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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 Ballow (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 Ballow. 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 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.

Ballow is located in Mason 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 Mason County: Grays Harbor, Jefferson, Kitsap, Pierce & Thurston.

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

  • Mason County     (The home county of Ballow)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ballow, with the one closest to Ballow listed first.
    • Grapeview
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Bayshore
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bayshore
      • Bayshore is located in Mason County
    • Allyn
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Shelton
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
    • Tahuya
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • New Kamilche
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for New Kamilche have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Kamilche
      • New Kamilche is located in Mason County
    • Belfair
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Skokomish
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Skokomish
      • Skokomish is located in Mason County
    • Potlatch
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Hoodsport
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Mohrweis
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mohrweis
      • Mohrweis is located in Mason County
    • Lilliwaup
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Matlock
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Matlock
      • Matlock is located in Mason County
  • Grays Harbor County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ballow, with the one closest to Ballow listed first.
    • McCleary Junction
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McCleary Junction
      • McCleary Junction is located in Grays Harbor County
    • McCleary
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Sine
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sine
      • Sine is located in Grays Harbor County
    • Garden City
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Garden City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garden City
      • Garden City is located in Grays Harbor County
    • Malone - Porter
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Malone - Porter
      • Malone - Porter is located in Grays Harbor County
    • Malone
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Porter
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Porter have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Porter
      • Porter is located in Grays Harbor County
    • Elma
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elma
      • Elma is located in Grays Harbor County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,378 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Elma <1>
  • Jefferson County
  • King County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ballow, with the one closest to Ballow listed first.
    • Tahlequah
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tahlequah
      • Tahlequah is located in King County
    • Magnolia Beach
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Magnolia Beach
      • Magnolia Beach is located in King County
    • Vashon
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
    • Buenna
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Buenna have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buenna
      • Buenna is located in King County
    • Federal Way
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
    • Milton
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
    • Redondo
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Redondo
      • Redondo is located in King County
    • Vashon Heights
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vashon Heights
      • Vashon Heights is located in King County
    • Woodmont Beach
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Woodmont Beach have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodmont Beach
      • Woodmont Beach is located in King County
    • Zenith
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zenith
      • Zenith is located in King County
    • Des Moines
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Algona
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
    • Normandy Park
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
  • Kitsap County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ballow, with the one closest to Ballow listed first.
    • Burley
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Bethel
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Olalla
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Gorst
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
    • Holly
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holly
      • Holly is located in Kitsap County
    • East Port Orchard
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Port Orchard
      • East Port Orchard is located in Kitsap County
    • Crosby
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crosby
      • Crosby is located in Kitsap County
    • Navy Yard City
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Navy Yard City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Navy Yard City
      • Navy Yard City is located in Kitsap County
    • Parkwood
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Parkwood have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parkwood
      • Parkwood is located in Kitsap County
    • Port Orchard
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
    • Retsil
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Retsil
      • Retsil is located in Kitsap County
    • South Colby
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Colby
      • South Colby is located in Kitsap County
    • South Park Village
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
  • Pierce County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ballow, with the one closest to Ballow listed first.
    • Herron Island
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Lakebay
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Longbranch
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Home
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Home
      • Home is located in Pierce County
    • Vaughn
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vaughn
      • Vaughn is located in Pierce County
    • Gertrude
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gertrude
      • Gertrude is located in Pierce County
    • Anderson Island
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Anderson Island
      • Anderson Island is located in Pierce County
    • Cromwell
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cromwell
      • Cromwell is located in Pierce County
    • Fox Island
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Rosedale
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rosedale
      • Rosedale is located in Pierce County
    • Artondale
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Artondale have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Artondale
      • Artondale is located in Pierce County
    • Steilacoom
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • DuPont
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
  • Thurston County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ballow, with the one closest to Ballow listed first.
    • Puget
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Puget
      • Puget is located in Thurston County
    • Olympia
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • Tanglewilde
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tanglewilde
      • Tanglewilde is located in Thurston County
    • Lacey
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lacey
      • Lacey is located in Thurston County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 54,178 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lacey <1>
    • Tumwater
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
    • Nisqually Indian Community
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Nisqually Indian Community. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nisqually Indian Community
      • Nisqually Indian Community is located in Thurston County
    • East Olympia
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
    • Kellys Korner
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kellys Korner
      • Kellys Korner is located in Thurston County
    • North Yelm
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Yelm have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Yelm
      • North Yelm is located in Thurston County
    • Yelm
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yelm
      • Yelm is located in Thurston County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 9,591 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Yelm <1>
    • Littlerock
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
    • Bordeaux ‑ Historic
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bordeaux
      • Bordeaux is located in Thurston County
    • Rainier
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)

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

Newspapers Published in Ballow ...

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 147 newspapers that have been published in the area around Ballow.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Ballow, there are papers which were published within 20 miles [32.2 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Ballow.

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 Ballow:

Cemeteries Near Ballow ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Ballow.

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

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

  • Longbranch Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
  • German Lutheran Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • The German Lutheran Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Lakebay German Evangelical Lutheran Cemetery
    • Old German Evangelical Lutheran Cemetery
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the German Lutheran Cemetery
  • Lakebay Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
  • Miller Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Miller Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Miller Cemetery
  • Hillcrest Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
  • Vaughn Bay Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • The Vaughn Bay Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Bayview Cemetery
    • Niemann Family Cemetery
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Vaughn Bay Cemetery
  • Anderson Island Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
  • Oakland Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for the Oakland Cemetery. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Oakland Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #865976 <5>
  • Fox Island Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
  • Cromwell Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • The Cromwell Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Hales Passage Cemetery
    • Hales Passage Scandinavian Lutheran Cemetery
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Cromwell Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2259125 <5>
  • Squaxin Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Rosedale Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Continue List   (69 more) ...
    • Minter Cemetery
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for the Minter Cemetery. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • To give a relative sense of its location, the Minter Cemetery is located 2 miles [3.2 km]<4> to the east of Wauna.
      • The Minter Cemetery has also been known as:
      • Elgin Cemetery
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Minter Cemetery
    • Shelton Memorial Park
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Shelton Memorial Park have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Shelton Memorial Park
    • Mt. Tabor Cemetery
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mt. Tabor Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mt. Tabor Cemetery

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>

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

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

  • Longbranch
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
  • Lakebay
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
  • Puget
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Puget
    • Puget is located in Thurston County
  • Meridian
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Meridian have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meridian
    • Meridian is located in Pierce County
  • Vaughn
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vaughn
    • Vaughn is located in Pierce County
  • Allyn
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
  • Fox Island
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
  • Rosedale
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rosedale
    • Rosedale is located in Pierce County
  • Minter
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Minter have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Minter
    • Minter is located in Pierce County
  • Shelton
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
  • Artondale
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Artondale have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Artondale
    • Artondale is located in Pierce County
  • Kamilche
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kamilche have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kamilche
    • Kamilche is located in Mason County
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • New Kamilche
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for New Kamilche have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Kamilche
      • New Kamilche is located in Mason County
    • Olympia
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • Steilacoom
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)

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

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

The official website for Mason County: www.co.mason.wa.us/

The official website for State of Washington: https://access.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>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- Ballow) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Ballow. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 47.2404, Longitude: -122.8671       In this case, the coordinates for Ballow 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 Ballow, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024