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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 Harper (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 Harper. 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 and hospitals 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.

Harper is located in Kitsap 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 Kitsap County: Island, Jefferson, King, Mason & Pierce.

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

  • Kitsap County     (The home county of Harper)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Harper, with the one closest to Harper listed first.
    • South Colby
      (Less than 2 miles to the west)
      • South Colby is located in Kitsap County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Colby
    • Colby
      (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
      • Colby is located in Kitsap County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colby
    • Colchester
      (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
      • Colchester is located in Kitsap County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colchester
    • Southworth
      (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
      • Southworth is located in Kitsap County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Southworth
    • Manchester
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
    • South Park Village
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
    • Fort Ward
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
      • Fort Ward is located in Kitsap County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fort Ward
    • East Port Orchard
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
      • East Port Orchard is located in Kitsap County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Port Orchard
    • Parkwood
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
      • Parkwood is located in Kitsap County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parkwood
    • Retsil
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
      • Retsil is located in Kitsap County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Retsil
    • Port Blakely ‑ Historic
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
      • Port Blakely is located in Kitsap County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Port Blakely
    • Bethel
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
  • Jefferson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Harper, with the one closest to Harper listed first.
    • Brinnon
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Quilcene
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Port Ludlow
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
    • Beaver Valley
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Beaver Valley is located in Jefferson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beaver Valley
  • King County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Harper, with the one closest to Harper listed first.
    • Vashon Heights
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Vashon Heights is located in King County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vashon Heights
    • Vashon
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Alki
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Alki is located in King County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alki
    • White Center
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
      • White Center is located in King County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Center
    • Burien
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Seahurst
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Seahurst is located in King County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seahurst
    • Riverton-Boulevard Park
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Van Asselt
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
      • Van Asselt is located in King County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Van Asselt
    • Magnolia Beach
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
      • Magnolia Beach is located in King County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Magnolia Beach
    • Riverton Heights
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
      • Riverton Heights is located in King County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riverton Heights
    • Seattle
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Normandy Park
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
  • Mason County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Harper, with the one closest to Harper listed first.
    • Belfair
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
    • Allyn
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Grapeview
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Tahuya
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Lilliwaup
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
    • Union ‑ Historic
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Union is located in Mason County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union
    • Hoodsport
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
  • Pierce County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Harper, with the one closest to Harper listed first.
    • Wauna
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Wauna is located in Pierce County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wauna
    • Gig Harbor
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • Dash Point
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
      • Dash Point is located in Pierce County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dash Point
    • Rosedale
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Rosedale is located in Pierce County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rosedale
    • Artondale
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
      • Artondale is located in Pierce County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Artondale
    • Ruston
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
      • Ruston is located in Pierce County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ruston
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 848 people
    • Vaughn
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Vaughn is located in Pierce County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vaughn
    • Cromwell
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
      • Cromwell is located in Pierce County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cromwell
    • Northeast Tacoma
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Northeast Tacoma is located in Pierce County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Northeast Tacoma
    • Tacoma
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
    • Fircrest
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
    • Fox Island
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
  • Snohomish County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Harper, with the one closest to Harper listed first.
    • Woodway
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • Woodway is located in Snohomish County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodway
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,391 people
    • Esperance
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Esperance is located in Snohomish County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Esperance
    • Edmonds
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
    • Brier
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Brier is located in Snohomish County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brier
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 6,955 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Brier <1>
    • Mountlake Terrace
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Lynnwood
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Alderwood Manor
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Alderwood Manor is located in Snohomish County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alderwood Manor
    • Canyon Park
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Canyon Park is located in Snohomish County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Canyon Park
    • Picnic Point - North Lynnwood
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Martha Lake
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Martha Lake is located in Snohomish County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Martha Lake
    • North Creek
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • North Creek is located in Snohomish County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Creek
    • Harbour Pointe
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Harbour Pointe is located in Snohomish County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harbour Pointe
  • Thurston County
    • Puget
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Puget is located in Thurston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Puget

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

Cemeteries Near Harper ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Harper.

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

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

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

  • Sedgwick Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
  • Fraola Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Episcopal Church Of The Holy Spirit Memory Garden
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Veterans Home Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
  • Ft. Blakely Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • Sunset Lane Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
  • K P Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
  • Ivy Green Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Forest Lawn Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
  • Miller - Woodlawn Memorial Park
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Miller - Woodlawn Memorial Park
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Miller - Woodlawn Memorial Park is a very large cemetery that is located outside and to the west of Bremerton.
    • The Miller - Woodlawn Memorial Park has also been known as:
    • Woodlawn Memorial Park
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #77128 <3>
  • Forest Lawn Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forest Lawn Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Forest Lawn Cemetery is a very large cemetery that is located outside and to the west of Bremerton.
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #76807 <3>
  • Tracyton Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
  • Continue List   (95 more) ...
    • Highview Recreational Cemetery
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Comet Lodge Cemetery
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Comet Lodge Cemetery
      • The Comet Lodge Cemetery has also been known as:
      • Georgetown Cemetery
      • Graham Street Burying Ground
    • Gig Harbor Cemetery
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gig Harbor Cemetery
      • To give a relative sense of its location, the Gig Harbor Cemetery is located outside and to the north of Gig Harbor.
      • The Gig Harbor Cemetery has also been known as:
      • Cresent Valley Cemetery

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

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

  • Colby
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
    • Colby is located in Kitsap County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colby
  • Vashon
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
  • Port Blakely ‑ Historic
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Port Blakely is located in Kitsap County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Port Blakely
  • Olalla
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • Crystal Springs
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Crystal Springs is located in Kitsap County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crystal Springs
  • Chautauqua
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Chautauqua is located in King County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chautauqua
  • West Seattle
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • West Seattle is located in King County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Seattle
  • Charleston
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Charleston is located in Kitsap County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Charleston
  • Tracyton
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Tracyton is located in Kitsap County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tracyton
  • Sunnydale
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Sunnydale is located in King County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunnydale
  • Van Asselt
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Van Asselt is located in King County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Van Asselt
  • Purdy
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Purdy is located in Pierce County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Purdy
  • Continue List   (13 more) ...
    • Latona ‑ Historic
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
      • Latona is located in King County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Latona
    • Duwamish
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
      • Duwamish is located in King County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Duwamish
    • Brownsville
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Brownsville is located in Kitsap County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brownsville

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

Newspapers Published in Harper ...

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 610 newspapers that have been published in the area around Harper.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Harper, there are papers which were published within 10 miles [16.1 km]<2>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Harper.

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 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 Harper:

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