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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 Heppner (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 Heppner. 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 Heppner ...

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.

The community of Heppner was originally named Standsbury Flat

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.

A Few Details for Heppner ...

While it's still very early in our research, we found that:

  • The naming (or the toponymy) of Heppner: Named after Henry Hepper, who opened the first general store in 1873.
  • It was incorporated in 1887.

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 northeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals and doctors were in the next county to the east. Almost all of the nearby churches and cemeteries were in the county to the north.

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 north 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.

Heppner is located in Morrow County and is the County Seat.

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 Morrow County: Gilliam, Grant, Umatilla, Wheeler, Benton (WA) & Klickitat (WA).

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

  • Morrow County     (The home county of Heppner)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Heppner, with the one closest to Heppner listed first.
    • Lexington
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Eightmile
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Eightmile. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eightmile
      • Eightmile is located in Morrow County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Eightmile
      • From Heppner to Eightmile
    • Hardman
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Pine City
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Ione
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Alpine
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Alpine. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alpine
      • Alpine is located in Morrow County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Alpine
      • From Heppner to Alpine
    • Gooseberry
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Gooseberry. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gooseberry
      • Gooseberry is located in Morrow County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Gooseberry
      • From Heppner to Gooseberry
    • Heck and Gone ‑ Historic
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
  • Gilliam County

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

Cemeteries Near Heppner ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Heppner.

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

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

  • Heppner Masonic Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
  • Lexington Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lexington Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lexington Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Rhea Creek Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Rhea Creek Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Rhea Creek Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Pleasant Point Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Junkins Cemetery
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Junkins Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Junkins Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Valby Cemetery
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Valby Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Valby Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Hardman IOOF Cemetery
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hardman IOOF Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hardman IOOF Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Hardman Cemetery
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hardman Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hardman Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Sand Hollow Cemetery
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Sand Hollow Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Sand Hollow Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Petteys Cemetery
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Petteys Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Petteys Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Highview Cemetery
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Highview Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Highview Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Gooseberry Cemetery
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Gooseberry Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Gooseberry Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (12 more) ...
    • Wells Spring Cemetery
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Wells Spring Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Wells Spring Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Morgan Cemetery
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Morgan Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Morgan Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Gurdane Cemetery
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Gurdane Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Gurdane Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.

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 Heppner had a population of 6,756 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service. In 2020, Heppner had a population of 1,262 people.

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

  • Lexington
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
  • Lena
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lena have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lena
    • Lena is located in Morrow County
  • Eightmile
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Eightmile. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eightmile
    • Eightmile is located in Morrow County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Eightmile
    • From Heppner to Eightmile
  • Hardman
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
  • Galloway ‑ Historic
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Galloway have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Galloway
    • Galloway is located in Morrow County
  • Ione
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Gooseberry
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Gooseberry. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gooseberry
    • Gooseberry is located in Morrow County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Gooseberry
    • From Heppner to Gooseberry
  • Alpine
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Alpine. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alpine
    • Alpine is located in Morrow County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Alpine
    • From Heppner to Alpine
  • Ella
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ella have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ella
    • Ella is located in Morrow County
  • Vinson
    (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Vinson have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vinson
    • Vinson is located in Umatilla County
  • Lonerock
    (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
  • Cecil
    (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cecil have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cecil
    • Cecil is located in Morrow County
  • Nye
    (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Nye have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nye
    • Nye is located in Umatilla County

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Heppner ...

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 15 newspapers that have been published in the area around Heppner.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Heppner. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Heppner and those printed in the larger area surrounding Heppner.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 16 miles [25.7 km]<6> of Heppner.

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 Heppner:

The official website for Heppner: www.cityofheppner.com/

The official website for Morrow County: www.morrowcountyoregon.com/

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>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.
<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>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.
<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 Heppner, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<6>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Heppner) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Heppner. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 45.3566, Longitude: -119.5534    









 

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This page was last modified/updated: 29 Apr 2025