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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 Ballston (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 Ballston. 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 hospitals and 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.

Ballston is located in Polk 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 Polk County: Benton, Lincoln, Linn, Marion, Tillamook & Yamhill.

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

  • Polk County     (The home county of Ballston)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ballston, with the one closest to Ballston listed first.
    • Buell
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buell
      • Buell is located in Polk County
    • Dolph Corner
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dolph Corner have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dolph Corner
      • Dolph Corner is located in Polk County
    • Crowley
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Crowley have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crowley
      • Crowley is located in Polk County
    • Dallas
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dallas have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dallas
      • Dallas is located in Polk County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 17,331 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Dallas <2>
    • Ellendale
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ellendale
      • Ellendale is located in Polk County
    • Rickreall
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Zena
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zena
      • Zena is located in Polk County
    • Lincoln
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lincoln
      • Lincoln is located in Polk County
    • Eola
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Eola have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eola
      • Eola is located in Polk County
    • Salemtowne
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salemtowne
      • Salemtowne is located in Polk County
    • Falls City
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
    • Grand Ronde
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
    • Bridgeport
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bridgeport
      • Bridgeport is located in Polk County
  • Benton County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ballston, with the one closest to Ballston listed first.
    • Kings Valley
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
    • Adair Village
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Adair Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adair Village
      • Adair Village is located in Benton County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 872 people
    • Lewisburg
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lewisburg
      • Lewisburg is located in Benton County
    • North Albany
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Albany have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Albany
      • North Albany is located in Benton County
  • Lincoln County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ballston, with the one closest to Ballston listed first.
    • Rose Lodge
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
    • Otis
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
  • Linn County
    • Millersburg
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Millersburg have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millersburg
      • Millersburg is located in Linn County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,757 people
  • Marion County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ballston, with the one closest to Ballston listed first.
    • Keizer
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Keizer have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keizer
      • Keizer is located in Marion County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 39,593 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Keizer <2>
    • Salem
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salem
      • Salem is located in Marion County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 175,891 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Salem <2>
    • Brooks
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
    • Hayesville
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hayesville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hayesville
      • Hayesville is located in Marion County
    • Labish Village
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Labish Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Labish Village
      • Labish Village is located in Marion County
    • Badger Corner
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Badger Corner
      • Badger Corner is located in Marion County
    • Saint Paul
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Four Corners
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Four Corners
      • Four Corners is located in Marion County
    • Gervais
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gervais have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gervais
      • Gervais is located in Marion County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,774 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Gervais <2>
    • Woodburn
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Woodburn have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodburn
      • Woodburn is located in Marion County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 26,175 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Woodburn <2>
    • Turner
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Turner have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Turner
      • Turner is located in Marion County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,130 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Turner <2>
    • Champoeg ‑ Historic
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Champoeg
      • Champoeg is located in Marion County
    • Donald
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Donald have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Donald
      • Donald is located in Marion County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,064 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Donald <2>
  • Tillamook County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ballston, with the one closest to Ballston listed first.
    • Blaine
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blaine
      • Blaine is located in Tillamook County
    • Dolph ‑ Historic
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Dolph. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dolph
      • Dolph is located in Tillamook County
    • Bellwood ‑ Historic
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Bellwood. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bellwood
      • Bellwood is located in Tillamook County
    • Beaver
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Hebo
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Cloverdale
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cloverdale have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cloverdale
      • Cloverdale is located in Tillamook County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cloverdale <2>
  • Washington County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ballston, with the one closest to Ballston listed first.
    • Gaston
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
    • Middleton
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Middleton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Middleton
      • Middleton is located in Washington County
    • Dilley
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dilley
      • Dilley is located in Washington County
    • Scholls
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Sherwood
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sherwood have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sherwood
      • Sherwood is located in Washington County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 19,746 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sherwood <2>
  • Yamhill County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ballston, with the one closest to Ballston listed first.
    • Bellevue
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bellevue
      • Bellevue is located in Yamhill County
    • Sheridan
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Amity
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Amity have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amity
      • Amity is located in Yamhill County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,722 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Amity <2>
    • Whiteson
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Whiteson have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whiteson
      • Whiteson is located in Yamhill County
    • Willamina
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Eola Village
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Eola Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eola Village
      • Eola Village is located in Yamhill County
    • Hopewell
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • McMinnville
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Dayton
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dayton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dayton
      • Dayton is located in Yamhill County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,753 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Dayton <2>
    • Lafayette
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Carlton
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Yamhill
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
    • Dundee
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dundee have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dundee
      • Dundee is located in Yamhill County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,320 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Dundee <2>

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

Newspapers Published in Ballston ...

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 Ballston.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Ballston, there are papers which were published within 24 miles [38.6 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Ballston.

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 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 Ballston:

Cemeteries Near Ballston ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Ballston.

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

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

  • Ball Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
  • Pleasant Hill Pioneer Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
  • Deer Creek Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Deer Creek Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Deer Creek Cemetery
  • Brigittine Monastery Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
  • United Brethren Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the United Brethren Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the United Brethren Cemetery
  • Greencrest Memorial Park
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Greencrest Memorial Park have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Greencrest Memorial Park
  • Masonic Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Masonic Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Masonic Cemetery
  • Blair Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for the Blair Cemetery. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Blair Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2253777 <5>
  • Salt Creek Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Salt Creek Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Salt Creek Cemetery
  • Harmony Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
  • Amity Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Amity Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Amity Cemetery
  • Etna Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Etna Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Etna Cemetery
  • Continue List   (158 more) ...
    • Hussey Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hussey Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hussey Cemetery
    • Bethel Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • South Yamhill Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the South Yamhill Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the South Yamhill 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 Ballston had a population of 48 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service.

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

  • Perrydale
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Perrydale have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Perrydale
    • Perrydale is located in Polk County
  • Bellevue
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bellevue
    • Bellevue is located in Yamhill County
  • Sheridan
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
  • McCoy
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for McCoy have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McCoy
    • McCoy is located in Polk County
  • Smithfield
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Smithfield have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smithfield
    • Smithfield is located in Polk County
  • Amity
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Amity have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amity
    • Amity is located in Yamhill County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,722 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Amity <2>
  • Crowley
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Crowley have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crowley
    • Crowley is located in Polk County
  • Whiteson
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Whiteson have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whiteson
    • Whiteson is located in Yamhill County
  • Willamina
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
  • Dallas
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dallas have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dallas
    • Dallas is located in Polk County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 17,331 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Dallas <2>
  • Rickreall
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
  • Derry
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Derry have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Derry
    • Derry is located in Polk County
  • Continue List   (17 more) ...
    • Zena
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zena
      • Zena is located in Polk County
    • Lincoln
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lincoln
      • Lincoln is located in Polk County
    • McMinnville
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)

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

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

The official website for Polk County: www.co.polk.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>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 'straight-line' (or point-to-point) distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Ballston) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Ballston. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 45.0668, Longitude: -123.3209       In this case, the coordinates for Ballston 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 Ballston, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024