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Our Genealogy Helper

Introduction ...

So far, we found very little information about Central. The little that we've found leads us believe that the community is historic.<1>

We've added Central to our Gazetteer with the hope that we can develop more information. If you can help us with Central, please Contact Us.

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 Central (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 Central. 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 southwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors were in the next county to the west. 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 west 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.

Although our information shows that the community of Central is historic, it would have been located within present day Linn 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 Linn County: Benton, Deschutes, Jefferson, Lane, Marion & Polk.

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

  • Linn County     (The home county of Central)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Central, with the one closest to Central listed first.
    • Crabtree
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Draperville
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
      • Draperville is located in Linn County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Draperville
    • Irvinville
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
      • Irvinville is located in Linn County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Irvinville
    • Millersburg
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
      • Millersburg is located in Linn County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millersburg
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,757 people
    • Albany
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • West Scio
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
      • West Scio is located in Linn County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Scio
    • Lebanon
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Scio
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Tangent
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • South Lebanon
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
      • South Lebanon is located in Linn County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Lebanon
    • Lacomb
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
      • Lacomb is located in Linn County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lacomb
    • Sodaville
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Sodaville is located in Linn County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sodaville
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 346 people
    • Waterloo
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Waterloo is located in Linn County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waterloo
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 250 people
  • Benton County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Central, with the one closest to Central listed first.
    • North Albany
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
      • North Albany is located in Benton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Albany
    • Wellsdale
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Wellsdale is located in Benton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wellsdale
    • Adair Village
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
      • Adair Village is located in Benton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adair Village
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 872 people
    • Lewisburg
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
      • Lewisburg is located in Benton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lewisburg
    • Corvallis
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
    • Jennyopolis ‑ Historic
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Jennyopolis is located in Benton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jennyopolis
    • Philomath
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
    • Flynn
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Flynn is located in Benton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flynn
    • Kings Valley
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
    • Wren
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Wren is located in Benton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wren
    • Bellfountain Junction
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Blodgett
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
    • Monroe
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
  • Lane County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Central, with the one closest to Central listed first.
    • Mabel
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Mabel is located in Lane County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mabel
    • Junction City
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
  • Marion County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Central, with the one closest to Central listed first.
    • Jefferson
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Santiam City ‑ Historic
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Santiam City is located in Marion County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Santiam City
    • Marion
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • West Stayton
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Stayton
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Aumsville
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
    • Turner
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
    • Sublimity
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Macleay
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • Macleay is located in Marion County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Macleay
    • Four Corners
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Four Corners is located in Marion County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Four Corners
    • Mehama
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Salem
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • 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 <2>
    • Badger Corner
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Badger Corner is located in Marion County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Badger Corner
  • Polk County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Central, with the one closest to Central listed first.
    • Buena Vista
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Buena Vista is located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buena Vista
    • Independence
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
    • Airlie
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Airlie is located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Airlie
    • Monmouth
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Lewisville
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Lewisville is located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lewisville
    • Eola
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Eola is located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eola
    • Salemtowne
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Salemtowne is located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salemtowne
    • Rickreall
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Bridgeport
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Bridgeport is located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bridgeport
    • Crowley
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Crowley is located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crowley
    • Dallas
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Ellendale
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Ellendale is located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ellendale
    • Falls City
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)

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

Cemeteries Near Central ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Central.

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 Central - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Central Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
  • Fairview Mennonite Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
  • Knox Butte Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
  • Timber - Linn Memorial Park
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
  • Waverly Memorial Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
  • Houston Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
  • Jefferson Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
  • Pioneer Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
  • James Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
  • IOOF Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Masonic Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Miller Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Continue List   (171 more) ...
    • Sand Ridge Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sand Ridge Cemetery
      • To give a relative sense of its location, the Sand Ridge Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located 4 miles [6.4 km]<4> to the west of Lebanon.
      • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #39401 <3>
    • Simison - Hale Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Franklin Butte Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)

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.

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

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

  • Spicer
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Spicer is located in Linn County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spicer
  • Crabtree
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
  • Fry
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Fry is located in Linn County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fry
  • Tallman
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Tallman is located in Linn County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tallman
  • Irvinville
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Irvinville is located in Linn County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Irvinville
  • Millersburg
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Millersburg is located in Linn County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millersburg
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,757 people
  • Albany
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
  • Jefferson
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
  • Lebanon
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
  • West Scio
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • West Scio is located in Linn County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Scio
  • Tangent
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
  • Scio
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Shelburn ‑ Historic
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Shelburn is located in Linn County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shelburn
    • Marion
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Plainview
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
      • Plainview is located in Linn County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plainview

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

Newspapers Published in Central ...

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 78 newspapers that have been published in the area around Central.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Central, there are papers which were published within 21 miles [33.8 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Central.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we like to 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 Central:

Footnotes ...

<1>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 Central, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<3>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.
<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 from Point A (ie- Central) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.