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 Saint Helens (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 Saint Helens. 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 Saint Helens ...
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 occur.
For example, a typical abbreviation for Saint Helens: St. Helens
You might be interested in other communities that are also named Saint Helens. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Saint Helens.
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 northwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors and hospitals 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.
Saint Helens is located in Columbia County and is the County Seat.
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 Columbia County: Clatsop, Multnomah, Washington, Clark (WA), Cowlitz (WA) & Wahkiakum (WA).
Below are the counties that are near Saint Helens. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Saint Helens:
- Columbia County (The home county of Saint Helens)
- The following are listed by their distance from Saint Helens, with the one closest to Saint Helens listed first.
- Columbia City
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Warren
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Deer Island
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Scappoose
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Reuben
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Reuben is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reuben
- Goble
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Goble is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goble
- Prescott
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Prescott is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prescott
- Population from the 2020 Census: 63 people
- Beaver Springs
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Beaver Springs is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beaver Springs
- Pittsburg
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Pittsburg is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pittsburg
- Rainier
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Vernonia
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- Keasey
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Keasey is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keasey
- Multnomah County
- The following are listed by their distance from Saint Helens, with the one closest to Saint Helens listed first.
- Burlington
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Burlington is located in Multnomah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burlington
- Vanport City ‑ Historic
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Vanport City is located in Multnomah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vanport City
- Albina
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Albina is located in Multnomah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Albina
- Portland
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Laurelhurst
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Laurelhurst is located in Multnomah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laurelhurst
- Maywood Park
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Hillsdale
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Hillsdale is located in Multnomah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hillsdale
- Montavilla
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Montavilla is located in Multnomah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montavilla
- Russellville
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Russellville is located in Multnomah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Russellville
- Fulton ‑ Historic
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Fulton is located in Multnomah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fulton
- Woodstock
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Woodstock is located in Multnomah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodstock
- Hazelwood
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Hazelwood is located in Multnomah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hazelwood
- Washington County
- The following are listed by their distance from Saint Helens, with the one closest to Saint Helens listed first.
- Mountaindale
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Mountaindale is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mountaindale
- Bethany
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Bethany is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bethany
- West Union
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- West Union is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Union
- North Plains
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Oak Hills
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Oak Hills is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Hills
- Rockcreek
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Rockcreek is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rockcreek
- Banks
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Buxton
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Christie ‑ Historic
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Christie is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Christie
- Christie has also been known as:
- Carstens
- Manning
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Cedar Mill
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Marlene Village
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Marlene Village is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marlene Village
- Clark County (WA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Saint Helens, with the one closest to Saint Helens listed first.
- Woodland
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Ridgefield
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- La Center
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Pioneer
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Pioneer is located in Clark County (WA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pioneer
- Sara
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Sara is located in Clark County (WA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sara
- King Corner
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- King Corner is located in Clark County (WA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for King Corner
- Etna
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Etna is located in Clark County (WA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Etna
- Dollar's Corner
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Dollar's Corner is located in Clark County (WA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dollar's Corner
- Felida
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Felida is located in Clark County (WA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Felida
- Cherry Grove
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Cherry Grove is located in Clark County (WA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cherry Grove
- Mount Vista
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Mount Vista is located in Clark County (WA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Vista
- Salmon Creek
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Salmon Creek is located in Clark County (WA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salmon Creek
- Cowlitz County (WA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Saint Helens, with the one closest to Saint Helens listed first.
- Kalama
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Ariel
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Carrolls
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Rose Valley
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Rose Valley is located in Cowlitz County (WA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rose Valley
- Kelso
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Kelso is located in Cowlitz County (WA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kelso
- Population from the 2020 Census: 12,438 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Kelso <1>
- Longview
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- West Longview
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- West Longview is located in Cowlitz County (WA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Longview
- Longview Heights
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Longview Heights is located in Cowlitz County (WA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Longview Heights
- Ostrander
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Ostrander is located in Cowlitz County (WA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ostrander
- Pleasant Hill
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Pleasant Hill is located in Cowlitz County (WA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Hill
- Coal Creek
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Coal Creek is located in Cowlitz County (WA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coal Creek
- Stella
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Stella is located in Cowlitz County (WA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stella
- Wahkiakum County (WA)
- Eagle Cliff
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Eagle Cliff is located in Wahkiakum County (WA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eagle Cliff
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Saint Helens, see our County-by-County Page for Saint Helens.
Cemeteries Near Saint Helens ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Saint Helens.
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 Saint Helens - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Saint Helens covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Saint Helens, with the one closest to Saint Helens listed first.
- Masonic Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Bayview Memorial Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- Yankton - Hillcrest Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Old Yankton Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Bethany Memorial Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Lutheran Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Kinder Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Columbia Memorial Gardens Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- IOOF Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for IOOF Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the IOOF Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located in Woodland (WA).
- The IOOF Cemetery has also been known as:
- Odd Fellows Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #1986229 <2>
- Gore Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Bethel Evangelical Methodist Church Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Mt. Zion Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Continue List (142 more) ...
- Martins Bluff Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- St. Wenceslaus Catholic Church Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Pioneer Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
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>
The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Saint Helens had a population of 220 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service. In 2020, Saint Helens had a population of 14,071 people.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Saint Helens, with the one closest to Saint Helens listed first.
- Columbia City
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Warren
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Caples
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Caples is located in Cowlitz County (WA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Caples
- Ridgefield
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Woodland
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Deer Island
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- La Center
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Scappoose
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Sara
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Sara is located in Clark County (WA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sara
- Pioneer
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Pioneer is located in Clark County (WA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pioneer
- Hayes
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Hayes is located in Clark County (WA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hayes
- Reuben
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Reuben is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reuben
- Continue List (14 more) ...
- Kalama
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Goble
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Goble is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goble
- Felida
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Felida is located in Clark County (WA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Felida
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Saint Helens. See our List of 1890's Communities around Saint Helens.
Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Saint Helens ...
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 84 newspapers that have been published in the area around Saint Helens.
We have organized these newspapers into two lists:
- A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Saint Helens. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Saint Helens and those printed in the larger area surrounding Saint Helens.
- An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 20 miles [32.2 km]<4> of Saint Helens.
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 Saint Helens:
- Websites specific to Oregon
- Pages specific to Columbia County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Multnomah County
- Washington County
- Clark County
- Cowlitz County
- Wahkiakum 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 Saint Helens, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <4> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Saint Helens) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |