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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 Balder (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 Balder. 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 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.

Balder is located in Whitman County.

To see how the shape of Washington's counties have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Whitman County: Benewah (ID), Latah (ID), Nez Perce (ID), Adams, Asotin, Columbia, Franklin, Garfield, Lincoln & Spokane.

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

  • Whitman County     (The home county of Balder)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Balder, with the one closest to Balder listed first.
    • Rosalia
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Malden
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Pine City ‑ Historic
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pine City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine City
      • Pine City is located in Whitman County
    • Oakesdale
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakesdale
      • Oakesdale is located in Whitman County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 425 people
    • Juno
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Juno. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Juno
      • Juno is located in Whitman County
    • Saint John
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Lone Pine
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Lone Pine. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lone Pine
      • Lone Pine is located in Whitman County
    • Steptoe
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • Belmont
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Seltice
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Seltice. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seltice
      • Seltice is located in Whitman County
    • Tekoa
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
    • Eden
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Eden. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eden
      • Eden is located in Whitman County
    • Elberton
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elberton
      • Elberton is located in Whitman County
  • Lincoln County
    • Sprague
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
  • Spokane County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Balder, with the one closest to Balder listed first.
    • Spring Valley
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Valley
      • Spring Valley is located in Spokane County
    • Latah
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Waverly
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Waverly have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waverly
      • Waverly is located in Spokane County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 110 people
    • Spangle
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
    • Fairfield
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Cheney
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
    • Rockford
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Tyler
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Tyler. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tyler
      • Tyler is located in Spokane County
    • Valleyford
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Marshall
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marshall
      • Marshall is located in Spokane County
    • Four Lakes
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • Mica
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mica
      • Mica is located in Spokane County
    • Silver Lake
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Silver Lake
      • Silver Lake is located in Spokane County
  • Benewah County (ID)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Balder, with the one closest to Balder listed first.
    • Willard
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willard
      • Willard is located in Benewah County (ID)
    • Tensed
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tensed
      • Tensed is located in Benewah County (ID)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 123 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Tensed <1>
    • De Smet
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for De Smet have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for De Smet
      • De Smet is located in Benewah County (ID)
    • Plummer
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plummer
      • Plummer is located in Benewah County (ID)
  • Kootenai County (ID)
    • Worley
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Worley
      • Worley is located in Kootenai County (ID)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 265 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Worley <1>
  • Latah County (ID)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Balder, with the one closest to Balder listed first.
    • Cora
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Cora. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cora
      • Cora is located in Latah County (ID)
    • Freeze
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Freeze
      • Freeze is located in Latah County (ID)
    • Potlatch Junction
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Potlatch Junction
      • Potlatch Junction is located in Latah County (ID)
    • Onaway
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Onaway have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Onaway
      • Onaway is located in Latah County (ID)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 198 people
    • Potlatch
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Viola
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Viola have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Viola
      • Viola is located in Latah County (ID)
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Viola <1>

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

Cemeteries Near Balder ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Balder.

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

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

  • Riggs Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Riggs Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Riggs Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Rosalia IOOF Evergreen Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Rosalia IOOF Evergreen Cemetery
    • The Rosalia IOOF Evergreen Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Evergreen Cemetery
    • IOOF Cemetery
    • IOOF Cemetery
    • Rosalia Cemetery
    • Rosalia IOOF Evergreen Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #172058 <4>
  • Pine City Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pine City Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pine City Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Oakesdale Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Oakesdale Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Oakesdale Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Pleasant Valley Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pleasant Valley Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pleasant Valley Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Bethel Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
  • Lone Pine Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lone Pine Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lone Pine Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Farmington Cemetery
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Farmington Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Farmington Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Latah Cemetery
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Latah Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Latah Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Goldenrod Cemetery
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Goldenrod Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Goldenrod Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Rosewood Cemetery
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Rosewood Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Rosewood Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Stipe Cemetery
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
  • Continue List   (41 more) ...
    • Garfield Cemetery
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Garfield Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Garfield Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Fairfield Cemetery
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Fairfield Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Fairfield Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Farmington Cemetery
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Farmington Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Farmington Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> 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.<5>

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

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

  • Thornton
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Thornton have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thornton
    • Thornton is located in Whitman County
  • Rosalia
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Sunset
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sunset have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunset
    • Sunset is located in Whitman County
  • Pine City ‑ Historic
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pine City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine City
    • Pine City is located in Whitman County
  • Oakesdale
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakesdale
    • Oakesdale is located in Whitman County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 425 people
  • Juno
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Juno. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Juno
    • Juno is located in Whitman County
  • Plaza
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Plaza have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plaza
    • Plaza is located in Spokane County
  • Saint John
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
  • Steptoe
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
  • Lone Pine
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Lone Pine. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lone Pine
    • Lone Pine is located in Whitman County
  • Belmont
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Latah
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Waverly
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Waverly have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waverly
      • Waverly is located in Spokane County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 110 people
    • Eden
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Eden. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eden
      • Eden is located in Whitman County
    • Seltice
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Seltice. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seltice
      • Seltice is located in Whitman County

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

Newspapers Published in Balder ...

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 61 newspapers that have been published in the area around Balder.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Balder, there are papers which were published within 29 miles [46.7 km]<6>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Balder.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first visit 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 Balder:

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

The official website for Whitman County: www.whitmancounty.org/

The official website for State of Washington: https://wa.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>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.
<3>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.
<4>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.
<5>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 Balder, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<6>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 drawn from Point A (ie- Balder) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Balder. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 47.1827, Longitude: -117.4055       In this case, the coordinates for Balder have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 29 Apr 2025