RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> State of Oregon >> Clatsop County >> Surf Pines >> Genealogy HelperIndex...

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 Surf Pines (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 Surf Pines. 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 southwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals and doctors 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.

Surf Pines is located in Clatsop 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 Clatsop County: Columbia, Tillamook, Washington, Pacific (WA) & Wahkiakum (WA).

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

  • Clatsop County     (The home county of Surf Pines)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Surf Pines, with the one closest to Surf Pines listed first.
    • Gearhart
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
    • Chadwell ‑ Historic
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Chadwell is located in Clatsop County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chadwell
    • Seaside
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Warrenton
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Jeffers Garden
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Jeffers Garden is located in Clatsop County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jeffers Garden
    • Hammond
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Astoria
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Cannon Beach
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Tongue Point Village
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Tongue Point Village is located in Clatsop County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tongue Point Village
    • Tolovana Park
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • Svensen Junction
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Svensen Junction is located in Clatsop County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Svensen Junction
    • Arch Cape
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
    • Brownsmead
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Brownsmead is located in Clatsop County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brownsmead
  • Columbia County
    • Fishhawk ‑ Historic
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Fishhawk is located in Columbia County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fishhawk
  • Tillamook County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Surf Pines, with the one closest to Surf Pines listed first.
    • Manzanita
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
    • Nehalem
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
    • Foss
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Foss is located in Tillamook County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Foss
    • Wheeler
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
    • Nedonna Beach
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Nedonna Beach is located in Tillamook County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nedonna Beach
    • Rockaway Beach
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
  • Pacific County (WA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Surf Pines, with the one closest to Surf Pines listed first.
    • Megler
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Megler is located in Pacific County (WA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Megler
    • Chinook
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
    • Knappton ‑ Historic
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
      • Knappton is located in Pacific County (WA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Knappton
    • Fort Canby
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
      • Fort Canby is located in Pacific County (WA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fort Canby
    • Pacific City ‑ Historic
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Pacific City is located in Pacific County (WA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pacific City
    • Ilwaco
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Ilwaco is located in Pacific County (WA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ilwaco
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,006 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ilwaco <1>
    • Seaview
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
    • Long Beach
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
    • Naselle
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
    • Breakers
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Breakers is located in Pacific County (WA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Breakers
    • Nahcotta
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
    • Ocean Park
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
  • Wahkiakum County (WA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Surf Pines, with the one closest to Surf Pines listed first.
    • Altoona
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Altoona is located in Wahkiakum County (WA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Altoona
    • Dahlia
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Dahlia is located in Wahkiakum County (WA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dahlia
    • Brookfield
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Brookfield is located in Wahkiakum County (WA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brookfield
    • Deep River
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Deep River is located in Wahkiakum County (WA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Deep River
    • Rosburg
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
    • Grays River
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Skamokawa
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Cathlamet
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
    • East Cathlamet
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • East Cathlamet is located in Wahkiakum County (WA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Cathlamet

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

Cemeteries Near Surf Pines ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Surf Pines.

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 Surf Pines - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Clatsop Plains Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
  • Grave Of The Unknown Sailor
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • Lewis & Clark Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
  • Evergreen Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • Ocean View Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
  • Warrenton Pauper Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
  • Greenwood Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenwood Cemetery
    • The Greenwood Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Crestview Greenwood Cemetery
    • Green Wood Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #38848 <2>
  • Ft. Stevens Post Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
  • Astoria Pioneer Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
  • Riverview Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
  • Svensen Pioneer Cemetery
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Svensen Pioneer Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Svensen Pioneer Cemetery is located outside and to the southeast of Svensen Junction.
    • The Svensen Pioneer Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Forest Hill Cemetery
    • Pleasant Hill Cemetery
    • Svensen Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #38789 <2>
  • Ilwaco Cemetery
    (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
  • Continue List   (18 more) ...

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

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

  • Melville
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Melville is located in Clatsop County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Melville
  • Seaside
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
  • Chadwell ‑ Historic
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Chadwell is located in Clatsop County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chadwell
  • Skipanon ‑ Historic
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Skipanon is located in Clatsop County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Skipanon
  • Olney
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Olney is located in Clatsop County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Olney
  • Astoria
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
  • Cannon Beach
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
  • Knappton ‑ Historic
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
    • Knappton is located in Pacific County (WA)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Knappton
  • Fort Canby
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
    • Fort Canby is located in Pacific County (WA)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fort Canby
  • Frankfort ‑ Historic
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Frankfort is located in Pacific County (WA)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frankfort
  • Ilwaco
    (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
    • Ilwaco is located in Pacific County (WA)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ilwaco
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,006 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ilwaco <1>
  • Knappa
    (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
    • Knappa is located in Clatsop County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Knappa
  • Continue List   (12 more) ...
    • Vinemaple
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Vinemaple is located in Clatsop County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vinemaple
    • Jewell
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • Jewell is located in Clatsop County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jewell
    • Naselle
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)

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

Newspapers Published in Surf Pines ...

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 62 newspapers that have been published in the area around Surf Pines.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Surf Pines, there are papers which were published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Surf Pines.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first visit 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 Surf Pines:

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 Surf Pines, 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- Surf Pines) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.