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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 Sunnyside (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 Sunnyside. 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 doctors and 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.

Sunnyside 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 Sunnyside. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Sunnyside:

  • Marion County     (The home county of Sunnyside)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sunnyside, with the one closest to Sunnyside listed first.
    • Turner
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Four Corners
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
      • Four Corners is located in Marion County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Four Corners
    • Salem
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
      • Salem is located in Marion County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salem
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 175,891 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Salem <1>
    • Aumsville
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Badger Corner
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
      • Badger Corner is located in Marion County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Badger Corner
    • Macleay
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Macleay is located in Marion County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Macleay
    • Santiam City ‑ Historic
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
      • Santiam City is located in Marion County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Santiam City
    • Marion
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Jefferson
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • West Stayton
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Hayesville
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
      • Hayesville is located in Marion County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hayesville
    • Chemawa
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
      • Chemawa is located in Marion County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chemawa
    • Keizer
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
  • Benton County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sunnyside, with the one closest to Sunnyside listed first.
    • Wellsdale
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Wellsdale is located in Benton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wellsdale
    • North Albany
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
      • North Albany is located in Benton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Albany
    • Adair Village
      (15 miles [24.1 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
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
      • Lewisburg is located in Benton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lewisburg
    • Corvallis
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Kings Valley
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Philomath
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Wren
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Wren is located in Benton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wren
    • Flynn
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Flynn is located in Benton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flynn
    • Blodgett
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Jennyopolis ‑ Historic
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Jennyopolis is located in Benton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jennyopolis
    • Summit
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Summit is located in Benton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Summit
  • Clackamas County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sunnyside, with the one closest to Sunnyside listed first.
    • Wilhoit
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Wilhoit is located in Clackamas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilhoit
    • Needy ‑ Historic
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Needy is located in Clackamas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Needy
    • Molalla
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
  • Linn County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sunnyside, with the one closest to Sunnyside listed first.
    • Millersburg
      (11 miles [17.7 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
    • West Scio
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
      • West Scio is located in Linn County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Scio
    • Draperville
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
      • Draperville is located in Linn County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Draperville
    • Scio
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Albany
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
    • Crabtree
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Jordan
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
      • Jordan is located in Linn County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jordan
    • Irvinville
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
      • Irvinville is located in Linn County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Irvinville
    • Lyons
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
    • Tangent
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • Lebanon
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
    • Lacomb
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Lacomb is located in Linn County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lacomb
    • Oakville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Oakville is located in Linn County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakville
  • Polk County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sunnyside, with the one closest to Sunnyside listed first.
    • Eola
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Eola is located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eola
    • Independence
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Buena Vista
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Buena Vista is located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buena Vista
    • Salemtowne
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
      • Salemtowne is located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salemtowne
    • Monmouth
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Rickreall
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Lincoln
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Lincoln is located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lincoln
    • Crowley
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Crowley is located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crowley
    • Zena
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Zena is located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zena
    • Dolph Corner
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Dolph Corner is located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dolph Corner
    • Smithfield
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Smithfield is located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smithfield
    • Dallas
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
    • Airlie
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Airlie is located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Airlie
  • Yamhill County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sunnyside, with the one closest to Sunnyside listed first.
    • Hopewell
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
    • Amity
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Amity is located in Yamhill County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amity
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,722 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Amity <1>
    • Eola Village
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Eola Village is located in Yamhill County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eola Village
    • Whiteson
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Whiteson is located in Yamhill County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whiteson
    • Bellevue
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Bellevue is located in Yamhill County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bellevue
    • Dayton
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Sheridan
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • McMinnville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
    • Saint Joseph
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Saint Joseph is located in Yamhill County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Joseph
    • Willamina
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Lafayette
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
    • Dundee
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)

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

Cemeteries Near Sunnyside ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Sunnyside.

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 Sunnyside - one of the links might be able to help.

If not found below, our Cemetery List for Sunnyside covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

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

  • Rosedale Friends Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
  • Jory Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
  • Cox Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
  • IOOF Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
  • Herron Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Penitentiary Annex Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
  • St. Barbara Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
  • Twin Oaks Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
  • Belcrest Memorial Park
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Pioneer Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • Salem Pioneer Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • City View Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • Continue List   (206 more) ...
    • Looney Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Hunsaker Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Lee Mission Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)

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 Sunnyside in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Sunnyside.

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

  • Turner
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
  • Dencer ‑ Historic
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Dencer is located in Marion County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dencer
  • Salem
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Salem is located in Marion County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salem
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 175,891 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Salem <1>
  • Marion
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Aumsville
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
  • Shaw
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Shaw is located in Marion County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shaw
  • Macleay
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Macleay is located in Marion County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Macleay
  • Eola
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Eola is located in Polk County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eola
  • Independence
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
  • Buena Vista
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Buena Vista is located in Polk County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buena Vista
  • Jefferson
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
  • West Stayton
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Continue List   (13 more) ...
    • Ale ‑ Historic
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Ale is located in Marion County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ale
    • Monmouth
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Shelburn ‑ Historic
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Shelburn is located in Linn County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shelburn

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

Newspapers Published in Sunnyside ...

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 59 newspapers that have been published in the area around Sunnyside.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Sunnyside, there are papers which were published within 20 miles [32.2 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Sunnyside.

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 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 Sunnyside:

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 Sunnyside, 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' (or point-to-point) distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Sunnyside) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.