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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 Cannon Beach (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 Cannon Beach. 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 Cannon Beach ...

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.

Although we can't give a definitive list, hopefully the following will give you a feel for the variations that might have occurred.

For example, a typical abbreviation for Cannon Beach: Cannon Bch.

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 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.

Cannon Beach is located in Clatsop 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 Clatsop County: Columbia, Tillamook, Washington, Pacific (WA) & Wahkiakum (WA).

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

  • Clatsop County     (The home county of Cannon Beach)
  • Columbia County
    • Keasey
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Keasey. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keasey
      • Keasey is located in Columbia County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Keasey
      • From Cannon Beach to Keasey
  • Tillamook County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Cannon Beach, with the one closest to Cannon Beach listed first.
    • Manzanita
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Manzanita have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manzanita
      • Manzanita is located in Tillamook County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 670 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Manzanita <1>
    • Nehalem
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • Wheeler
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wheeler have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wheeler
      • Wheeler is located in Tillamook County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 446 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Wheeler <1>
    • Foss
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Nedonna Beach
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
    • Rockaway Beach
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
    • Twin Rocks
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • Barview
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
    • Garibaldi
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Garibaldi have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garibaldi
      • Garibaldi is located in Tillamook County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 836 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Garibaldi <1>
    • Hobsonville
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
    • Bay City
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bay City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bay City
      • Bay City is located in Tillamook County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,429 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bay City <1>
    • Bayocean ‑ Historic
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Bayocean. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bayocean
      • Bayocean is located in Tillamook County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Bayocean
      • From Cannon Beach to Bayocean
  • Pacific County (WA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Cannon Beach, with the one closest to Cannon Beach listed first.
    • Megler
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Chinook
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
    • Fort Canby
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • Knappton ‑ Historic
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Knappton. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Knappton
      • Knappton is located in Pacific County (WA)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Knappton
      • From Cannon Beach to Knappton
    • Pacific City ‑ Historic
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pacific City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pacific City
      • Pacific City is located in Pacific County (WA)
    • Ilwaco
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
  • Wahkiakum County (WA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Cannon Beach, with the one closest to Cannon Beach listed first.
    • Altoona
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Altoona. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Altoona
      • Altoona is located in Wahkiakum County (WA)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Altoona
      • From Cannon Beach to Altoona
    • Dahlia
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)

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

Cemeteries Near Cannon Beach ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Cannon Beach.

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

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

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.<5>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that in 1895, Cannon Beach had a post office and no railroad service. In 2020, Cannon Beach had a population of 1,779 people.

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

  • Seaside
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
  • Nehalem
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
  • Melville
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Melville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Melville
    • Melville is located in Clatsop County
  • Chadwell ‑ Historic
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Chadwell have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chadwell
    • Chadwell is located in Clatsop County
  • Olney
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Olney have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Olney
    • Olney is located in Clatsop County
  • Skipanon ‑ Historic
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Skipanon have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Skipanon
    • Skipanon is located in Clatsop County
  • Vinemaple
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Vinemaple. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vinemaple
    • Vinemaple is located in Clatsop County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Vinemaple
    • From Cannon Beach to Vinemaple
  • Astoria
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
  • Jewell
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Jewell. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jewell
    • Jewell is located in Clatsop County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Jewell
    • From Cannon Beach to Jewell
  • Hobsonville
    (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
  • Bay City
    (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bay City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bay City
    • Bay City is located in Tillamook County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,429 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bay City <1>
  • Barnegat ‑ Historic
    (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Barnegat have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barnegat
    • Barnegat is located in Tillamook County
  • Continue List   (6 more) ...
    • Knappa
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Knappa have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Knappa
      • Knappa is located in Clatsop County
    • Knappton ‑ Historic
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Knappton. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Knappton
      • Knappton is located in Pacific County (WA)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Knappton
      • From Cannon Beach to Knappton
    • Fort Canby
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Cannon Beach ...

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 61 newspapers that have been published in the area around Cannon Beach.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Cannon Beach. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Cannon Beach and those printed in the larger area surrounding Cannon Beach.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<6> of Cannon Beach.

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 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 Cannon Beach:

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

The official website for Clatsop County: www.co.clatsop.or.us/

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>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.
<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>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.
<5>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 Cannon Beach, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<6>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 drawn from Point A (ie- Cannon Beach) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Cannon Beach. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 45.8900, Longitude: -123.9619    









 

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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.

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This page was last modified/updated: 29 Apr 2025