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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 Smiths Ford (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 Smiths Ford. 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 Smiths Ford ...

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.

While the name of this community is Smiths Ford, be aware that it's the common practice of mapmakers to remove the apostrophe from possessive names<1>. So Smiths Ford may originally have been Smith's Ford.

Sometimes the trailing 's' might be dropped altogether, in which case Smiths Ford might be written as Smith Ford.

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 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 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.

Smiths Ford is located in Douglas 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 Douglas County: Coos, Curry, Jackson, Josephine, Klamath & Lane.

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

  • Douglas County     (The home county of Smiths Ford)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Smiths Ford, with the one closest to Smiths Ford listed first.
    • North Umpqua Village
      (Less than 2 miles to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Umpqua Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Umpqua Village
      • North Umpqua Village is located in Douglas County
    • Idleyld Park
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Glide
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Glide have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glide
      • Glide is located in Douglas County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Glide <3>
    • Oakland
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Oakland have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakland
      • Oakland is located in Douglas County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 954 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Oakland <3>
    • Elkhead
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Elkhead have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elkhead
      • Elkhead is located in Douglas County
    • Old Town
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Old Town have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Old Town
      • Old Town is located in Douglas County
    • Sutherlin
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sutherlin have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sutherlin
      • Sutherlin is located in Douglas County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 8,227 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sutherlin <3>
    • Wilbur
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
    • Winchester
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
    • Roseburg
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
    • Isadore
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Isadore have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Isadore
      • Isadore is located in Douglas County
    • Green
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Green have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green
      • Green is located in Douglas County
    • Days Creek
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
  • Lane County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Smiths Ford, with the one closest to Smiths Ford listed first.
    • Culp Creek
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • Dorena ‑ Historic
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)

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

Newspapers Published in Smiths Ford ...

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 38 newspapers that have been published in the area around Smiths Ford.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Smiths Ford, there are papers which were published within 28 miles [45.1 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Smiths Ford.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we begin with the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These helpful 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 Smiths Ford:

Cemeteries Near Smiths Ford ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Smiths Ford.

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

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

  • Wimberly Family Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Wimberly Family Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Wimberly Family Cemetery
  • Oak Creek Cemetery
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Oak Creek Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Oak Creek Cemetery
  • Livingston Cemetery
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Livingston Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Livingston Cemetery
  • Fair Oaks Cemetery
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Sutherlin Cemetery
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Sutherlin Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Sutherlin Cemetery
  • Boggess Cemetery
    (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Boggess Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Boggess Cemetery
  • Harvey Cemetery
    (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Harvey Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Harvey Cemetery
  • Letitia Cemetery
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Letitia Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Letitia Cemetery
  • Harris Family Cemetery
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Harris Family Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Harris Family Cemetery
  • Roseburg IOOF Cemetery
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Roseburg IOOF Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Roseburg IOOF Cemetery
  • Douglas County Cemetery
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Douglas County Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Douglas County Cemetery
  • Roseburg Catholic Cemetery
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Roseburg Catholic Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Roseburg Catholic Cemetery
  • Continue List   (39 more) ...
    • Oakland Masonic & Old Town Oakland Cemeteries
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
    • IOOF Cemetery
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the IOOF Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the IOOF Cemetery
    • Reason - Reed Cemetery
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Reason - Reed Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Reason - Reed 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.<6>

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

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

  • Peel
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Peel have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peel
    • Peel is located in Douglas County
  • Glide
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Glide have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glide
    • Glide is located in Douglas County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Glide <3>
  • Oak Creek ‑ Historic
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Oak Creek have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Creek
    • Oak Creek is located in Douglas County
  • Oakland
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Oakland have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakland
    • Oakland is located in Douglas County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 954 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Oakland <3>
  • Elkhead
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Elkhead have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elkhead
    • Elkhead is located in Douglas County
  • Wilbur
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
  • Winchester
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
  • Roseburg
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
  • Green
    (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Green have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green
    • Green is located in Douglas County
  • Isadore
    (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Isadore have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Isadore
    • Isadore is located in Douglas County
  • Stephens
    (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Stephens have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stephens
    • Stephens is located in Douglas County
  • Days Creek
    (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
  • Continue List   (11 more) ...
    • Rice Hill
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Ruckles
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ruckles have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ruckles
      • Ruckles is located in Douglas County
    • Myrtle Creek
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)

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

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

The official website for Douglas County: www.co.douglas.or.us/

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

Footnotes ...

<1>It's generally believed that possessive apostrophes are removed to prevent confusion on maps where the apostrophe may be confused with a cartographic symbol. While this is generally true, it's not uncommon to find possessive apostrophes in administrative names (such as towns or counties).
<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>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<4>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or point-to-point) distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Smiths Ford) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Smiths Ford. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 43.2960, Longitude: -122.9178       In this case, the coordinates for Smiths Ford have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<5>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.
<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 Smiths Ford, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024