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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 Belfair (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 Belfair. 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 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 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.

Belfair is located in Kitsap 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 Kitsap County: Island, Jefferson, King, Mason & Pierce.

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

  • Kitsap County     (The home county of Belfair)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Belfair, with the one closest to Belfair listed first.
    • Gorst
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Bethel
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Erlands Point - Kitsap Lake
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Navy Yard City
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Navy Yard City is located in Kitsap County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Navy Yard City
    • Crosby
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Crosby is located in Kitsap County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crosby
    • East Port Orchard
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
      • East Port Orchard is located in Kitsap County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Port Orchard
    • Port Orchard
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Parkwood
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
      • Parkwood is located in Kitsap County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parkwood
    • Retsil
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
      • Retsil is located in Kitsap County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Retsil
    • Chico
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
      • Chico is located in Kitsap County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chico
    • Bremerton
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Burley
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Jefferson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Belfair, with the one closest to Belfair listed first.
    • Brinnon
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Quilcene
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
    • Leland
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Leland is located in Jefferson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leland
    • Beaver Valley
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Beaver Valley is located in Jefferson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beaver Valley
    • Port Ludlow
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
  • King County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Belfair, with the one closest to Belfair listed first.
    • Vashon Heights
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • Vashon Heights is located in King County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vashon Heights
    • Vashon
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
    • Magnolia Beach
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Magnolia Beach is located in King County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Magnolia Beach
    • Alki
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Alki is located in King County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alki
    • Tahlequah
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Tahlequah is located in King County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tahlequah
    • Seahurst
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
      • Seahurst is located in King County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seahurst
    • White Center
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
      • White Center is located in King County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Center
    • Burien
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
    • Normandy Park
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
    • North Hill
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • North Hill is located in King County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Hill
    • Riverton-Boulevard Park
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
    • Van Asselt
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • Van Asselt is located in King County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Van Asselt
  • Mason County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Belfair, with the one closest to Belfair listed first.
    • Belfair
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Allyn
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Grapeview
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • Tahuya
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Lilliwaup
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
    • Union ‑ Historic
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
      • Union is located in Mason County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union
    • Hoodsport
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
    • Potlatch
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Bayshore
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Bayshore is located in Mason County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bayshore
    • Skokomish
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Skokomish is located in Mason County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Skokomish
    • Mohrweis
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Mohrweis is located in Mason County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mohrweis
    • Shelton
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
  • Pierce County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Belfair, with the one closest to Belfair listed first.
    • Vaughn
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
      • Vaughn is located in Pierce County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vaughn
    • Wauna
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Wauna is located in Pierce County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wauna
    • Rosedale
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Rosedale is located in Pierce County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rosedale
    • Home
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
      • Home is located in Pierce County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Home
    • Artondale
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Artondale is located in Pierce County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Artondale
    • Gig Harbor
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Herron Island
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
    • Lakebay
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
    • Cromwell
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Cromwell is located in Pierce County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cromwell
    • Ruston
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
      • Ruston is located in Pierce County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ruston
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 848 people
    • Fox Island
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Dash Point
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Dash Point is located in Pierce County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dash Point
  • Snohomish County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Belfair, with the one closest to Belfair listed first.
    • Woodway
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Woodway is located in Snohomish County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodway
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,391 people
    • Esperance
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Esperance is located in Snohomish County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Esperance
    • Edmonds
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Mountlake Terrace
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Brier
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • 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>
    • Lynnwood
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Thurston County
    • Puget
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Puget is located in Thurston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Puget

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

Cemeteries Near Belfair ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Belfair.

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

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

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

  • Twin Firs Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Forest Lawn Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forest Lawn Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Forest Lawn Cemetery is a very large cemetery that is located outside and to the west of Bremerton.
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #76807 <2>
  • Miller - Woodlawn Memorial Park
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Miller - Woodlawn Memorial Park
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Miller - Woodlawn Memorial Park is a very large cemetery that is located outside and to the west of Bremerton.
    • The Miller - Woodlawn Memorial Park has also been known as:
    • Woodlawn Memorial Park
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #77128 <2>
  • K P Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
  • Sunset Lane Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
  • Ivy Green Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Veterans Home Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
  • Minter Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Minter Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Minter Cemetery is located 2 miles [3.2 km]<3> to the west of Wauna.
    • The Minter Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Elgin Cemetery
  • Tracyton Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
  • Vaughn Bay Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vaughn Bay Cemetery
    • The Vaughn Bay Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Bayview Cemetery
    • Niemann Family Cemetery
  • Fraola Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
  • Dewatto Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
  • Continue List   (80 more) ...
    • Sedgwick Cemetery
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Silverdale Pioneer Cemetery
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Rosedale Cemetery
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)

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 Belfair in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Belfair.

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

  • Charleston
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Charleston is located in Kitsap County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Charleston
  • Crosby
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Crosby is located in Kitsap County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crosby
  • Allyn
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
  • Chico
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Chico is located in Kitsap County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chico
  • Seabeck
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
  • Tracyton
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Tracyton is located in Kitsap County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tracyton
  • Vaughn
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Vaughn is located in Pierce County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vaughn
  • Minter
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Minter is located in Pierce County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Minter
  • Purdy
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Purdy is located in Pierce County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Purdy
  • Colby
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Colby is located in Kitsap County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colby
  • Silverdale
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
  • Crystal Springs
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Crystal Springs is located in Kitsap County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crystal Springs
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Olalla
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Brownsville
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Brownsville is located in Kitsap County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brownsville
    • Duckabush
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Duckabush is located in Jefferson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Duckabush

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

Newspapers Published in Belfair ...

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 65 newspapers that have been published in the area around Belfair.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Belfair, there are papers which were published within 15 miles [24.1 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Belfair.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we like to start with the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These 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 Belfair:

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>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 drawn from Point A (ie- Belfair) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.
<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 Belfair, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.