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 Agate (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 Agate. 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 southeast 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 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 east 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.
Agate is located in Mason County.
To see how the shape of Washington's counties may have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.
The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Mason County: Grays Harbor, Jefferson, Kitsap, Pierce & Thurston.
Below are the counties that are near Agate. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Agate:
- Mason County (The home county of Agate)
- The following are listed by their distance from Agate, with the one closest to Agate listed first.
- Bayshore
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Bayshore is located in Mason County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bayshore
- Shelton
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- New Kamilche
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- New Kamilche is located in Mason County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Kamilche
- Skokomish
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Skokomish is located in Mason County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Skokomish
- Union ‑ Historic
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Union is located in Mason County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union
- Tahuya
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Grapeview
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Mohrweis
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Mohrweis is located in Mason County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mohrweis
- Potlatch
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Allyn
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Hoodsport
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Lilliwaup
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Belfair
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- Grays Harbor County
- The following are listed by their distance from Agate, with the one closest to Agate listed first.
- McCleary Junction
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- McCleary Junction is located in Grays Harbor County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McCleary Junction
- McCleary
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Garden City
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Garden City is located in Grays Harbor County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garden City
- Sine
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Sine is located in Grays Harbor County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sine
- Malone - Porter
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Malone - Porter is located in Grays Harbor County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Malone - Porter
- Malone
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Elma
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Elma is located in Grays Harbor County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elma
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,378 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Elma <1>
- Porter
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Porter is located in Grays Harbor County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Porter
- Satsop
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Satsop is located in Grays Harbor County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Satsop
- Oakville
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Brady
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Brady is located in Grays Harbor County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brady
- Cedarville
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Cedarville is located in Grays Harbor County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedarville
- Chehalis Village
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Chehalis Village is located in Grays Harbor County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chehalis Village
- King County
- The following are listed by their distance from Agate, with the one closest to Agate listed first.
- Tahlequah
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Tahlequah is located in King County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tahlequah
- Magnolia Beach
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Magnolia Beach is located in King County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Magnolia Beach
- Vashon
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Kitsap County
- The following are listed by their distance from Agate, with the one closest to Agate listed first.
- Burley
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Holly
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Holly is located in Kitsap County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holly
- Gorst
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Crosby
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Crosby is located in Kitsap County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crosby
- Bethel
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Olalla
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- East Port Orchard
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- East Port Orchard is located in Kitsap County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Port Orchard
- Navy Yard City
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Navy Yard City is located in Kitsap County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Navy Yard City
- Port Orchard
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Erlands Point - Kitsap Lake
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Parkwood
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Parkwood is located in Kitsap County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parkwood
- Retsil
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Retsil is located in Kitsap County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Retsil
- Bremerton
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Pierce County
- The following are listed by their distance from Agate, with the one closest to Agate listed first.
- Herron Island
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Longbranch
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Home
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Home is located in Pierce County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Home
- Lakebay
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Meridian
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Meridian is located in Pierce County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meridian
- Vaughn
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Vaughn is located in Pierce County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vaughn
- Anderson Island
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Anderson Island is located in Pierce County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Anderson Island
- Gertrude
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
- Gertrude is located in Pierce County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gertrude
- Cromwell
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Cromwell is located in Pierce County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cromwell
- Fox Island
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Rosedale
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- Rosedale is located in Pierce County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rosedale
- Artondale
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Artondale is located in Pierce County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Artondale
- DuPont
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Thurston County
- The following are listed by their distance from Agate, with the one closest to Agate listed first.
- Puget
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Puget is located in Thurston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Puget
- Olympia
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Tumwater
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Lacey
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Tanglewilde
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Tanglewilde is located in Thurston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tanglewilde
- East Olympia
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Kellys Korner
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Kellys Korner is located in Thurston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kellys Korner
- Nisqually Indian Community
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Littlerock
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Bordeaux ‑ Historic
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Bordeaux is located in Thurston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bordeaux
- Tenino
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- North Yelm
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- North Yelm is located in Thurston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Yelm
- McIntosh
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- McIntosh is located in Thurston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McIntosh
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Agate, see our County-by-County Page for Agate.
Cemeteries Near Agate ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Agate.
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 Agate - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Agate covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Agate, with the one closest to Agate listed first.
- Miller Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Oakland Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Shelton Memorial Park
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Squaxin Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- McLane Cemetery
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McLane Cemetery
- The McLane Cemetery has also been known as:
- Mud Bay Cemetery
- Longbranch Cemetery
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- German Lutheran Cemetery
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for German Lutheran Cemetery
- The German Lutheran Cemetery has also been known as:
- Lakebay German Evangelical Lutheran Cemetery
- Old German Evangelical Lutheran Cemetery
- Lakebay Cemetery
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Mt. Tabor Cemetery
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Hillcrest Cemetery
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Vaughn Bay Cemetery
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vaughn Bay Cemetery
- The Vaughn Bay Cemetery has also been known as:
- Bayview Cemetery
- Niemann Family Cemetery
- Mills & Mills Memorial Park
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mills & Mills Memorial Park
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Mills & Mills Memorial Park is located outside and to the southwest of Tumwater.
- The Mills & Mills Memorial Park has also been known as:
- Olympic Memorial Garden Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #76974 <2>
- Continue List (57 more) ...
- Union Cemetery
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Anderson Island Cemetery
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- McCleary Pythian Cemetery
(16 miles [25.7 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 Agate in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Agate.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Agate, with the one closest to Agate listed first.
- Shelton
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Kamilche
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Kamilche is located in Mason County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kamilche
- New Kamilche
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- New Kamilche is located in Mason County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Kamilche
- Union ‑ Historic
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Union is located in Mason County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union
- Puget
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Puget is located in Thurston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Puget
- Longbranch
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Lakebay
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Olympia
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Meridian
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Meridian is located in Pierce County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meridian
- Hoodsport
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Vaughn
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Vaughn is located in Pierce County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vaughn
- Allyn
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Continue List (15 more) ...
- Belmore
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Belmore is located in Thurston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belmore
- Tumwater
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Lacey
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Agate. See our List of 1890's Communities around Agate.
Newspapers Published in Agate ...
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 129 newspapers that have been published in the area around Agate.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Agate, there are papers which were published within 23 miles [37 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Agate.
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 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 Agate:
- Websites specific to Washington
- Pages specific to Mason County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Grays Harbor County
- King County
- Kitsap County
- Pierce County
- Thurston County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Washington
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 Agate, 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 from Point A (ie- Agate) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |