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 Happy 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 Happy 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 Happy 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 occur.
For example, a typical abbreviation for Happy Valley: Happy Vly. (or less commonly used: Happy Vally. or Happy Vlly.)
You might be interested in other communities that are also named Happy Valley. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Happy 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 southwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals and 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.
Happy Valley is located in Clackamas 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 Clackamas County: Hood River, Marion, Multnomah, Wasco, Washington & Yamhill.
Below are the counties that are near Happy Valley. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Happy Valley:
- Clackamas County (The home county of Happy Valley)
- The following are listed by their distance from Happy Valley, with the one closest to Happy Valley listed first.
- Sunnyside
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Sunnyside is located in Clackamas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunnyside
- Damascus
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Carver
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Clackamas
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Johnson City
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Johnson City is located in Clackamas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Johnson City
- Population from the 2020 Census: 627 people
- Gladstone
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Jennings Lodge
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Jennings Lodge is located in Clackamas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jennings Lodge
- Oatfield
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Oatfield is located in Clackamas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oatfield
- Park Place
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Park Place is located in Clackamas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Park Place
- Boring
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Christie ‑ Historic
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Christie is located in Clackamas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Christie
- Oak Grove
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Marylhurst
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Columbia County
- The following are listed by their distance from Happy Valley, with the one closest to Happy Valley listed first.
- Scappoose
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Warren
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Marion County
- The following are listed by their distance from Happy Valley, with the one closest to Happy Valley listed first.
- Aurora
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Butteville Station ‑ Historic
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Butteville Station is located in Marion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Butteville Station
- Butteville
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Butteville is located in Marion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Butteville
- Donald
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Champoeg ‑ Historic
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Champoeg is located in Marion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Champoeg
- Hubbard
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Woodburn
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- McKee
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- McKee is located in Marion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McKee
- Saint Paul
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Scotts Mills
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Gervais
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Mount Angel
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Downs
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Downs is located in Marion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Downs
- Multnomah County
- The following are listed by their distance from Happy Valley, with the one closest to Happy Valley listed first.
- Hazelwood
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Hazelwood is located in Multnomah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hazelwood
- Rockwood
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Rockwood is located in Multnomah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rockwood
- Russellville
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Russellville is located in Multnomah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Russellville
- Gresham
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Woodstock
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Woodstock is located in Multnomah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodstock
- Milwaukie
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Powell Valley
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Powell Valley is located in Multnomah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Powell Valley
- Montavilla
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Montavilla is located in Multnomah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montavilla
- Fairview
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Laurelhurst
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Laurelhurst is located in Multnomah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laurelhurst
- Fulton ‑ Historic
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Fulton is located in Multnomah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fulton
- Maywood Park
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Troutdale
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Washington County
- The following are listed by their distance from Happy Valley, with the one closest to Happy Valley listed first.
- Metzger
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Metzger is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Metzger
- Durham
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Progress
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Progress is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Progress
- Raleigh Hills
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Raleigh Hills is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Raleigh Hills
- Tigard
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- West Slope
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- West Slope is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Slope
- Beaverton
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Cedar Hills
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- King City
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Cedar Mill
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Marlene Village
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Marlene Village is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marlene Village
- Sherwood
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Aloha
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- Yamhill County
- The following are listed by their distance from Happy Valley, with the one closest to Happy Valley listed first.
- Newberg
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Dundee
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Clark County (WA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Happy Valley, with the one closest to Happy Valley listed first.
- Fisher
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Fisher is located in Clark County (WA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fisher
- Cascade Park East
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Cascade Park West
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Cascade Park West is located in Clark County (WA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cascade Park West
- Camas
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Washougal
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Mill Plain
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Mill Plain is located in Clark County (WA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mill Plain
- Fern Prairie
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Fern Prairie is located in Clark County (WA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fern Prairie
- Proebstel
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Proebstel is located in Clark County (WA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Proebstel
- Sunnyside
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Sunnyside is located in Clark County (WA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunnyside
- Vancouver
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Orchards
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Walnut Grove
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Walnut Grove is located in Clark County (WA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walnut Grove
- Minnehaha
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Minnehaha is located in Clark County (WA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Minnehaha
- Skamania County (WA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Happy Valley, with the one closest to Happy Valley listed first.
- Cruzatt
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Cruzatt is located in Skamania County (WA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cruzatt
- Skamania
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Skamania is located in Skamania County (WA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Skamania
- North Bonneville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Moffetts Hot Springs
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Moffetts Hot Springs is located in Skamania County (WA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moffetts Hot Springs
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Happy Valley, see our County-by-County Page for Happy Valley.
Cemeteries Near Happy Valley ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Happy 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.
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 Happy Valley - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Happy Valley covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Happy Valley, with the one closest to Happy Valley listed first.
- Sunnyside Pioneer Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Deardorf Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Deardorf Cemetery
- The Deardorf Cemetery has also been known as:
- Christilla Pioneer Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #38704 <2>
- Willamette National Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Williamette National Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Lincoln Memorial Park
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lincoln Memorial Park
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Lincoln Memorial Park is a very large cemetery that is located in Portland.
- The Lincoln Memorial Park has also been known as:
- Lincoln Memorial Cemetery
- Mt. Scott Park Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #39045 <2>
- Chimes Memorial Gardens
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chimes Memorial Gardens
- The Chimes Memorial Gardens has also been known as:
- Little Chapel Of The Chimes
- Sunnyside Little Chapel Of The Chimes
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2156227 <2>
- Gethsemane Catholic Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Clackamas Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Damascus Pioneer Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Logan Pleasant View Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- St. Joseph Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Multnomah Park Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Continue List (207 more) ...
- Congregation Shaarie Torah Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Keser Israel Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Straight Pioneer Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
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 Happy Valley in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Happy Valley.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Happy Valley, with the one closest to Happy Valley listed first.
- Sunnyside
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Sunnyside is located in Clackamas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunnyside
- Sycamore
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Sycamore is located in Multnomah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sycamore
- Clackamas
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Damascus
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Lents
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Lents is located in Multnomah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lents
- Gladstone
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Park Place
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Park Place is located in Clackamas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Park Place
- Russellville
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Russellville is located in Multnomah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Russellville
- Gresham
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Rockwood
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Rockwood is located in Multnomah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rockwood
- Woodstock
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Woodstock is located in Multnomah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodstock
- Milwaukie
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Continue List (13 more) ...
- Montavilla
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Montavilla is located in Multnomah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montavilla
- Powell Valley
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Powell Valley is located in Multnomah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Powell Valley
- Sellwood
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Sellwood is located in Multnomah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sellwood
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Happy Valley. See our List of 1890's Communities around Happy Valley.
Newspapers Published in Happy 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 206 newspapers that have been published in the area around Happy Valley.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Happy Valley, there are papers which were published within 9 miles [14.5 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Happy 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 helpful 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 Happy Valley:
- Websites specific to Oregon
- Pages specific to Clackamas County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Columbia County
- Marion County
- Multnomah County
- Washington County
- Yamhill County
- Clark County
- Skamania County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Oregon
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 Happy Valley, 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 drawn from Point A (ie- Happy Valley) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |