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 Waconda (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 Waconda. 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 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.
Waconda 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 Waconda. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Waconda:
- Marion County (The home county of Waconda)
- The following are listed by their distance from Waconda, with the one closest to Waconda listed first.
- Brooks
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Labish Village
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Labish Village is located in Marion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Labish Village
- Gervais
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Chemawa
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Chemawa is located in Marion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chemawa
- Keizer
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Hayesville
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Hayesville is located in Marion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hayesville
- Woodburn
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- McKee
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- McKee is located in Marion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McKee
- Mount Angel
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Badger Corner
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Badger Corner is located in Marion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Badger Corner
- Downs
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Downs is located in Marion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Downs
- Saint Paul
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Salem
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Benton County
- The following are listed by their distance from Waconda, with the one closest to Waconda listed first.
- Wellsdale
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Wellsdale is located in Benton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wellsdale
- North Albany
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- North Albany is located in Benton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Albany
- Adair Village
(30 miles [48.3 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
- Clackamas County
- The following are listed by their distance from Waconda, with the one closest to Waconda listed first.
- Needy ‑ Historic
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Needy is located in Clackamas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Needy
- Barlow
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
- Barlow is located in Clackamas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barlow
- Population from the 2020 Census: 147 people
- Canby
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- Macksburg
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- Macksburg is located in Clackamas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Macksburg
- Wilsonville
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Molalla
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Wilhoit
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Wilhoit is located in Clackamas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilhoit
- Liberal
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Liberal is located in Clackamas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Liberal
- Mulino
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Glen Avon
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Glen Avon is located in Clackamas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glen Avon
- Carus
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Carus is located in Clackamas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carus
- Tualatin
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Willamette
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Willamette is located in Clackamas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willamette
- Linn County
- The following are listed by their distance from Waconda, with the one closest to Waconda listed first.
- West Scio
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- West Scio is located in Linn County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Scio
- Scio
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Millersburg
(27 miles [43.5 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
- Jordan
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Jordan is located in Linn County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jordan
- Lyons
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Draperville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Draperville is located in Linn County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Draperville
- Crabtree
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Multnomah County
- The following are listed by their distance from Waconda, with the one closest to Waconda listed first.
- Hillsdale
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Hillsdale is located in Multnomah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hillsdale
- Milwaukie
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Polk County
- The following are listed by their distance from Waconda, with the one closest to Waconda listed first.
- Lincoln
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Lincoln is located in Polk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lincoln
- Salemtowne
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Salemtowne is located in Polk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salemtowne
- Zena
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Zena is located in Polk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zena
- Eola
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Eola is located in Polk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eola
- Crowley
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Crowley is located in Polk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crowley
- Rickreall
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Smithfield
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Smithfield is located in Polk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smithfield
- Dolph Corner
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Dolph Corner is located in Polk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dolph Corner
- Independence
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Dallas
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Monmouth
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Ellendale
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Ellendale is located in Polk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ellendale
- Buell
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Buell is located in Polk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buell
- Washington County
- The following are listed by their distance from Waconda, with the one closest to Waconda listed first.
- Middleton
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Middleton is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Middleton
- Sherwood
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- King City
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Scholls
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Kinton ‑ Historic
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Kinton is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kinton
- Durham
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Farmington
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Farmington is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Farmington
- Tigard
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Gaston
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Metzger
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Metzger is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Metzger
- Progress
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Progress is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Progress
- Beaverton
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Blooming
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Blooming is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blooming
- Yamhill County
- The following are listed by their distance from Waconda, with the one closest to Waconda listed first.
- Hopewell
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Eola Village
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Eola Village is located in Yamhill County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eola Village
- Dayton
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Whiteson
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Whiteson is located in Yamhill County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whiteson
- Amity
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Dundee
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Lafayette
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Saint Joseph
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Saint Joseph is located in Yamhill County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Joseph
- McMinnville
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Newberg
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Bellevue
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Bellevue is located in Yamhill County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bellevue
- Carlton
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Sheridan
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Waconda, see our County-by-County Page for Waconda.
Cemeteries Near Waconda ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Waconda.
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 Waconda - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Waconda covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Waconda, with the one closest to Waconda listed first.
- Skunkville Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Pioneers Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- St. Louis Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Fairfield Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Claggett Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Gervaos Pioneer Masonic Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Sacred Heart Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Chemawa Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Hayesville Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Howell Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Essen Family Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Belle Passi Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Continue List (229 more) ...
- Hopewell Evangelical Church Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- O'Dell Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Zena Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
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 Waconda in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Waconda.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Waconda, with the one closest to Waconda listed first.
- Brooks
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Wheatland
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Wheatland is located in Yamhill County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wheatland
- Fairfield
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Fairfield is located in Marion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairfield
- Gervais
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Chemawa
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Chemawa is located in Marion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chemawa
- Lincoln
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Lincoln is located in Polk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lincoln
- Woodburn
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Zena
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Zena is located in Polk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zena
- Mount Angel
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- McKee
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- McKee is located in Marion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McKee
- Salem
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Downs
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Downs is located in Marion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Downs
- Continue List (15 more) ...
- Saint Paul
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Silverton
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- McCoy
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- McCoy is located in Polk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McCoy
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Waconda. See our List of 1890's Communities around Waconda.
Newspapers Published in Waconda ...
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 177 newspapers that have been published in the area around Waconda.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Waconda, there are papers which were published within 19 miles [30.6 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Waconda.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we like to 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 Waconda:
- Websites specific to Oregon
- Pages specific to Marion County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Benton County
- Clackamas County
- Linn County
- Multnomah County
- Polk County
- Washington County
- Yamhill 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 Waconda, 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 obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Waconda) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |