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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 Dayton (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 Dayton. 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 northeast 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 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 east 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.

Dayton is located in Clark 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 Clark County: Columbia (OR), Multnomah (OR), Cowlitz & Skamania.

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

  • Clark County     (The home county of Dayton)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Dayton, with the one closest to Dayton listed first.
    • Fargher Lake
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
      • Fargher Lake is located in Clark County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fargher Lake
    • Etna
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
      • Etna is located in Clark County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Etna
    • Amboy
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Chelatchie
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
      • Chelatchie is located in Clark County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chelatchie
    • Heisson
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Yacolt
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Lewisville
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
      • Lewisville is located in Clark County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lewisville
    • La Center
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Cherry Grove
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
      • Cherry Grove is located in Clark County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cherry Grove
    • Kumtux
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
      • Kumtux is located in Clark County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kumtux
    • Battle Ground
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • King Corner
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
      • King Corner is located in Clark County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for King Corner
  • Cowlitz County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Dayton, with the one closest to Dayton listed first.
    • Ariel
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Cougar
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Kalama
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
    • Carrolls
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
    • Rose Valley
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
      • Rose Valley is located in Cowlitz County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rose Valley
    • Kelso
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • 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>
    • Longview
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Ostrander
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Ostrander is located in Cowlitz County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ostrander
    • Longview Heights
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Longview Heights is located in Cowlitz County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Longview Heights
    • Pleasant Hill
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Pleasant Hill is located in Cowlitz County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Hill
    • West Longview
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • West Longview is located in Cowlitz County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Longview
    • Silver Lake
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
  • Skamania County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Dayton, with the one closest to Dayton listed first.
    • Cruzatt
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Cruzatt is located in Skamania County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cruzatt
    • Stabler
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Stabler is located in Skamania County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stabler
  • Columbia County (OR)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Dayton, with the one closest to Dayton listed first.
    • Columbia City
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
    • Saint Helens
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
    • Deer Island
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
    • Warren
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Goble
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Goble is located in Columbia County (OR)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goble
    • Reuben
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Reuben is located in Columbia County (OR)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reuben
    • Prescott
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Prescott is located in Columbia County (OR)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prescott
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 63 people
    • Scappoose
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Beaver Springs
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Beaver Springs is located in Columbia County (OR)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beaver Springs
    • Rainier
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • 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>
    • Pittsburg
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Pittsburg is located in Columbia County (OR)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pittsburg
  • Multnomah County (OR)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Dayton, with the one closest to Dayton listed first.
    • Vanport City ‑ Historic
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Vanport City is located in Multnomah County (OR)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vanport City
    • Burlington
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Burlington is located in Multnomah County (OR)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burlington
    • Maywood Park
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
    • Albina
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Albina is located in Multnomah County (OR)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Albina
    • Fairview
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Fairview is located in Multnomah County (OR)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairview
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 9,450 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Fairview <1>
    • Wood Village
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
    • Hazelwood
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Hazelwood is located in Multnomah County (OR)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hazelwood
    • Laurelhurst
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Laurelhurst is located in Multnomah County (OR)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laurelhurst
    • Montavilla
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Montavilla is located in Multnomah County (OR)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montavilla
    • Rockwood
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Rockwood is located in Multnomah County (OR)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rockwood
    • Russellville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Russellville is located in Multnomah County (OR)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Russellville
    • Troutdale
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Troutdale is located in Multnomah County (OR)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Troutdale
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 16,403 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Troutdale <1>
  • Washington County (OR)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Dayton, with the one closest to Dayton listed first.
    • Bethany
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Bethany is located in Washington County (OR)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bethany
    • Oak Hills
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Oak Hills is located in Washington County (OR)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Hills
    • West Union
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • West Union is located in Washington County (OR)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Union

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

Cemeteries Near Dayton ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Dayton.

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

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

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

  • Mountain View Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mountain View Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Mountain View Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located 2 miles [3.2 km]<2> to the northwest of Fargher Lake.
    • The Mountain View Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Hazen Cemetery
    • View Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #76951 <3>
  • Lone Pine Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
  • Highland Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
  • Frank Abel Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frank Abel Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Frank Abel Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2229827 <3>
  • Mt. Zion Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Lewisville Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
  • Dublin Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
  • Pioneer Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
  • Yale Memorial Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yale Memorial Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Yale Memorial Cemetery is located
    • The Yale Memorial Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Yale Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2271092 <3>
  • IOOF Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for IOOF Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the IOOF Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located in Woodland.
    • The IOOF Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Odd Fellows Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #1986229 <3>
  • Gravel Point Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
  • Bethel Evangelical Methodist Church Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Continue List   (85 more) ...
    • Finn Hill Cemetery
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • Bethel Cemetery
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • Elim Cemetery
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)

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

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

  • Etna
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Etna is located in Clark County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Etna
  • Amboy
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
  • Hayes
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Hayes is located in Clark County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hayes
  • La Center
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
  • Lewisville
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Lewisville is located in Clark County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lewisville
  • Pioneer
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Pioneer is located in Clark County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pioneer
  • Battle Ground
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
  • Woodland
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
  • Columbia City
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
  • Ridgefield
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
  • Brush Prairie
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
  • Hockinson
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • Hockinson is located in Clark County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hockinson
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Caples
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
      • Caples is located in Cowlitz County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Caples
    • Saint Helens
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
    • Sara
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Sara is located in Clark County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sara

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

Newspapers Published in Dayton ...

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 89 newspapers that have been published in the area around Dayton.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Dayton, there are papers which were published within 25 miles [40.2 km]<2>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Dayton.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we start 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 Dayton:

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 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Dayton) 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 Dayton, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.