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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 Willows (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 Willows. 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.

Willows is located in Gilliam 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 Gilliam County: Morrow, Sherman, Wasco, Wheeler & Klickitat (WA).

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

  • Gilliam County     (The home county of Willows)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Willows, with the one closest to Willows listed first.
    • Arlington
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Olex
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Olex. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Olex
      • Olex is located in Gilliam County
    • Clem
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Clem. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clem
      • Clem is located in Gilliam County
  • Morrow County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Willows, with the one closest to Willows listed first.
    • Boardman
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Boardman have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boardman
      • Boardman is located in Morrow County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,794 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Boardman <1>
    • Ione
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Alpine
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Alpine. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alpine
      • Alpine is located in Morrow County
    • Irrigon
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Irrigon have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Irrigon
      • Irrigon is located in Morrow County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,799 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Irrigon <1>
    • Lexington
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Sherman County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Willows, with the one closest to Willows listed first.
    • Emigrant Springs ‑ Historic
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Emigrant Springs. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Emigrant Springs
      • Emigrant Springs is located in Sherman County
    • Sinks ‑ Historic
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sinks
      • Sinks is located in Sherman County
    • Klondike
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Klondike
      • Klondike is located in Sherman County
  • Umatilla County
    • Ordnance ‑ Historic
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ordnance
      • Ordnance is located in Umatilla County
  • Benton County (WA)
  • Klickitat County (WA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Willows, with the one closest to Willows listed first.
    • Roosevelt
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Dot
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Dot. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dot
      • Dot is located in Klickitat County (WA)
    • Bluelight
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bluelight
      • Bluelight is located in Klickitat County (WA)
    • Bickleton
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Cleveland
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cleveland
      • Cleveland is located in Klickitat County (WA)
  • Yakima County (WA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Willows, with the one closest to Willows listed first.
    • Byron
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Byron
      • Byron is located in Yakima County (WA)
    • Mabton
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mabton
      • Mabton is located in Yakima County (WA)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,267 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mabton <1>

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

Cemeteries Near Willows ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Willows.

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

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

  • Sixprong Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Sixprong Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Sixprong Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Huit - Juniper Canyon Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Arlington Masonic Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Arlington Masonic Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Arlington Masonic Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Eightmile Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Eightmile Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Eightmile Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Tommy Dean Cemetery
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Tommy Dean Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Tommy Dean Cemetery is located 14 miles [22.5 km]<4> to the northwest of Arlington.
  • Morgan Cemetery
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Morgan Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Morgan Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Riverview Cemetery
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
  • Cyrus Cemetery
    (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
  • Wells Spring Cemetery
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Wells Spring Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Wells Spring Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • IOOF Cemetery
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the IOOF Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the IOOF Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Olex Cemetery
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Olex Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Olex Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Glade Cemetery
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Glade Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Glade Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (13 more) ...
    • Highview Cemetery
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Highview Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Highview Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Petteys Cemetery
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Petteys Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Petteys Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Beaver Cemetery
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Beaver Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Beaver Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.

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>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that in 1895, Willows had railroad service and no post office.

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

  • Arlington
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
  • Cecil
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cecil have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cecil
    • Cecil is located in Morrow County
  • Ella
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ella have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ella
    • Ella is located in Morrow County
  • Dot
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Dot. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dot
    • Dot is located in Klickitat County (WA)
  • Bickleton
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
  • Cleveland
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cleveland
    • Cleveland is located in Klickitat County (WA)
  • Olex
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Olex. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Olex
    • Olex is located in Gilliam County
  • Ione
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Emigrant Springs ‑ Historic
    (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Emigrant Springs. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Emigrant Springs
    • Emigrant Springs is located in Sherman County
  • Continue List   (6 more) ...
    • Clem
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Clem. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clem
      • Clem is located in Gilliam County
    • Alpine
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Alpine. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alpine
      • Alpine is located in Morrow County
    • Lexington
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Byron
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Byron
      • Byron is located in Yakima County (WA)
    • Mabton
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mabton
      • Mabton is located in Yakima County (WA)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,267 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mabton <1>

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

Newspapers Published in Willows ...

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 15 newspapers that have been published in the area around Willows.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Willows, there are papers which were published within 29 miles [46.7 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Willows.

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 professional and volunteer 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 Willows:

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

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

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>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.
<3>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.
<4>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or point-to-point) distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Willows) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Willows. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 45.7851, Longitude: -120.0495       In this case, the coordinates for Willows 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 Willows, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 29 Apr 2025