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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 Cowlitz (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 Cowlitz. 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 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.

Cowlitz is located in Lewis 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 Lewis County: Cowlitz, Grays Harbor, Pacific, Pierce, Skamania, Thurston, Wahkiakum & Yakima.

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

  • Lewis County     (The home county of Cowlitz)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Cowlitz, with the one closest to Cowlitz listed first.
    • Toledo
      (Less than 2 miles to the south)
    • Saint Urban
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Saint Urban is located in Lewis County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Urban
    • Winlock
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Vader
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Ethel
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Napavine
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Onalaska
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Lacamas
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Lacamas is located in Lewis County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lacamas
    • Salkum
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Silver Creek
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
    • Wilson
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
      • Wilson is located in Lewis County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilson
    • Newaukum
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Newaukum is located in Lewis County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newaukum
    • Adna
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
  • Cowlitz County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Cowlitz, with the one closest to Cowlitz listed first.
    • Olequa
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Olequa is located in Cowlitz County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Olequa
    • Toutle
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Silver Lake
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Ryderwood
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Ryderwood is located in Cowlitz County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ryderwood
    • Castle Rock
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • Pleasant Hill
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
      • Pleasant Hill is located in Cowlitz County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Hill
    • Ostrander
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Ostrander is located in Cowlitz County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ostrander
    • Longview Heights
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
      • Longview Heights is located in Cowlitz County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Longview Heights
    • Coal Creek
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Coal Creek is located in Cowlitz County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coal Creek
    • Kelso
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Kelso is located in Cowlitz County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kelso
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 12,438 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Kelso <1>
    • West Longview
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • West Longview is located in Cowlitz County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Longview
    • Longview
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
    • Bunker Hill
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Bunker Hill is located in Cowlitz County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bunker Hill
  • Grays Harbor County
    • Chehalis Village
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Chehalis Village is located in Grays Harbor County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chehalis Village
  • Thurston County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Cowlitz, with the one closest to Cowlitz listed first.
    • Bucoda
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
    • Grand Mound
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Tenino
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • Independence
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Independence is located in Thurston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Independence
    • Rochester
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
    • McIntosh
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • McIntosh is located in Thurston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McIntosh
    • Rainier
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
  • Wahkiakum County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Cowlitz, with the one closest to Cowlitz listed first.
    • Eagle Cliff
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Eagle Cliff is located in Wahkiakum County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eagle Cliff
    • East Cathlamet
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • East Cathlamet is located in Wahkiakum County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Cathlamet
  • Columbia County (OR)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Cowlitz, with the one closest to Cowlitz listed first.
    • Mayger
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Mayger is located in Columbia County (OR)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mayger
    • Rainier
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Rainier is located in Columbia County (OR)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rainier
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,021 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Rainier <1>
    • Quincy
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Quincy is located in Columbia County (OR)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Quincy
    • Beaver Springs
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Beaver Springs is located in Columbia County (OR)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beaver Springs
    • Prescott
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Prescott is located in Columbia County (OR)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prescott
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 63 people
    • Goble
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Goble is located in Columbia County (OR)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goble
    • Clatskanie
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)

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

Cemeteries Near Cowlitz ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Cowlitz.

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

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

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

  • Lone Hill Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
  • Tower Twp. Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tower Twp. Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Tower Twp. Cemetery is located 8 miles [12.9 km]<2> to the northeast of Castle Rock.
    • The Tower Twp. Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Tower Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2277304 <3>
  • Little Falls Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Snow Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
  • Rosin Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rosin Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Rosin Cemetery is located 3 miles [4.8 km]<2> to the northeast of Castle Rock.
    • The Rosin Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Rosin Cemetery
    • Tower Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #77025 <3>
  • Silver Lake Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Silver Lake Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Silver Lake Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located less than 2 miles<2> to the west of Toutle.
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #77049 <3>
  • IOOF Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for IOOF Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the IOOF Cemetery is located less than 2 miles<2> to the east of Castle Rock.
    • The IOOF Cemetery has also been known as:
    • IOOF Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #76862 <3>
  • Jackson Cemetery
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
  • Whittle & Hubbard Cemetery
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whittle & Hubbard Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Whittle & Hubbard Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located outside and to the west of Castle Rock.
    • The Whittle & Hubbard Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Hubbard Cemetery
    • Meadowview Cemetery
    • Whittle and Hubbard Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #77115 <3>
  • Fern Hill Cemetery
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
  • Alpha Cemetery
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
  • Greenwood Cemetery
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
  • Continue List   (40 more) ...
    • Smith - Tucker Cemetery
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
    • Shoestring Cemetery
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Claquato Cemetery
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)

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>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Cowlitz had a population of 375 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service.

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

  • Toledo
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
  • Winlock
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
  • Olequa
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Olequa is located in Cowlitz County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Olequa
  • Ethel
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Napavine
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
  • Toutle
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
  • Silver Lake
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
  • Salkum
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Wildwood
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
    • Wildwood is located in Lewis County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wildwood
  • Sightly
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Sightly is located in Cowlitz County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sightly
  • Silver Creek
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
  • Castle Rock
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
  • Continue List   (16 more) ...
    • Wilson
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
      • Wilson is located in Lewis County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilson
    • Newaukum
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Newaukum is located in Lewis County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newaukum
    • Boistfort
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
      • Boistfort is located in Lewis County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boistfort

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

Newspapers Published in Cowlitz ...

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 83 newspapers that have been published in the area around Cowlitz.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Cowlitz, there are papers which were published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<2>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Cowlitz.

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 Cowlitz:

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>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- Cowlitz) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.
<3>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.
<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 Cowlitz, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.