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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 Port Orford (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 Port Orford. 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 Port Orford ...

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.

For example, a typical abbreviation for Port Orford: Prt. Orford

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.

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 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.

Port Orford is located in Curry 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 Curry County: Del Norte (CA), Coos, Douglas & Josephine.

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

  • Curry County     (The home county of Port Orford)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Port Orford, with the one closest to Port Orford listed first.
    • Sixes
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Denmark
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Denmark have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Denmark
      • Denmark is located in Curry County
    • Langlois
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • Ophir
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Nesika Beach
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nesika Beach
      • Nesika Beach is located in Curry County
    • Gold Beach
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
    • Wedderburn
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
    • Agness
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
  • Coos County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Port Orford, with the one closest to Port Orford listed first.
    • Twomile
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Twomile
      • Twomile is located in Coos County
    • Powers
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Powers have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Powers
      • Powers is located in Coos County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 685 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Powers <1>
    • Bandon
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Broadbent
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Parkersburg
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Parkersburg have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parkersburg
      • Parkersburg is located in Coos County
    • Arago
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arago
      • Arago is located in Coos County
    • Bancroft
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bancroft have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bancroft
      • Bancroft is located in Coos County
    • Myrtle Point
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Norway
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Port Orford ...

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 27 newspapers that have been published in the area around Port Orford.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Port Orford. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Port Orford and those printed in the larger area surrounding Port Orford.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 28 miles [45.1 km]<3> of Port Orford.

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 professional and volunteer 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 Port Orford:

Cemeteries Near Port Orford ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Port Orford.

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

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

  • Tichenor Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Tichenor Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Tichenor Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #39490 <4>
  • Port Orford Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
  • Buffington Memorial Park
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Buffington Memorial Park have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Buffington Memorial Park
  • Cape Blanco Pioneer Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Cape Blanco Pioneer Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • The Cape Blanco Pioneer Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Hughes Family Cemetery
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Cape Blanco Pioneer Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #38927 <4>
  • Denmark Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
  • Fox Hill Cemetery
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Fox Hill Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Fox Hill Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #38799 <4>
  • Huckleberry Knoll Cemetery
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Huckleberry Knoll Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Huckleberry Knoll Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #38925 <4>
  • Ocean View Cemetery
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for the Ocean View Cemetery. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<5>
    • The Ocean View Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Oceanview Cemetery
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Ocean View Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #39230 <4>
  • Haines Cemetery
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Haines Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Haines Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2282131 <4>
  • Geisel Cemetery
    (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Geisel Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Geisel Cemetery
  • Geisel Family Cemetery
    (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
  • Rumley Hill Cemetery
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Rumley Hill Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Rumley Hill Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #39366 <4>
  • Continue List   (38 more) ...
    • Merriam Cemetery
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Merriam Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Merriam Cemetery
      • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #39130 <4>
    • Foster Creek Cemetery
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Foster Creek Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • The Foster Creek Cemetery has also been known as:
      • Illahe Cemetery
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Foster Creek Cemetery
      • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #38958 <4>
    • Wise Cemetery
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Wise Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Wise Cemetery
      • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #39575 <4>

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.<6>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Port Orford had a population of 108 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service. In 2020, Port Orford had a population of 1,171 people.

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

  • Denmark
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Denmark have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Denmark
    • Denmark is located in Curry County
  • Langlois
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
  • Ophir
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
  • Eckley ‑ Historic
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Eckley have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eckley
    • Eckley is located in Curry County
  • Gold Beach
    (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
  • Etelka ‑ Historic
    (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Etelka have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Etelka
    • Etelka is located in Coos County
  • Bandon
    (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
  • Bancroft
    (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bancroft have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bancroft
    • Bancroft is located in Coos County
  • Myrtle Point
    (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
  • Arago
    (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arago
    • Arago is located in Coos County
  • Parkersburg
    (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Parkersburg have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parkersburg
    • Parkersburg is located in Coos County
  • Norway
    (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Randolph
    (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Randolph have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Randolph
    • Randolph is located in Coos County

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

The official website for Port Orford: www.portorford.org/

The official website for Curry County: www.co.curry.or.us/

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>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.
<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 from Point A (ie- Port Orford) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Port Orford. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 42.7477, Longitude: -124.4974    
<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>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.
<6>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 Port Orford, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024