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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 Bethel Heights (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 Bethel Heights. 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 Bethel Heights ...

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 Bethel Heights: Bethel Hts. (in Canada, 'Hgts.' is the more common abbreviation.)

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

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 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.

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

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

  • Polk County     (The home county of Bethel Heights)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bethel Heights, with the one closest to Bethel Heights listed first.
    • Zena
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Zena is also located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zena
    • Lincoln
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Lincoln is also located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lincoln
    • Salemtowne
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
      • Salemtowne is also located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salemtowne
    • Crowley
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
      • Crowley is also located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crowley
    • Smithfield
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Smithfield is also located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smithfield
    • Eola
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
      • Eola is also located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eola
    • Dolph Corner
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Dolph Corner is also located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dolph Corner
    • Rickreall
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Dallas
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Dallas is also located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dallas
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 17,331 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Dallas <1>
    • Ellendale
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Ellendale is also located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ellendale
    • Independence
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • Buell
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
      • Buell is also located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buell
  • Benton County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bethel Heights, with the one closest to Bethel Heights listed first.
    • Wellsdale
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Wellsdale is located in Benton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wellsdale
    • Adair Village
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Adair Village is located in Benton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adair Village
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 872 people
    • North Albany
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • North Albany is located in Benton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Albany
    • Kings Valley
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Lewisburg
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Lewisburg is located in Benton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lewisburg
  • Clackamas County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bethel Heights, with the one closest to Bethel Heights listed first.
    • Needy ‑ Historic
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Needy was located in Clackamas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Needy
    • Barlow
      (25 miles [40.2 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
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Canby is located in Clackamas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Canby
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 18,027 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Canby <1>
    • Macksburg
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Macksburg is located in Clackamas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Macksburg
    • Wilsonville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Wilhoit
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Wilhoit is located in Clackamas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilhoit
    • Liberal
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Liberal is located in Clackamas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Liberal
    • Molalla
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
    • Tualatin
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Mulino
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Linn County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bethel Heights, with the one closest to Bethel Heights listed first.
    • Millersburg
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Millersburg is located in Linn County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millersburg
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,757 people
    • West Scio
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • West Scio is located in Linn County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Scio
    • Scio
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Draperville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Draperville is located in Linn County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Draperville
    • Albany
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
    • Crabtree
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Marion County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bethel Heights, with the one closest to Bethel Heights listed first.
    • Keizer
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Chemawa
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
      • Chemawa is located in Marion County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chemawa
    • Labish Village
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
      • Labish Village is located in Marion County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Labish Village
    • Brooks
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Hayesville
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Hayesville is located in Marion County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hayesville
    • Salem
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Salem is located in Marion County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salem
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 175,891 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Salem <1>
    • Badger Corner
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Badger Corner is located in Marion County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Badger Corner
    • Four Corners
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Four Corners is located in Marion County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Four Corners
    • Gervais
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • Saint Paul
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Woodburn
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Macleay
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Macleay is located in Marion County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Macleay
  • Washington County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bethel Heights, with the one closest to Bethel Heights listed first.
    • Middleton
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Middleton is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Middleton
    • Sherwood
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Gaston
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • Scholls
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Farmington
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Farmington is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Farmington
    • King City
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Kinton ‑ Historic
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Kinton was located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kinton
    • Blooming
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Blooming is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blooming
    • Dilley
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Dilley is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dilley
    • Durham
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Durham is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Durham
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,908 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Durham <1>
  • Yamhill County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bethel Heights, with the one closest to Bethel Heights listed first.
    • Hopewell
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Amity
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
      • Amity is located in Yamhill County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amity
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,722 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Amity <1>
    • Eola Village
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
      • Eola Village is located in Yamhill County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eola Village
    • Whiteson
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
      • Whiteson is located in Yamhill County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whiteson
    • Bellevue
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Bellevue is located in Yamhill County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bellevue
    • McMinnville
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Dayton
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • Sheridan
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Saint Joseph
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
      • Saint Joseph is located in Yamhill County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Joseph
    • Lafayette
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Willamina
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
    • Carlton
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)

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

Cemeteries Near Bethel Heights ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Bethel Heights.

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 Bethel Heights - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Bethel Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
  • Zena Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
  • Hopewell Evangelical Church Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Amity Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
  • Etna Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Claggett Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
  • Brigittine Monastery Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Rest Lawn Memory Gardens
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
  • O'Dell Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
  • Taylor Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
  • Fast Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
  • Hayesville Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Continue List   (200 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.<3>

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

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

  • Zena
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Zena is also located in Polk County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zena
  • Lincoln
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Lincoln is also located in Polk County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lincoln
  • McCoy
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • McCoy is also located in Polk County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McCoy
  • Crowley
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Crowley is also located in Polk County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crowley
  • Amity
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Amity is located in Yamhill County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amity
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,722 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Amity <1>
  • Wheatland
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Wheatland is located in Yamhill County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wheatland
  • Perrydale
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Perrydale is also located in Polk County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Perrydale
  • Smithfield
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Smithfield is also located in Polk County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smithfield
  • Whiteson
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Whiteson is located in Yamhill County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whiteson
  • Eola
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Eola is also located in Polk County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eola
  • Rickreall
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
  • Derry
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Derry is also located in Polk County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Derry
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Chemawa
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
      • Chemawa is located in Marion County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chemawa
    • Ballston
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
      • Ballston is also located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ballston
    • Salem
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Salem is located in Marion County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salem
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 175,891 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Salem <1>

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

Newspapers Published in Bethel Heights ...

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 168 newspapers that have been published in the area around Bethel Heights.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Bethel Heights, there are papers which were published within 20 miles [32.2 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Bethel Heights.

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 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 Bethel Heights:

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 Bethel Heights, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<4>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Bethel Heights) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.