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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 Elk Plain (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 Elk Plain. 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.

Name Variations for Elk Plain ...

When searching records, keep in mind that names and their spelling can change over time. Our sources include documents like maps, railroad schedules, Travel, Express and Shipping Guides. Many of these documents date from the 1800's and it's common to find spelling differences.

Although we can't give a definitive list, hopefully the following will give you a feel for the variations that might have occurred.

For example, a typical abbreviation for Elk Plain: Elk Pln.

If you have information about these names (such as the reason for the change, date of change, the origin of the name), please Contact Us.

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.

Elk Plain is located in Pierce 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 Pierce County: King, Kitsap, Kittitas, Lewis, Mason, Thurston & Yakima.

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

  • Pierce County     (The home county of Elk Plain)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Elk Plain, with the one closest to Elk Plain listed first.
    • Frederickson
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Frederickson have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frederickson
      • Frederickson is located in Pierce County
    • Spanaway
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • South Creek
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for South Creek. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Creek
      • South Creek is located in Pierce County
    • Graham
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Parkland
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Summit
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Summit have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Summit
      • Summit is located in Pierce County
    • Roy
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roy
      • Roy is located in Pierce County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 823 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Roy <2>
    • Midland
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Midland have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Midland
      • Midland is located in Pierce County
    • South Hill
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for South Hill have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Hill
      • South Hill is located in Pierce County
    • Tillicum
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tillicum
      • Tillicum is located in Pierce County
    • Clover Park
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clover Park
      • Clover Park is located in Pierce County
    • Fort Lewis
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Fort Lewis. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fort Lewis
      • Fort Lewis is located in Pierce County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Fort Lewis <2>
  • King County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Elk Plain, with the one closest to Elk Plain listed first.
    • Milton
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Pacific
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Algona
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Federal Way
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
    • Buenna
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Buenna have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buenna
      • Buenna is located in King County
    • Tahlequah
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tahlequah
      • Tahlequah is located in King County
    • Auburn
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Osceola
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Osceola
      • Osceola is located in King County
    • Redondo
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Redondo
      • Redondo is located in King County
    • Enumclaw
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Green River
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Green River have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green River
      • Green River is located in King County
    • Lea Hill
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lea Hill have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lea Hill
      • Lea Hill is located in King County
  • Kitsap County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Elk Plain, with the one closest to Elk Plain listed first.
    • Olalla
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
    • Burley
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
  • Lewis County
  • Mason County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Elk Plain, with the one closest to Elk Plain listed first.
    • Grapeview
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Allyn
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Thurston County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Elk Plain, with the one closest to Elk Plain listed first.
    • North Yelm
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Yelm have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Yelm
      • North Yelm is located in Thurston County
    • Yelm
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yelm
      • Yelm is located in Thurston County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 9,591 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Yelm <2>
    • Nisqually Indian Community
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Nisqually Indian Community. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nisqually Indian Community
      • Nisqually Indian Community is located in Thurston County
    • Rainier
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Kellys Korner
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kellys Korner
      • Kellys Korner is located in Thurston County
    • Tanglewilde
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tanglewilde
      • Tanglewilde is located in Thurston County
    • Puget
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Puget
      • Puget is located in Thurston County
    • Lacey
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lacey
      • Lacey is located in Thurston County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 54,178 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lacey <2>
    • East Olympia
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
    • McIntosh
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McIntosh
      • McIntosh is located in Thurston County
    • Olympia
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
    • Tumwater
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)

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

Newspapers Published in Elk Plain ...

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 185 newspapers that have been published in the area around Elk Plain.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Elk Plain, there are papers which were published within 19 miles [30.6 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Elk Plain.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we begin with the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These helpful 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 Elk Plain:

Cemeteries Near Elk Plain ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Elk Plain.

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 Elk Plain covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

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

  • Bethany Lutheran Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
  • Wren Family Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for the Wren Family Cemetery. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Wren Family Cemetery
  • Fir Lane Memorial Park
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
  • Spanaway Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
  • Jeschke Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Smith Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • The Smith Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Henry Smith Cemetery
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Smith Cemetery
  • Trinity Lutheran Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • Parkland Evangelical Lutheran Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • Roy Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Jensen Pioneer Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
  • Orting Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • The Orting Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Orting IOOF Cemetery
    • Orting IOOF Cemetery
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Orting Cemetery
  • King Hill Pioneer Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
  • Continue List   (71 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.<6>

While we didn't find Elk Plain in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Elk Plain.

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

  • Hillhurst
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hillhurst have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hillhurst
    • Hillhurst is located in Pierce County
  • Roy
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roy
    • Roy is located in Pierce County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 823 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Roy <2>
  • Parkland
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
  • Leber
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Leber have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leber
    • Leber is located in Pierce County
  • Fern Hill
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fern Hill have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fern Hill
    • Fern Hill is located in Pierce County
  • Midland
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Midland have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Midland
    • Midland is located in Pierce County
  • Lakeview
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lakeview have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lakeview
    • Lakeview is located in Pierce County
  • Kapowsin
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
  • Orting
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
  • McMillin
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McMillin
    • McMillin is located in Pierce County
  • Lake City
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lake City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake City
    • Lake City is located in Pierce County
  • Excelsior
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Excelsior have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Excelsior
    • Excelsior is located in Pierce County
  • Continue List   (13 more) ...
    • Meeker
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Meeker have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meeker
      • Meeker is located in Pierce County
    • Puyallup
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Alderton
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alderton
      • Alderton is located in Pierce County

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

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

The official website for Pierce County: www.co.pierce.wa.us/

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

Footnotes ...

<1>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.
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<3>An 'estimated' location is one where we have been given GPS coordinates, but are unable to verify the accuracy of those coordinates. That said, we have some confidence that we have placed the marker near the actual location. A typical reason for being unable to verify a location is that it might be on private property or maybe historic and gone without an obvious trace.
<4>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 from Point A (ie- Elk Plain) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Elk Plain. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 47.0532, Longitude: -122.3976       In this case, the coordinates for Elk Plain have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<5>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.
<6>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 Elk Plain, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024