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 Helvetia (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 Helvetia. 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 southeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most 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.
Helvetia is located in Washington 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 Washington County: Clackamas, Clatsop, Columbia, Multnomah, Tillamook & Yamhill.
Below are the counties that are near Helvetia. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Helvetia:
- Washington County (The home county of Helvetia)
- The following are listed by their distance from Helvetia, with the one closest to Helvetia listed first.
- West Union
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- West Union is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Union
- Rockcreek
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Rockcreek is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rockcreek
- North Plains
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Bethany
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Bethany is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bethany
- Hillsboro
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Oak Hills
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Oak Hills is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Hills
- Newton
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Newton is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newton
- Reedville
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Reedville is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reedville
- Mountaindale
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Mountaindale is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mountaindale
- Aloha
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Cedar Mill
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Centerville ‑ Historic
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Centerville is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Centerville
- Clackamas County
- The following are listed by their distance from Helvetia, with the one closest to Helvetia listed first.
- Lake Oswego
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Tualatin
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Rivergrove
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- Rivergrove is located in Clackamas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rivergrove
- Population from the 2020 Census: 318 people
- Christie ‑ Historic
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Christie is located in Clackamas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Christie
- Marylhurst
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Oak Grove
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Stafford
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Stafford is located in Clackamas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stafford
- Oatfield
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Oatfield is located in Clackamas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oatfield
- Wilsonville
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Jennings Lodge
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Jennings Lodge is located in Clackamas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jennings Lodge
- West Linn
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Clackamas
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Columbia County
- The following are listed by their distance from Helvetia, with the one closest to Helvetia listed first.
- Scappoose
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Warren
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Saint Helens
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Columbia City
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Vernonia
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Deer Island
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Pittsburg
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Pittsburg is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pittsburg
- Keasey
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Keasey is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keasey
- Reuben
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Reuben is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reuben
- Goble
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Goble is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goble
- Marion County
- The following are listed by their distance from Helvetia, with the one closest to Helvetia listed first.
- Butteville Station ‑ Historic
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Butteville Station is located in Marion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Butteville Station
- Butteville
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Butteville is located in Marion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Butteville
- Champoeg ‑ Historic
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Champoeg is located in Marion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Champoeg
- Aurora
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Donald
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Saint Paul
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Hubbard
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Multnomah County
- The following are listed by their distance from Helvetia, with the one closest to Helvetia listed first.
- Burlington
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Burlington is located in Multnomah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burlington
- Vanport City ‑ Historic
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Vanport City is located in Multnomah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vanport City
- Albina
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Albina is located in Multnomah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Albina
- Portland
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Hillsdale
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Hillsdale is located in Multnomah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hillsdale
- Fulton ‑ Historic
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- Fulton is located in Multnomah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fulton
- Laurelhurst
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Laurelhurst is located in Multnomah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laurelhurst
- Woodstock
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Woodstock is located in Multnomah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodstock
- Maywood Park
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Montavilla
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Montavilla is located in Multnomah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montavilla
- Milwaukie
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- Russellville
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Russellville is located in Multnomah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Russellville
- Tillamook County
- Ryan's Camp ‑ Historic
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Ryan's Camp is located in Tillamook County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ryan's Camp
- Ryan's Camp has also been known as:
- Idiotville
- Yamhill County
- The following are listed by their distance from Helvetia, with the one closest to Helvetia listed first.
- Cove Orchard
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Cove Orchard is located in Yamhill County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cove Orchard
- Newberg
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Yamhill
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Dundee
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Carlton
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Lafayette
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Saint Joseph
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Saint Joseph is located in Yamhill County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Joseph
- Dayton
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- McMinnville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Clark County (WA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Helvetia, with the one closest to Helvetia listed first.
- Vancouver
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Felida
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Felida is located in Clark County (WA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Felida
- Lake Shore
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Lake Shore is located in Clark County (WA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Shore
- Minnehaha
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Minnehaha is located in Clark County (WA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Minnehaha
- Hazel Dell
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Sara
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Sara is located in Clark County (WA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sara
- Salmon Creek
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Salmon Creek is located in Clark County (WA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salmon Creek
- Walnut Grove
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
- Walnut Grove is located in Clark County (WA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walnut Grove
- Barberton
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Barberton is located in Clark County (WA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barberton
- Mount Vista
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Mount Vista is located in Clark County (WA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Vista
- Five Corners
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Five Corners is located in Clark County (WA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Five Corners
- Homan
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
- Homan is located in Clark County (WA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Homan
- Cowlitz County (WA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Helvetia, with the one closest to Helvetia listed first.
- Kalama
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Ariel
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Helvetia, see our County-by-County Page for Helvetia.
Cemeteries Near Helvetia ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Helvetia.
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 Helvetia - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Helvetia covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Helvetia, with the one closest to Helvetia listed first.
- Helvetia Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- West Union Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Bethany Methodist Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Old Scotch Church Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Old Scotch Church Cemetery
- The Old Scotch Church Cemetery has also been known as:
- Tualatin Plains Cemetery
- German Presbyterian Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Phillips Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Shadybrook Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Jackson Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Harrison Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Fir Lawn Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- IOOF Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Hillsboro Pioneer Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Continue List (200 more) ...
- Valley Memorial Park
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Stewart Family Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Union Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
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.<2>
While we didn't find Helvetia in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Helvetia.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Helvetia, with the one closest to Helvetia listed first.
- West Union
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- West Union is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Union
- Glencoe
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Glencoe is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glencoe
- Bethany
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Bethany is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bethany
- Hillsboro
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Holbrook
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Holbrook is located in Multnomah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holbrook
- Newton
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Newton is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newton
- Reedville
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Reedville is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reedville
- Linnton
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Linnton is located in Multnomah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Linnton
- Mountaindale
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Mountaindale is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mountaindale
- Centerville ‑ Historic
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Centerville is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Centerville
- Cedar Mill
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Saint Johns
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Saint Johns is located in Multnomah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Johns
- Continue List (17 more) ...
- Cornelius
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Beaverton
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- University Park
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- University Park is located in Multnomah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for University Park
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Helvetia. See our List of 1890's Communities around Helvetia.
Newspapers Published in Helvetia ...
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 240 newspapers that have been published in the area around Helvetia.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Helvetia, there are papers which were published within 14 miles [22.5 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Helvetia.
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 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 Helvetia:
- Websites specific to Oregon
- Pages specific to Washington County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Clackamas County
- Columbia County
- Marion County
- Multnomah County
- Tillamook County
- Yamhill County
- Clark County
- Cowlitz 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> | 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 Helvetia, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <3> | 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- Helvetia) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |