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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 Belmore (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 Belmore. 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.

Belmore is located in Thurston 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 Thurston County: Grays Harbor, Lewis, Mason & Pierce.

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

  • Thurston County     (The home county of Belmore)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Belmore, with the one closest to Belmore listed first.
    • Tumwater
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Olympia
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • East Olympia
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Littlerock
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Lacey
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Lacey is located in Thurston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lacey
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 54,178 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lacey <1>
    • Bordeaux ‑ Historic
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Bordeaux is located in Thurston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bordeaux
    • Kellys Korner
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
      • Kellys Korner is located in Thurston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kellys Korner
    • Tanglewilde
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Tanglewilde is located in Thurston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tanglewilde
    • Tenino
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Nisqually Indian Community
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
    • Grand Mound
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • McIntosh
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • McIntosh is located in Thurston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McIntosh
  • Grays Harbor County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Belmore, with the one closest to Belmore listed first.
    • McCleary
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
    • Sine
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
      • Sine is located in Grays Harbor County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sine
    • McCleary Junction
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
      • McCleary Junction is located in Grays Harbor County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McCleary Junction
    • Chehalis Village
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Chehalis Village is located in Grays Harbor County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chehalis Village
    • Oakville
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Garden City
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
      • Garden City is located in Grays Harbor County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garden City
    • Porter
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
      • Porter is located in Grays Harbor County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Porter
    • Cedarville
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Cedarville is located in Grays Harbor County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedarville
    • Malone - Porter
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Malone - Porter is located in Grays Harbor County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Malone - Porter
    • Malone
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
    • Elma
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Elma is located in Grays Harbor County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elma
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,378 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Elma <1>
    • Satsop
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Satsop is located in Grays Harbor County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Satsop
  • Lewis County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Belmore, with the one closest to Belmore listed first.
    • Fords Prairie
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
      • Fords Prairie is located in Lewis County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fords Prairie
    • Galvin
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
    • Centralia
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
    • Chehalis
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
    • Claquato
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Claquato is located in Lewis County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Claquato
    • Fayette
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Fayette is located in Lewis County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fayette
    • Newaukum
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Newaukum is located in Lewis County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newaukum
    • Adna
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
    • Curtis
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
    • Napavine
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
    • Doty
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Onalaska
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Mason County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Belmore, with the one closest to Belmore listed first.
    • New Kamilche
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
      • New Kamilche is located in Mason County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Kamilche
    • Shelton
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Bayshore
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Bayshore is located in Mason County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bayshore
    • Grapeview
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
    • Skokomish
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Skokomish is located in Mason County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Skokomish
    • Mohrweis
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Mohrweis is located in Mason County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mohrweis
    • Tahuya
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
    • Union ‑ Historic
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Union is located in Mason County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union
    • Allyn
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • Matlock
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Matlock is located in Mason County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Matlock
    • Potlatch
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
    • Deckerville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Deckerville is located in Mason County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Deckerville
  • Pierce County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Belmore, with the one closest to Belmore listed first.
    • Mock City
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Mock City is located in Pierce County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mock City
    • Anderson Island
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Anderson Island is located in Pierce County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Anderson Island
    • DuPont
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Fort Lewis
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
    • Longbranch
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
    • McKenna
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
    • Roy
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
      • Roy is located in Pierce County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roy
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 823 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Roy <1>
    • Meridian
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Meridian is located in Pierce County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meridian
    • Herron Island
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
    • Gertrude
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Gertrude is located in Pierce County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gertrude
    • Lakebay
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Home
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Home is located in Pierce County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Home

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

Cemeteries Near Belmore ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Belmore.

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

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

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

  • Union Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
  • Mills & Mills Memorial Park
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mills & Mills Memorial Park
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Mills & Mills Memorial Park is located outside and to the southwest of Tumwater.
    • The Mills & Mills Memorial Park has also been known as:
    • Olympic Memorial Garden Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #76974 <2>
  • McLane Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McLane Cemetery
    • The McLane Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Mud Bay Cemetery
  • Mt. Tabor Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
  • Woodlawn Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
  • Squaxin Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
  • Grand Mound Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
  • Forest Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Rainier Cemetery
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
  • Miller Cemetery
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
  • McCleary Pythian Cemetery
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
  • Oakville Pioneer Cemetery
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Continue List   (58 more) ...

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.<3>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that in 1895, Belmore had railroad service and no post office.

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

  • Tumwater
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
  • Olympia
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Littlerock
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Plumb
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Plumb is located in Thurston County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plumb
  • Lacey
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Lacey is located in Thurston County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lacey
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 54,178 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lacey <1>
  • Tenino
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
  • New Kamilche
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • New Kamilche is located in Mason County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Kamilche
  • Kamilche
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Kamilche is located in Mason County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kamilche
  • Rochester
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Grand Mound
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
  • McIntosh
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • McIntosh is located in Thurston County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McIntosh
  • Bucoda
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Puget
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Puget is located in Thurston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Puget
    • Porter
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
      • Porter is located in Grays Harbor County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Porter
    • Oakville
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)

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

Newspapers Published in Belmore ...

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 175 newspapers that have been published in the area around Belmore.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Belmore, there are papers which were published within 24 miles [38.6 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Belmore.

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 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 Belmore:

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