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 Fairhaven (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 Fairhaven. 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 Fairhaven ...
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 occur.
Another variation: Fair Haven.
You might be interested in other communities that are also named Fairhaven. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Fairhaven.
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 northeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals and 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.
Fairhaven is located in Whatcom 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 Whatcom County: Okanogan, San Juan & Skagit.
Below are the counties that are near Fairhaven. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Fairhaven:
- Whatcom County (The home county of Fairhaven)
- The following are listed by their distance from Fairhaven, with the one closest to Fairhaven listed first.
- Chuckanut Village
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Chuckanut Village is located in Whatcom County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chuckanut Village
- Bellingham
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Geneva
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Geneva is located in Whatcom County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Geneva
- Silver Beach
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Silver Beach is located in Whatcom County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Silver Beach
- Marietta
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Marietta is located in Whatcom County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marietta
- Sudden Valley
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Sudden Valley is located in Whatcom County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sudden Valley
- Lummi
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Lummi is located in Whatcom County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lummi
- Lummi Island
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Ferndale
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Acme
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Clipper
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Clipper is located in Whatcom County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clipper
- Kickerville
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Kickerville is located in Whatcom County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kickerville
- Island County
- Oak Harbor
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- San Juan County
- The following are listed by their distance from Fairhaven, with the one closest to Fairhaven listed first.
- Olga
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Eastsound
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Decatur Island
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Orcas
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Lopez
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Lopez is located in San Juan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lopez
- Lopez Island
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Lopez Island is located in San Juan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lopez Island
- Shaw Island
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Shaw Island is located in San Juan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shaw Island
- Deer Harbor
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Waldron
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Waldron is located in San Juan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waldron
- Friday Harbor
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Argyle
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Argyle is located in San Juan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Argyle
- False Bay
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Skagit County
- The following are listed by their distance from Fairhaven, with the one closest to Fairhaven listed first.
- Alger
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Alger is located in Skagit County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alger
- Urban
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Urban is located in Skagit County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Urban
- Edison
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Edison is located in Skagit County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edison
- Bow
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Indian Village
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Indian Village is located in Skagit County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Indian Village
- Anacortes
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Bay View
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Bay View is located in Skagit County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bay View
- Alexander Beach
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Alexander Beach is located in Skagit County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alexander Beach
- Similk Beach
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Similk Beach is located in Skagit County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Similk Beach
- Burlington
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Sedro - Woolley
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Snee Oosh
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Snee Oosh is located in Skagit County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Snee Oosh
- Snohomish County
- Lake Ketchum
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Lake Ketchum is located in Snohomish County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Ketchum
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Fairhaven, see our County-by-County Page for Fairhaven.
Cemeteries Near Fairhaven ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Fairhaven.
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 Fairhaven - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Fairhaven covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Fairhaven, with the one closest to Fairhaven listed first.
- Bayview Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bayview Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Bayview Cemetery is a very large cemetery that is located in Bellingham.
- The Bayview Cemetery has also been known as:
- Bay View Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #76707 <2>
- Sunnyland Memorial Park
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Lummi Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Greenacres Memorial Park
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Woodlawn Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodlawn Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Woodlawn Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located outside and to the east of Ferndale.
- The Woodlawn Cemetery has also been known as:
- Paradise Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #77126 <2>
- Eden Cemetery
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Bow Cemetery
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Enterprise Cemetery
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Greenwood Cemetery
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Saxon Cemetery
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Van Zandt Cemetery
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Olga - Doe Bay Cemetery
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Continue List (44 more) ...
- Bay View Cemetery
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Mt. Hope Cemetery
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Lynden Cemetery
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
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 Fairhaven had a population of 4,076 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Fairhaven, with the one closest to Fairhaven listed first.
- Bellingham
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Chuckanut
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Chuckanut is located in Whatcom County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chuckanut
- Geneva
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Geneva is located in Whatcom County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Geneva
- Silver Beach
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Silver Beach is located in Whatcom County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Silver Beach
- Marietta
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Marietta is located in Whatcom County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marietta
- Brennan
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Brennan is located in Whatcom County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brennan
- Van Wyck
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Van Wyck is located in Whatcom County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Van Wyck
- Lummi
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Lummi is located in Whatcom County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lummi
- Samish
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Samish is located in Skagit County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Samish
- Beach
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Beach is located in Whatcom County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beach
- Laurel
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Laurel is located in Whatcom County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laurel
- Alger
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Alger is located in Skagit County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alger
- Continue List (15 more) ...
- Wahl
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Wahl is located in Whatcom County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wahl
- Mountain View
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Mountain View is located in Whatcom County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mountain View
- Goshen
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Goshen is located in Whatcom County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goshen
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Fairhaven. See our List of 1890's Communities around Fairhaven.
Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Fairhaven ...
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 141 newspapers that have been published in the area around Fairhaven.
We have organized these newspapers into two lists:
- A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Fairhaven. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Fairhaven and those printed in the larger area surrounding Fairhaven.
- An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 22 miles [35.4 km]<4> of Fairhaven.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we first turn to 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 Fairhaven:
- Websites specific to Washington
- Pages specific to Whatcom County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Island County
- San Juan County
- Skagit County
- Snohomish County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Washington
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 Fairhaven, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <4> | 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- Fairhaven) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |