RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> State of Washington >> Clallam County >> Happy Valley >> Genealogy HelperIndex...










Learn About
The Commemorative
Quarter for
Washington

The Commemorative Quarter for Washington





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 Happy Valley (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 Happy Valley. 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 Happy Valley ...

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 Happy Valley: Happy Vly. (or less commonly used: Happy Vally. or Happy Vlly.)

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 southeast 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 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.

Happy Valley is located in Clallam County.

To see how the shape of Washington's counties have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.

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

  • Clallam County     (The home county of Happy Valley)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Happy Valley, with the one closest to Happy Valley listed first.
    • Bell Hill
      (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bell Hill have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bell Hill
      • Bell Hill is located in Clallam County
    • Sequim
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
    • River Road
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for River Road
      • River Road is located in Clallam County
    • Port Williams
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Port Williams have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Port Williams
      • Port Williams is located in Clallam County
    • Carlsborg
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Blyn
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blyn
      • Blyn is located in Clallam County
    • Old Town
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Old Town have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Old Town
      • Old Town is located in Clallam County
    • Little Oklahoma
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little Oklahoma
      • Little Oklahoma is located in Clallam County
    • Port Angeles
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
    • Elwha
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elwha
      • Elwha is located in Clallam County
    • Joyce
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
    • Port Crescent ‑ Historic
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Port Crescent
      • Port Crescent is located in Clallam County
  • Island County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Happy Valley, with the one closest to Happy Valley listed first.
    • San de Fuca
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for San de Fuca
      • San de Fuca is located in Island County
    • Coupeville
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Greenbank
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
    • Freeland
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
    • Camano
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
    • Oak Harbor
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Bay View
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bay View
      • Bay View is located in Island County
  • Jefferson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Happy Valley, with the one closest to Happy Valley listed first.
    • Gardiner
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Adelma Beach
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adelma Beach
      • Adelma Beach is located in Jefferson County
    • Irondale ‑ Historic
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Irondale have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Irondale
      • Irondale is located in Jefferson County
    • Port Hadlock - Irondale
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
    • Leland
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Leland have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leland
      • Leland is located in Jefferson County
    • Chimacum
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
    • Port Hadlock
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
    • Port Townsend
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
    • Marrowstone
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
    • Nordland
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
    • Beaver Valley
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beaver Valley
      • Beaver Valley is located in Jefferson County
    • Quilcene
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
  • Kitsap County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Happy Valley, with the one closest to Happy Valley listed first.
    • Hansville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
    • Lofall
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lofall
      • Lofall is located in Kitsap County
    • Port Gamble
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Poulsbo
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Seabeck
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
  • San Juan County

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

Newspapers Published in Happy Valley ...

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 61 newspapers that have been published in the area around Happy Valley.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Happy Valley, there are papers which were published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Happy Valley.

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 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 Happy Valley:

Cemeteries Near Happy Valley ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Happy Valley.

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 Happy Valley covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

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

  • Sequim View Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Sequim View Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Sequim View Cemetery
  • Jamestown Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Jamestown Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Jamestown Cemetery
  • Mt. Angeles Cemetery
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mt. Angeles Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mt. Angeles Cemetery
  • Laurel Grove Cemetery
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Laurel Grove Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Laurel Grove Cemetery
  • Quilcene Cemetery
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Sound View Cemetery
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Sound View Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Sound View Cemetery
  • Ocean View Cemetery
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Ocean View Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Ocean View Cemetery
  • Sunnyside Cemetery
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Harling Point Chinese Cemetery
    (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
  • Vinland Lutheran Church Cemetery
    (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Vinland Lutheran Church Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Vinland Lutheran Church Cemetery
  • Breidablik Cemetery
    (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Breidablik Cemetery is located 3 miles [4.8 km]<3> to the south of Poulsbo.
    • The Breidablik Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Breidablik Chapel Cemetery
    • Breidablik Church Cemetery
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Breidablik Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2188982 <4>
  • Buena Vista Cemetery
    (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Buena Vista Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Buena Vista Cemetery
  • Continue List   (12 more) ...
    • Hansville Cemetery
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hansville Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hansville Cemetery
    • Ross Bay Cemetery
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Maple Leaf Cemetery
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)

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.<5>

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

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

  • Blyn
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blyn
    • Blyn is located in Clallam County
  • Port Williams
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Port Williams have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Port Williams
    • Port Williams is located in Clallam County
  • Rena
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rena have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rena
    • Rena is located in Clallam County
  • Port Discovery ‑ Historic
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Port Discovery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Port Discovery
    • Port Discovery is located in Jefferson County
  • Leland
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Leland have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leland
    • Leland is located in Jefferson County
  • Irondale ‑ Historic
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Irondale have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Irondale
    • Irondale is located in Jefferson County
  • Chimacum
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
  • Port Townsend
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
  • Port Angeles
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
  • Quilcene
    (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
  • Port Ludlow
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
  • San de Fuca
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for San de Fuca
    • San de Fuca is located in Island County
  • Continue List   (7 more) ...
    • Coupeville
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Brinnon
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
    • Bangor
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bangor have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bangor
      • Bangor is located in Kitsap County

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

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

The official website for Clallam County: www.clallam.net/

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>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or 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- Happy Valley) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Happy Valley. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 48.0493, Longitude: -123.0966       In this case, the coordinates for Happy Valley have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<4>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.
<5>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 Happy Valley, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

Copyright 2024
All Rights Reserved

Thank you for visiting our website.

In closing, please keep in mind that we can not guarantee the accuracy or timeliness of the information on this website, so use with care. We encourage you to double-check the information that is critical to you.

If you've found an error or have additional information that you would like to share, please don't hesitate to write: Click here to contact us.

This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024