (WA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Minnehaha
- Camas
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Aurora, see our County-by-County Page for Aurora.
Cemeteries Near Aurora ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Aurora.
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 Aurora - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Aurora covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Aurora, with the one closest to Aurora listed first.
- Aurora Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aurora Cemetery
- The Aurora Cemetery has also been known as:
- Aurora Community Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #38555 <2>
- Aurora IOOF Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Irvin Pioneer Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Old Colony Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Zoar Lutheran Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Marks Memorial Park
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Barlow Pioneer Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Hopewell Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Mennonite Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Blosser / Amish / Erb / Miller Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Gleason / Whiskey Hill Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Zion Mennonite Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Continue List (248 more) ...
- Gribble Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gribble Cemetery
- The Gribble Cemetery has also been known as:
- Gribble Pioneer Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #38851 <2>
- Baker Prairie Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Hubbard Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
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.<3>
The Rand McNally Atlas shows that in 1895, Aurora had railroad service and no post office. In 2020, Aurora had a population of 1,039 people.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Aurora, with the one closest to Aurora listed first.
- Barlow
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Barlow is located in Clackamas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barlow
- Population from the 2020 Census: 147 people
- Hubbard
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Canby
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Needy ‑ Historic
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Needy is located in Clackamas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Needy
- Macksburg
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Macksburg is located in Clackamas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Macksburg
- Butteville
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Butteville is located in Marion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Butteville
- New Era ‑ Historic
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- New Era is located in Clackamas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Era
- Wilsonville
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Woodburn
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Champoeg ‑ Historic
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Champoeg is located in Marion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Champoeg
- Mulino
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- McKee
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- McKee is located in Marion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McKee
- Continue List (19 more) ...
- Union Mills
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Union Mills is located in Clackamas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union Mills
- Carus
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Carus is located in Clackamas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carus
- Middleton
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Middleton is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Middleton
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Aurora. See our List of 1890's Communities around Aurora.
Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Aurora ...
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 95 newspapers that have been published in the area around Aurora.
We have organized these newspapers into two lists:
- A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Aurora. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Aurora and those printed in the larger area surrounding Aurora.
- An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 15 miles [24.1 km]<4> of Aurora.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we begin with 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 Aurora:
- Websites specific to Oregon
- Pages specific to Marion County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Clackamas County
- Multnomah County
- Polk County
- Washington County
- Yamhill County
- Clark County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Oregon
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> | 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. |
| <3> | 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 Aurora, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <4> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Aurora) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |