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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 Merlin (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 Merlin. 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 northwest 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 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 west 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.

Merlin is located in Josephine 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 Josephine County: Del Norte (CA), Siskiyou (CA), Curry, Douglas & Jackson.

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

  • Josephine County     (The home county of Merlin)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Merlin, with the one closest to Merlin listed first.
    • Three Pines
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Three Pines
      • Three Pines is located in Josephine County
    • Hugo
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hugo
      • Hugo is located in Josephine County
    • Redwood
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Redwood have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Redwood
      • Redwood is located in Josephine County
    • Grants Pass
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Leland
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leland
      • Leland is located in Josephine County
    • Sunny Valley
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Fruitdale
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fruitdale have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fruitdale
      • Fruitdale is located in Josephine County
    • Placer
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Placer
      • Placer is located in Josephine County
    • Wilderville
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Galice
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Galice
      • Galice is located in Josephine County
    • Greenback ‑ Historic
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenback
      • Greenback is located in Josephine County
    • New Hope
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Hope
      • New Hope is located in Josephine County
    • Golden ‑ Historic
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Golden
      • Golden is located in Josephine County
  • Douglas County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Merlin, with the one closest to Merlin listed first.
    • Glendale
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
    • Azalea
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Canyonville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Canyonville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Canyonville
      • Canyonville is located in Douglas County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,977 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Canyonville <2>
    • Riddle
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riddle
      • Riddle is located in Douglas County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,216 people
      • Former names for Riddle:
      • Riddles
      • Riddlesburg
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Riddle <2>
  • Jackson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Merlin, with the one closest to Merlin listed first.
    • Wimer
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wimer
      • Wimer is located in Jackson County
    • Rogue River
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rogue River have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rogue River
      • Rogue River is located in Jackson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,340 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Rogue River <2>
    • Provolt
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Provolt
      • Provolt is located in Jackson County
    • Gold Hill
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
    • Sams Valley
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sams Valley have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sams Valley
      • Sams Valley is located in Jackson County
    • Applegate
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Central Point
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Central Point have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Central Point
      • Central Point is located in Jackson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 19,117 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Central Point <2>
    • Jacksonville
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Ruch
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
    • White City
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for White City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White City
      • White City is located in Jackson County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for White City <2>

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

Newspapers Published in Merlin ...

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 57 newspapers that have been published in the area around Merlin.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Merlin, there are papers which were published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Merlin.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we like to 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 Merlin:

Cemeteries Near Merlin ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Merlin.

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

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

  • Pleasant Valley Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pleasant Valley Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pleasant Valley Cemetery
  • Ferrydale Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Ferrydale Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Ferrydale Cemetery
  • Granite Hill Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Granite Hill Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Granite Hill Cemetery
  • Hawthorne Memorial Gardens Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hawthorne Memorial Gardens Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hawthorne Memorial Gardens Cemetery
  • Hillcrest Memorial Park
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hillcrest Memorial Park have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hillcrest Memorial Park
  • Sloan Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Sloan Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Sloan Cemetery
  • Tokay Heights Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Tokay Heights Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Tokay Heights Cemetery
  • Wilderville Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Wilderville Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Wilderville Cemetery
  • Placer Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Placer Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Placer Cemetery
  • Lower Wolf Creek Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lower Wolf Creek Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lower Wolf Creek Cemetery
  • Wolf Creek Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Wolf Creek Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Wolf Creek Cemetery
  • Glendale Memorial Cemetery
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
  • Continue List   (30 more) ...
    • Woodville Cemetery
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Woodville Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Woodville Cemetery
    • Foots Cemetery
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Foots Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Foots Cemetery
    • Rock Point Cemetery
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Rock Point Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Rock Point 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.<5>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that in 1895, Merlin had a post office and railroad service.

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

  • Grants Pass
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Leland
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leland
    • Leland is located in Josephine County
  • Wilderville
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
  • Murphy
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
  • Wolf Creek
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
  • Wimer
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wimer
    • Wimer is located in Jackson County
  • Glendale
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
  • Rock Point ‑ Historic
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rock Point have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock Point
    • Rock Point is located in Jackson County
  • Draper ‑ Historic
    (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Draper have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Draper
    • Draper is located in Jackson County
  • Gold Hill
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
  • Galesville
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Galesville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Galesville
    • Galesville is located in Douglas County
  • Williams
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
  • Continue List   (11 more) ...
    • Applegate
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Sams Valley
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sams Valley have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sams Valley
      • Sams Valley is located in Jackson County
    • Tolo
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tolo have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tolo
      • Tolo is located in Jackson County

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

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

The official website for Josephine County: www.co.josephine.or.us/

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

Footnotes ...

<1>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.
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<3>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or point-to-point) distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Merlin) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Merlin. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 42.5184, Longitude: -123.4203    
<4>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.
<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 Merlin, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024