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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 Decatur Island (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 Decatur Island. 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 southeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors and hospitals were in the next county to the east. 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 east 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.

Decatur Island is located in San Juan 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 San Juan County: Island, Skagit & Whatcom.

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

  • San Juan County     (The home county of Decatur Island)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Decatur Island, with the one closest to Decatur Island listed first.
    • Lopez Island
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lopez Island
      • Lopez Island is located in San Juan County
    • Lopez
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lopez
      • Lopez is located in San Juan County
    • Olga
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Orcas
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Shaw Island
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shaw Island
      • Shaw Island is located in San Juan County
    • Argyle
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Argyle
      • Argyle is located in San Juan County
    • Friday Harbor
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Deer Harbor
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • False Bay
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Eastsound
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
    • Waldron
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waldron
      • Waldron is located in San Juan County
    • Roche Harbor
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Clallam County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Decatur Island, with the one closest to Decatur Island listed first.
    • Old Town
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Old Town have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Old Town
      • Old Town is located in Clallam County
    • Port Williams
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Port Williams have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Port Williams
      • Port Williams is located in Clallam County
  • Island County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Decatur Island, with the one closest to Decatur Island listed first.
    • Oak Harbor
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
    • San de Fuca
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for San de Fuca
      • San de Fuca is located in Island County
    • Coupeville
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • Camano
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Juniper Beach
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Juniper Beach
      • Juniper Beach is located in Island County
    • Greenbank
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
  • Jefferson County
    • Port Townsend
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
  • Skagit County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Decatur Island, with the one closest to Decatur Island listed first.
    • Alexander Beach
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Alexander Beach have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alexander Beach
      • Alexander Beach is located in Skagit County
    • Anacortes
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Indian Village
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Indian Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Indian Village
      • Indian Village is located in Skagit County
    • Urban
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Urban
      • Urban is located in Skagit County
    • Similk Beach
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Similk Beach
      • Similk Beach is located in Skagit County
    • Snee Oosh
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Snee Oosh have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Snee Oosh
      • Snee Oosh is located in Skagit County
    • Bay View
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bay View have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bay View
      • Bay View is located in Skagit County
    • Shelter Bay
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Shelter Bay have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shelter Bay
      • Shelter Bay is located in Skagit County
    • Swinomish Village
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Swinomish Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Swinomish Village
      • Swinomish Village is located in Skagit County
    • La Conner
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Edison
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Edison have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edison
      • Edison is located in Skagit County
    • Fish Town
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fish Town have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fish Town
      • Fish Town is located in Skagit County
    • Bow
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
  • Snohomish County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Decatur Island, with the one closest to Decatur Island listed first.
    • Utsalady
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Utsalady
      • Utsalady is located in Snohomish County
    • Lake Ketchum
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lake Ketchum have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Ketchum
      • Lake Ketchum is located in Snohomish County
    • North Stanwood
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Stanwood have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Stanwood
      • North Stanwood is located in Snohomish County
    • Stanwood
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Florence
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Florence have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Florence
      • Florence is located in Snohomish County
    • Warm Beach
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Warm Beach have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Warm Beach
      • Warm Beach is located in Snohomish County
  • Whatcom County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Decatur Island, with the one closest to Decatur Island listed first.
    • Lummi Island
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
    • Chuckanut Village
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Chuckanut Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chuckanut Village
      • Chuckanut Village is located in Whatcom County
    • Lummi
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lummi
      • Lummi is located in Whatcom County
    • Bellingham
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Geneva
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Geneva have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Geneva
      • Geneva is located in Whatcom County
    • Ferndale
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Sudden Valley
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sudden Valley have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sudden Valley
      • Sudden Valley is located in Whatcom County
    • Kickerville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kickerville
      • Kickerville is located in Whatcom County
    • Wickersham
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wickersham have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wickersham
      • Wickersham is located in Whatcom County
    • Birch Bay
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
    • Custer
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)

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

Newspapers Published in Decatur Island ...

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 55 newspapers that have been published in the area around Decatur Island.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Decatur Island, there are papers which were published within 26 miles [41.8 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Decatur Island.

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 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 Decatur Island:

Cemeteries Near Decatur Island ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Decatur Island.

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

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

  • Lopez Union Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
  • Eden Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Eden Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Eden Cemetery
  • Olga - Doe Bay Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
  • Grandview Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Grandview Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Grandview Cemetery
  • Fern Hill Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Fern Hill Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Fern Hill Cemetery
  • Woodlawn Cemetery
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Woodlawn Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Woodlawn Cemetery
  • Maple Leaf Cemetery
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
  • Bay View Cemetery
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bay View Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bay View Cemetery
  • Pleasant Ridge Cemetery
    (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pleasant Ridge Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pleasant Ridge Cemetery
  • Bow Cemetery
    (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bow Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bow Cemetery
  • Lummi Cemetery
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lummi Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lummi Cemetery
  • Sunnyside Cemetery
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
  • Continue List   (26 more) ...
    • Mt. Vernon Cemetery
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mt. Vernon Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mt. Vernon Cemetery
    • Hawthorne Memorial Park
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hawthorne Memorial Park have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hawthorne Memorial Park
    • Green Hills Memorial Cemetery
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)

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 in 1895, Decatur Island had a post office and no railroad service.

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

  • Lopez Island
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lopez Island
    • Lopez Island is located in San Juan County
  • Richardson
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Richardson have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Richardson
    • Richardson is located in San Juan County
  • Olga
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
  • Anacortes
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
  • Guemes
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Guemes have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Guemes
    • Guemes is located in Skagit County
  • Orcas
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
  • Doe Bay
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Doe Bay have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Doe Bay
    • Doe Bay is located in San Juan County
  • Friday Harbor
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
  • Argyle
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Argyle
    • Argyle is located in San Juan County
  • Gibraltar
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gibraltar have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gibraltar
    • Gibraltar is located in Skagit County
  • Eastsound
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
  • Whitney
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Whitney have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whitney
    • Whitney is located in Skagit County
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Bay View
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bay View have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bay View
      • Bay View is located in Skagit County
    • Beach
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Beach have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beach
      • Beach is located in Whatcom County
    • Oak Harbor
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)

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

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

The official website for San Juan County: www.co.san-juan.wa.us/

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

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 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.
<3>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Decatur Island) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Decatur Island. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 48.5073, Longitude: -122.8063    
<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 Decatur Island, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024