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 Oak Park (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 Oak Park. 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 northeast 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 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.
Oak Park is located in Marion 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 Marion County: Benton, Clackamas, Deschutes, Linn, Polk, Wasco & Yamhill.
Below are the counties that are near Oak Park. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Oak Park:
- Marion County (The home county of Oak Park)
- The following are listed by their distance from Oak Park, with the one closest to Oak Park listed first.
- Badger Corner
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Badger Corner is located in Marion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Badger Corner
- Hayesville
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Hayesville is located in Marion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hayesville
- Chemawa
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Chemawa is located in Marion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chemawa
- Four Corners
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Four Corners is located in Marion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Four Corners
- Salem
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- Labish Village
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Labish Village is located in Marion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Labish Village
- Keizer
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Brooks
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Macleay
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Macleay is located in Marion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Macleay
- Turner
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Aumsville
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Downs
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Downs is located in Marion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Downs
- Benton County
- The following are listed by their distance from Oak Park, with the one closest to Oak Park listed first.
- Wellsdale
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Wellsdale is located in Benton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wellsdale
- North Albany
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- North Albany is located in Benton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Albany
- Adair Village
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Adair Village is located in Benton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adair Village
- Population from the 2020 Census: 872 people
- Lewisburg
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Lewisburg is located in Benton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lewisburg
- Kings Valley
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Corvallis
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Clackamas County
- The following are listed by their distance from Oak Park, with the one closest to Oak Park listed first.
- Needy ‑ Historic
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Needy is located in Clackamas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Needy
- Wilhoit
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Wilhoit is located in Clackamas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilhoit
- Molalla
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Barlow
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Barlow is located in Clackamas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barlow
- Population from the 2020 Census: 147 people
- Macksburg
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Macksburg is located in Clackamas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Macksburg
- Glen Avon
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Glen Avon is located in Clackamas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glen Avon
- Canby
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Liberal
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Liberal is located in Clackamas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Liberal
- Wilsonville
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Mulino
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Carus
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Carus is located in Clackamas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carus
- Colton
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Linn County
- The following are listed by their distance from Oak Park, with the one closest to Oak Park listed first.
- West Scio
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- West Scio is located in Linn County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Scio
- Millersburg
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Millersburg is located in Linn County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millersburg
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,757 people
- Scio
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Jordan
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Jordan is located in Linn County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jordan
- Draperville
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Draperville is located in Linn County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Draperville
- Lyons
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Crabtree
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Albany
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Irvinville
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Irvinville is located in Linn County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Irvinville
- Lacomb
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Lacomb is located in Linn County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lacomb
- Mill City
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Lebanon
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Polk County
- The following are listed by their distance from Oak Park, with the one closest to Oak Park listed first.
- Salemtowne
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Salemtowne is located in Polk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salemtowne
- Lincoln
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Lincoln is located in Polk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lincoln
- Zena
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Zena is located in Polk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zena
- Eola
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Eola is located in Polk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eola
- Crowley
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Crowley is located in Polk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crowley
- Independence
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Rickreall
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Smithfield
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Smithfield is located in Polk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smithfield
- Monmouth
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Buena Vista
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Buena Vista is located in Polk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buena Vista
- Dolph Corner
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Dolph Corner is located in Polk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dolph Corner
- Dallas
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Washington County
- The following are listed by their distance from Oak Park, with the one closest to Oak Park listed first.
- Middleton
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Middleton is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Middleton
- Sherwood
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Scholls
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Yamhill County
- The following are listed by their distance from Oak Park, with the one closest to Oak Park listed first.
- Hopewell
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Amity
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Eola Village
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Eola Village is located in Yamhill County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eola Village
- Whiteson
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Whiteson is located in Yamhill County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whiteson
- Dayton
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Bellevue
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Bellevue is located in Yamhill County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bellevue
- McMinnville
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Lafayette
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Saint Joseph
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Saint Joseph is located in Yamhill County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Joseph
- Dundee
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Sheridan
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Newberg
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Oak Park, see our County-by-County Page for Oak Park.
Cemeteries Near Oak Park ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Oak Park.
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 Oak Park - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Oak Park covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Oak Park, with the one closest to Oak Park listed first.
- Lee Mission Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Hayesville Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Chemawa Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Howell Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- City View Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Pioneer Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Salem Pioneer Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- St. Barbara Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Claggett Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Stipp Memorial Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Eoff Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Pratum Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Continue List (215 more) ...
- Skunkville Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Belcrest Memorial Park
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Herron Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
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 Oak Park in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Oak Park.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Oak Park, with the one closest to Oak Park listed first.
- Salem
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- Chemawa
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Chemawa is located in Marion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chemawa
- Brooks
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Macleay
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Macleay is located in Marion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Macleay
- Lincoln
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Lincoln is located in Polk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lincoln
- Eola
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Eola is located in Polk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eola
- Dencer ‑ Historic
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Dencer is located in Marion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dencer
- Zena
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Zena is located in Polk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zena
- Turner
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Shaw
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Shaw is located in Marion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shaw
- Willard ‑ Historic
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Willard is located in Marion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willard
- Wheatland
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Wheatland is located in Yamhill County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wheatland
- Continue List (13 more) ...
- Aumsville
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Clymer ‑ Historic
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Clymer is located in Marion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clymer
- Silverton
(10 miles [16.1 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 Oak Park. See our List of 1890's Communities around Oak Park.
Newspapers Published in Oak Park ...
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 164 newspapers that have been published in the area around Oak Park.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Oak Park, there are papers which were published within 19 miles [30.6 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Oak Park.
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 Oak Park:
- Websites specific to Oregon
- Pages specific to Marion County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Benton County
- Clackamas County
- Linn County
- Polk County
- Washington County
- Yamhill 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 Oak Park, 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- Oak Park) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |