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Our Genealogy Helper

Introduction ...

So far, we found very little information about Williams Creek. The little that we've found leads us believe that the community is historic.<1>

We've added Williams Creek to our Gazetteer with the hope that we can develop more information. If you can help us with Williams Creek, please Contact Us.

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 Williams Creek (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 Williams Creek. 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 Williams Creek ...

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.

  • A typical abbreviation for Williams Creek: Williams Crk. (or less commonly used: Williams Ck. or Williams Cr.)
  • While the name of this community is Williams Creek, be aware that it's the common practice of mapmakers to remove the apostrophe from possessive names<2>. So Williams Creek may originally have been William's Creek.

    Sometimes the trailing 's' might be dropped altogether, in which case Williams Creek might be written as William Creek.

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 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.

Although our information shows that the community of Williams Creek is historic, it would have been located within present day Jackson 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 Jackson County: Siskiyou (CA), Douglas, Josephine & Klamath.

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

  • Jackson County     (The home county of Williams Creek)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Williams Creek, with the one closest to Williams Creek listed first.
    • Provolt
      (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Provolt
      • Provolt is located in Jackson County
    • Applegate
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
    • Ruch
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Rogue River
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rogue River have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rogue River
      • Rogue River is located in Jackson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,340 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Rogue River <3>
    • Buncom
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buncom
      • Buncom is located in Jackson County
    • Jacksonville
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • Gold Hill
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Sterlingville ‑ Historic
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Sterlingville. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<5>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sterlingville
      • Sterlingville is located in Jackson County
    • Central Point
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Central Point have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Central Point
      • Central Point is located in Jackson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 19,117 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Central Point <3>
    • Copper ‑ Historic
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Copper have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Copper
      • Copper is located in Jackson County
    • Medford
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
    • Wimer
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wimer
      • Wimer is located in Jackson County
    • Sams Valley
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sams Valley have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sams Valley
      • Sams Valley is located in Jackson County
  • Josephine County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Williams Creek, with the one closest to Williams Creek listed first.
    • Williams
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Murphy
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • New Hope
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Hope
      • New Hope is located in Josephine County
    • Fruitdale
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fruitdale have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fruitdale
      • Fruitdale is located in Josephine County
    • Grants Pass
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Redwood
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Redwood have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Redwood
      • Redwood is located in Josephine County
    • Wilderville
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Merlin
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Selma
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
    • Three Pines
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Three Pines
      • Three Pines is located in Josephine County
    • Kerby
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
    • Hugo
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hugo
      • Hugo is located in Josephine County
    • Cave Junction
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cave Junction have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cave Junction
      • Cave Junction is located in Josephine County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,986 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cave Junction <3>
  • Siskiyou County (CA)

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

Newspapers Published in Williams Creek ...

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 51 newspapers that have been published in the area around Williams Creek.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Williams Creek, there are papers which were published within 26 miles [41.8 km]<6>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Williams Creek.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first turn to 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 Williams Creek:

Cemeteries Near Williams Creek ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Williams Creek.

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 Williams Creek covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

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

  • Missouri Flat Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Missouri Flat Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Missouri Flat Cemetery
  • Gotcher Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Gotcher Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Gotcher Cemetery
  • Sparlin Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Sparlin Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Sparlin Cemetery
  • Hartley Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hartley Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hartley Cemetery
  • Logtown Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Logtown Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located less than 2 miles<6> to the southwest of Ruch.
    • The Logtown Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Log Town Cemetery
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Logtown Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #39053 <7>
  • Foots Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Foots Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Foots Cemetery
  • Woodville Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Woodville Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Woodville Cemetery
  • Tokay Heights Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Tokay Heights Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Tokay Heights Cemetery
  • Jacksonville Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
  • Hays Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hays Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hays Cemetery
  • Hays - Gall Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hays - Gall Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hays - Gall Cemetery
  • Steamboat Cemetery
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Steamboat Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Steamboat Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #39456 <7>
  • Continue List   (45 more) ...
    • Hillcrest Memorial Park
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hillcrest Memorial Park have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hillcrest Memorial Park
    • Sterling Cemetery
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Sterling Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Sterling Cemetery
    • Sterlingville Cemetery
      (13 miles [20.9 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.

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

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

  • Applegate
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
  • Williams
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Draper ‑ Historic
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Draper have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Draper
    • Draper is located in Jackson County
  • Murphy
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
  • Rock Point ‑ Historic
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rock Point have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock Point
    • Rock Point is located in Jackson County
  • Steamboat
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Steamboat have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Steamboat
    • Steamboat is located in Jackson County
  • Grants Pass
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
  • Jacksonville
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
  • Gold Hill
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
  • Wilderville
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
  • Tolo
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tolo have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tolo
    • Tolo is located in Jackson County
  • Central Point
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Central Point have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Central Point
    • Central Point is located in Jackson County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 19,117 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Central Point <3>
  • Continue List   (13 more) ...
    • Medford
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
    • Wimer
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wimer
      • Wimer is located in Jackson County
    • Table Rock
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Table Rock have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Table Rock
      • Table Rock is located in Jackson County

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

The official website for Jackson County: www.co.jackson.or.us/

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

Footnotes ...

<1>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 Williams Creek, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<2>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).
<3>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<4>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.
<5>An 'estimated' location is one where we have been given GPS coordinates, but are unable to verify the accuracy of those coordinates. That said, we have some confidence that we have placed the marker near the actual location. A typical reason for being unable to verify a location is that it might be on private property or maybe historic and gone without an obvious trace.
<6>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- Williams Creek) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Williams Creek. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 42.2707, Longitude: -123.2137       In this case, the coordinates for Williams Creek have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<7>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.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024