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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 Coles Valley (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 Coles Valley. 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 Coles Valley ...

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.

  • A typical abbreviation for Coles Valley: Coles Vly. (or less commonly used: Coles Vally. or Coles Vlly.)
  • While the name of this community is Coles Valley, be aware that it's the common practice of mapmakers to remove the apostrophe from possessive names<1>. So Coles Valley may originally have been Cole's Valley.

    Sometimes the trailing 's' might be dropped altogether, in which case Coles Valley might be written as Cole Valley.

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 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.

Coles Valley is located in Douglas 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 Douglas County: Coos, Curry, Jackson, Josephine, Klamath & Lane.

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

  • Douglas County     (The home county of Coles Valley)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Coles Valley, with the one closest to Coles Valley listed first.
    • Umpqua
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
    • Cleveland
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cleveland have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cleveland
      • Cleveland is located in Douglas County
    • Wilbur
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Melrose
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Melrose
      • Melrose is located in Douglas County
    • Sutherlin
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sutherlin have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sutherlin
      • Sutherlin is located in Douglas County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 8,227 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sutherlin <2>
    • Winchester
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Oakland
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Oakland have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakland
      • Oakland is located in Douglas County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 954 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Oakland <2>
    • Old Town
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Old Town have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Old Town
      • Old Town is located in Douglas County
    • Lookingglass
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lookingglass
      • Lookingglass is located in Douglas County
    • Roseburg
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Kellogg
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kellogg have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kellogg
      • Kellogg is located in Douglas County
    • Isadore
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Isadore have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Isadore
      • Isadore is located in Douglas County
    • Green
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Green have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green
      • Green is located in Douglas County
  • Coos County

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

Newspapers Published in Coles Valley ...

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 45 newspapers that have been published in the area around Coles Valley.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Coles Valley, there are papers which were published within 29 miles [46.7 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Coles Valley.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first visit 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 Coles Valley:

Cemeteries Near Coles Valley ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Coles Valley.

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

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

  • Coles Valley Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Coles Valley Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Coles Valley Cemetery
  • Tyee View Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Tyee View Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Tyee View Cemetery
  • Cleveland Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • Hurst Family Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hurst Family Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hurst Family Cemetery
  • La Brie Family Cemeteries
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the La Brie Family Cemeteries have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the La Brie Family Cemeteries
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #39021 <5>
  • Eden Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Eden Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Eden Cemetery
  • Archambeaux Family Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Archambeaux Family Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Archambeaux Family Cemetery
  • Otey Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Otey Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Otey Cemetery
  • Melrose Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
  • Champaigne Family Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Champaigne Family Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Champaigne Family Cemetery
  • Wilbur Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Wilbur Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Wilbur Cemetery
  • Metz Hill Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Metz Hill Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Metz Hill Cemetery
  • Continue List   (61 more) ...
    • Jones Family Cemetery
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Jones Family Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Jones Family Cemetery
    • Reason - Reed Cemetery
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Reason - Reed Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Reason - Reed Cemetery
    • IOOF Cemetery
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the IOOF Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the IOOF 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 in 1895, Coles Valley had a post office and no railroad service.

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

  • Millwood
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Millwood have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millwood
    • Millwood is located in Douglas County
  • Cleveland
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cleveland have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cleveland
    • Cleveland is located in Douglas County
  • Stephens
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Stephens have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stephens
    • Stephens is located in Douglas County
  • Melrose
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Melrose
    • Melrose is located in Douglas County
  • Wilbur
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
  • Winchester
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
  • Oakland
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Oakland have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakland
    • Oakland is located in Douglas County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 954 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Oakland <2>
  • Lookingglass
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lookingglass
    • Lookingglass is located in Douglas County
  • Roseburg
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Kellogg
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kellogg have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kellogg
    • Kellogg is located in Douglas County
  • Isadore
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Isadore have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Isadore
    • Isadore is located in Douglas County
  • Green
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Green have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green
    • Green is located in Douglas County
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Oak Creek ‑ Historic
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Oak Creek have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Creek
      • Oak Creek is located in Douglas County
    • Rice Hill
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Reston
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Reston have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reston
      • Reston is located in Douglas County

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

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

The official website for Douglas County: www.co.douglas.or.us/

The official website for State of Oregon: https://www.oregon.gov/

Footnotes ...

<1>It's generally believed that possessive apostrophes are removed to prevent confusion on maps where the apostrophe may be confused with a cartographic symbol. While this is generally true, it's not uncommon to find possessive apostrophes in administrative names (such as towns or counties).
<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 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.
<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 from Point A (ie- Coles Valley) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Coles Valley. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 43.3651, Longitude: -123.5026       In this case, the coordinates for Coles Valley 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 Coles Valley, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024