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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 Atkinson (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 Atkinson. 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.

Atkinson is located in King 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 King County: Chelan, Kittitas, Pierce & Snohomish.

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

  • King County     (The home county of Atkinson)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Atkinson, with the one closest to Atkinson listed first.
    • Orchard Grove
      (Less than 2 miles to the south)
      • Orchard Grove is located in King County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orchard Grove
    • Wilderness Village
      (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
      • Wilderness Village is located in King County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilderness Village
    • Hobart
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Mirrormont
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
      • Mirrormont is located in King County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mirrormont
    • Danville
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
      • Danville is located in King County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Danville
    • Maple Valley
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Landsburg
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Landsburg is located in King County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Landsburg
    • Trude
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
      • Trude is located in King County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trude
    • Maple Heights - Lake Desire
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Ravensdale
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
      • Ravensdale is located in King County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ravensdale
    • Covington
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • East Renton Highlands
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Black Diamond
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • Kitsap County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Atkinson, with the one closest to Atkinson listed first.
    • Southworth
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Southworth is located in Kitsap County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Southworth
    • Olalla
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
    • South Colby
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • South Colby is located in Kitsap County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Colby
    • Fort Ward
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Fort Ward is located in Kitsap County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fort Ward
    • Port Blakely ‑ Historic
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Port Blakely is located in Kitsap County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Port Blakely
    • Colby
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Colby is located in Kitsap County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colby
    • Colchester
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Colchester is located in Kitsap County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colchester
    • Manchester
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
    • Yeomalt
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Yeomalt is located in Kitsap County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yeomalt
    • South Park Village
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
    • Bainbridge Island
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Bainbridge Island is located in Kitsap County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bainbridge Island
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 25,358 people
      • Bainbridge Island has also been known as:
      • Winslow
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bainbridge Island <1>
    • Manitou Beach
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Manitou Beach is located in Kitsap County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manitou Beach
    • Burley
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
  • Kittitas County
  • Pierce County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Atkinson, with the one closest to Atkinson listed first.
    • Lake Tapps
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Lake Tapps is located in Pierce County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Tapps
    • Buckley
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
    • Edgewood
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Bonney Lake
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Sumner
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
    • South Prairie
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
    • North Puyallup
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
      • North Puyallup is located in Pierce County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Puyallup
    • Northeast Tacoma
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
      • Northeast Tacoma is located in Pierce County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Northeast Tacoma
    • Prairie Ridge
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
      • Prairie Ridge is located in Pierce County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prairie Ridge
    • Alderton
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Alderton is located in Pierce County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alderton
    • Fife
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Fife is located in Pierce County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fife
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 10,458 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Fife <1>
    • Firwood ‑ Historic
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Firwood is located in Pierce County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Firwood
    • Gardenville ‑ Historic
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Gardenville is located in Pierce County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gardenville
  • Snohomish County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Atkinson, with the one closest to Atkinson listed first.
    • Echo Lake
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Echo Lake is located in Snohomish County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Echo Lake
    • Maltby
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Maltby is located in Snohomish County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maltby
    • Canyon Park
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Canyon Park is located in Snohomish County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Canyon Park
    • Brier
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Brier is located in Snohomish County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brier
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 6,955 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Brier <1>
    • North Creek
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • North Creek is located in Snohomish County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Creek
    • Mountlake Terrace
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Cathcart
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Cathcart is located in Snohomish County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cathcart
    • Clearview
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Clearview is located in Snohomish County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clearview
    • Esperance
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Esperance is located in Snohomish County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Esperance

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

Cemeteries Near Atkinson ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Atkinson.

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 Atkinson - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Hobart - Maple Valley Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hobart - Maple Valley Cemetery
    • The Hobart - Maple Valley Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Maple Valley Hobart Cemetery
  • Tahoma National Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tahoma National Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Tahoma National Cemetery is a very large cemetery that is located 6 miles [9.7 km]<2> to the east of Kent.
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #109448 <3>
  • Ravensdale Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
  • Black Diamond Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • Suise Creek Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
  • Franklin Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
  • Hillside Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
  • Greenwood Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
  • Mt. Olivet Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
  • Saar Pioneer Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
  • White Lake Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Krain Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
  • Continue List   (73 more) ...
    • Enumclaw Municipal Cemetery
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • Holy Cross Cemetery
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • Fall City Cemetery
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)

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.<4>

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

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

  • Maple Valley
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
  • Summit
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Summit is located in King County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Summit
  • Cedar Mountain
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Cedar Mountain is located in King County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Mountain
  • Covington
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Black Diamond
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • Elliott
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Elliott is located in King County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elliott
  • Kangley
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Kangley is located in King County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kangley
  • Green River
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Green River is located in King County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green River
  • Franklin ‑ Historic
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Franklin is located in King County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Franklin
  • Palmer
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Palmer is located in King County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Palmer
  • Preston
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
  • Thomas
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Thomas is located in King County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thomas
  • Continue List   (13 more) ...
    • Coal Creek
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Coal Creek is located in King County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coal Creek
    • Renton
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Orillia
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
      • Orillia is located in King County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orillia

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

Newspapers Published in Atkinson ...

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 85 newspapers that have been published in the area around Atkinson.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Atkinson, there are papers which were published within 14 miles [22.5 km]<2>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Atkinson.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we start with 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 Atkinson:

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>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Atkinson) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.
<3>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.
<4>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 Atkinson, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.