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Our Genealogy Helper

Introduction ...

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

We've added Mercer to our Gazetteer with the hope that we can develop more information. If you can help us with Mercer, 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 Mercer (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 Mercer. 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 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.

Although our information shows that the community of Mercer is historic, it would have been located within present day Lane 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 Lane County: Benton, Deschutes, Douglas, Klamath, Lincoln & Linn.

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

  • Lane County     (The home county of Mercer)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Mercer, with the one closest to Mercer listed first.
    • Florence
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Point Terrace
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Point Terrace have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Point Terrace
      • Point Terrace is located in Lane County
    • Mapleton
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Dunes City
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dunes City have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dunes City
      • Dunes City is located in Lane County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,412 people
    • Westlake
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • Swisshome
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • Deadwood
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
    • Walton
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
    • Blachly
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
    • Noti
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
  • Douglas County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Mercer, with the one closest to Mercer listed first.
    • Gardiner
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
    • Reedsport
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Reedsport have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reedsport
      • Reedsport is located in Douglas County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,103 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Reedsport <2>
    • Umpqua City ‑ Historic
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Umpqua City have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Umpqua City
      • Umpqua City is located in Douglas County
    • Winchester Bay
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Winchester Bay have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winchester Bay
      • Winchester Bay is located in Douglas County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Winchester Bay <2>
  • Lincoln County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Mercer, with the one closest to Mercer listed first.
    • Yachats
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Yachats have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yachats
      • Yachats is located in Lincoln County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 797 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Yachats <2>
    • Tillicum Beach
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tillicum Beach
      • Tillicum Beach is located in Lincoln County
    • Westwood Village
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Westwood Village have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westwood Village
      • Westwood Village is located in Lincoln County
    • Waldport
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Waldport have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waldport
      • Waldport is located in Lincoln County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,261 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Waldport <2>
    • Tidewater
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Seal Rock
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)

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

Newspapers Published in Mercer ...

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 17 newspapers that have been published in the area around Mercer.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Mercer, there are papers which were published within 25 miles [40.2 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Mercer.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we 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 Mercer:

Cemeteries Near Mercer ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Mercer.

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

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

  • Haring Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Haring Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Haring Cemetery
  • Drew Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Drew Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Drew Cemetery
  • Spruce Point Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Spruce Point Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Spruce Point Cemetery
  • Pacific Sunset Memorial Park
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pacific Sunset Memorial Park have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pacific Sunset Memorial Park
  • Heceta Lodge #11 IOOF Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Heceta Lodge #11 IOOF Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Heceta Lodge #11 IOOF Cemetery
  • Independent Order of Odd Fellows Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
  • Bray Family Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • The Bray Family Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Stonefield Beach Cemetery
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bray Family Cemetery
  • IOOF - Mapleton Lodge #3139 Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the IOOF - Mapleton Lodge #3139 Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the IOOF - Mapleton Lodge #3139 Cemetery
  • Indian Creek Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Fir Grove Cemetery
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
  • Madera Grave
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Madera Grave have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Madera Grave
  • Deadwood Cemetery
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Deadwood Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Deadwood Cemetery
  • Continue List   (18 more) ...
    • Carson Cemetery
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Carson Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Carson Cemetery
    • Yachats Memorial Park
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Yachats Memorial Park have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Yachats Memorial Park
    • IOOF Cemetery
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
      • 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.

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

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

  • Florence
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • Acme
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Acme have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Acme
    • Acme is located in Lane County
  • Glenada
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Glenada have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glenada
    • Glenada is located in Lane County
  • Point Terrace
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Point Terrace have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Point Terrace
    • Point Terrace is located in Lane County
  • Siuslaw ‑ Historic
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Siuslaw have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Siuslaw
    • Siuslaw is located in Lane County
  • Deadwood
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
  • Alpha
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Alpha have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alpha
    • Alpha is located in Lane County
  • Sulphur Springs
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sulphur Springs have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sulphur Springs
    • Sulphur Springs is located in Douglas County
  • Gardiner
    (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
  • Walton
    (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)

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

The official website for Lane County: www.lanecounty.org/

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

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 Mercer, 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 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 '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- Mercer) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Mercer. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 44.0665, Longitude: -124.0707       In this case, the coordinates for Mercer have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024