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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 Bee (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 Bee. 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.

Bee is located in Pierce 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 Pierce County: King, Kitsap, Kittitas, Lewis, Mason, Thurston & Yakima.

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

  • Pierce County     (The home county of Bee)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bee, with the one closest to Bee listed first.
    • Gertrude
      (Less than 2 miles to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gertrude
      • Gertrude is located in Pierce County
    • Meridian
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Meridian. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meridian
      • Meridian is located in Pierce County
    • Anderson Island
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Anderson Island
      • Anderson Island is located in Pierce County
    • Steilacoom
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Longbranch
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Fox Island
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Lakebay
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • University Place
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Cromwell
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cromwell
      • Cromwell is located in Pierce County
    • DuPont
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Lake City
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lake City have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake City
      • Lake City is located in Pierce County
    • Artondale
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Artondale. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Artondale
      • Artondale is located in Pierce County
  • Grays Harbor County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bee, with the one closest to Bee listed first.
    • McCleary Junction
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McCleary Junction
      • McCleary Junction is located in Grays Harbor County
    • McCleary
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
    • Sine
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sine
      • Sine is located in Grays Harbor County
    • Garden City
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Garden City have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garden City
      • Garden City is located in Grays Harbor County
  • King County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bee, with the one closest to Bee listed first.
    • Tahlequah
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tahlequah
      • Tahlequah is located in King County
    • Magnolia Beach
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Magnolia Beach
      • Magnolia Beach is located in King County
    • Milton
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
    • Buenna
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Buenna. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buenna
      • Buenna is located in King County
    • Federal Way
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Redondo
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Redondo
      • Redondo is located in King County
    • Algona
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
    • Pacific
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
    • Vashon
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Woodmont Beach
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Woodmont Beach have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodmont Beach
      • Woodmont Beach is located in King County
    • Des Moines
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Star Lake
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Star Lake
      • Star Lake is located in King County
  • Kitsap County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bee, with the one closest to Bee listed first.
    • Burley
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
    • Olalla
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
    • Bethel
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
    • East Port Orchard
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Port Orchard
      • East Port Orchard is located in Kitsap County
    • Gorst
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
    • Parkwood
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Parkwood have been provided by the GNIS.<3> 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 north)
    • South Colby
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Colby
      • South Colby is located in Kitsap County
    • Southworth
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Southworth
      • Southworth is located in Kitsap County
    • Colby
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colby
      • Colby is located in Kitsap County
    • Navy Yard City
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Navy Yard City have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Navy Yard City
      • Navy Yard City is located in Kitsap County
    • Retsil
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Retsil
      • Retsil is located in Kitsap County
  • Mason County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bee, with the one closest to Bee listed first.
    • Grapeview
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Allyn
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Bayshore
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bayshore
      • Bayshore is located in Mason County
    • Belfair
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
    • New Kamilche
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for New Kamilche. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Kamilche
      • New Kamilche is located in Mason County
    • Shelton
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
    • Tahuya
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Union ‑ Historic
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Union. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union
      • Union is located in Mason County
    • Skokomish
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Skokomish
      • Skokomish is located in Mason County
    • Potlatch
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Hoodsport
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Mohrweis
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mohrweis
      • Mohrweis is located in Mason County
  • Thurston County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bee, with the one closest to Bee listed first.
    • Puget
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Puget
      • Puget is located in Thurston County
    • Tanglewilde
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tanglewilde
      • Tanglewilde is located in Thurston County
    • Nisqually Indian Community
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
      • 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.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nisqually Indian Community
      • Nisqually Indian Community is located in Thurston County
    • Lacey
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
      • 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 <2>
    • Olympia
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Kellys Korner
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kellys Korner
      • Kellys Korner is located in Thurston County
    • North Yelm
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Yelm have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Yelm
      • North Yelm is located in Thurston County
    • Tumwater
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Yelm
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
      • 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 <2>
    • East Olympia
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Rainier
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
    • McIntosh
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McIntosh
      • McIntosh is located in Thurston County

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

Cemeteries Near Bee ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Bee.

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

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

  • Hillcrest Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
  • Anderson Island Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
  • Fox Island Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
  • German Lutheran Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the German Lutheran Cemetery
    • The German Lutheran Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Lakebay German Evangelical Lutheran Cemetery
    • Old German Evangelical Lutheran Cemetery
  • Longbranch Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
  • Steilacoom Masonic Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
  • Western State Hospital Memorial Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
  • Ft. Steilacoom Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Ft. Steilacoom Cemetery
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for the Ft. Steilacoom Cemetery. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Ft. Steilacoom Cemetery is located in Lakewood.
  • New Tacoma Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
  • Lakebay Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
  • Old Settlers Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Old Settlers Cemetery
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for the Old Settlers Cemetery. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
    • The Old Settlers Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Gravelly Lake Cemetery
  • Byrd Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Byrd Cemetery
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for the Byrd Cemetery. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Byrd Cemetery is located less than 2 miles<4> to the southeast of Lakewood.
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #1984799 <5>
  • Continue List   (86 more) ...
    • Cromwell Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Cromwell Cemetery
      • The Cromwell Cemetery has also been known as:
      • Hales Passage Cemetery
      • Hales Passage Scandinavian Lutheran Cemetery
      • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2259125 <5>
    • Home of Peace Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Old Pioneer Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Old Pioneer Cemetery
      • The Old Pioneer Cemetery has also been known as:
      • Rigney 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 Bee in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Bee.

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

  • Meridian
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Meridian. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meridian
    • Meridian is located in Pierce County
  • Steilacoom
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
  • Longbranch
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
  • Fox Island
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Lakebay
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
  • Puget
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Puget
    • Puget is located in Thurston County
  • Lake City
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lake City have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake City
    • Lake City is located in Pierce County
  • Wollochet
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wollochet have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wollochet
    • Wollochet is located in Pierce County
  • Artondale
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Artondale. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Artondale
    • Artondale is located in Pierce County
  • Lakeview
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lakeview have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lakeview
    • Lakeview is located in Pierce County
  • Rosedale
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rosedale
    • Rosedale is located in Pierce County
  • Hillhurst
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hillhurst have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hillhurst
    • Hillhurst is located in Pierce County
  • Continue List   (13 more) ...
    • Excelsior
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Excelsior have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Excelsior
      • Excelsior is located in Pierce County
    • Gig Harbor
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Vaughn
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vaughn
      • Vaughn is located in Pierce County

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

Newspapers Published in Bee ...

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 113 newspapers that have been published in the area around Bee.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Bee, there are papers which were published within 17 miles [27.4 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Bee.

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 websites either 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 Bee:

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

The official website for Pierce County: www.co.pierce.wa.us/

The official website for State of Washington: https://wa.gov/

Footnotes ...

<1>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.
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<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 '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- Bee) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Bee. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 47.1929, Longitude: -122.6762       In this case, the coordinates for Bee 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 Bee, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 29 Apr 2025