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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 Hillhurst (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 Hillhurst. 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 southwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals were in the next county to the west. 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 west 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.

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

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

  • Pierce County     (The home county of Hillhurst)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Hillhurst, with the one closest to Hillhurst listed first.
    • Spanaway
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Tillicum
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Tillicum is located in Pierce County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tillicum
    • Lake City
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Lake City is located in Pierce County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake City
    • Fort Lewis
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Clover Park
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
      • Clover Park is located in Pierce County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clover Park
    • Lakewood
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Parkland
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Roy
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
      • Roy is located in Pierce County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roy
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 823 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Roy <1>
    • Elk Plain
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
      • Elk Plain is located in Pierce County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elk Plain
    • DuPont
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Frederickson
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
      • Frederickson is located in Pierce County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frederickson
    • Midland
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Midland is located in Pierce County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Midland
  • King County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Hillhurst, with the one closest to Hillhurst listed first.
    • Milton
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Tahlequah
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
      • Tahlequah is located in King County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tahlequah
    • Algona
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Pacific
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Buenna
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
      • Buenna is located in King County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buenna
    • Federal Way
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
    • Auburn
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Magnolia Beach
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Magnolia Beach is located in King County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Magnolia Beach
    • Redondo
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Redondo is located in King County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Redondo
    • Star Lake
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Star Lake is located in King County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Star Lake
    • Woodmont Beach
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Woodmont Beach is located in King County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodmont Beach
    • Lea Hill
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Lea Hill is located in King County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lea Hill
  • Kitsap County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Hillhurst, with the one closest to Hillhurst listed first.
    • Burley
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
    • Olalla
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
    • Bethel
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
    • Southworth
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Southworth is located in Kitsap County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Southworth
    • Colby
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Colby is located in Kitsap County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colby
    • East Port Orchard
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • East Port Orchard is located in Kitsap County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Port Orchard
    • South Colby
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • South Colby is located in Kitsap County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Colby
  • Lewis County
  • Mason County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Hillhurst, with the one closest to Hillhurst listed first.
    • Grapeview
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Allyn
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Bayshore
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Bayshore is located in Mason County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bayshore
    • New Kamilche
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • New Kamilche is located in Mason County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Kamilche
    • Belfair
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Shelton
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
  • Thurston County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Hillhurst, with the one closest to Hillhurst listed first.
    • North Yelm
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
      • North Yelm is located in Thurston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Yelm
    • Nisqually Indian Community
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Yelm
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Yelm is located in Thurston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yelm
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 9,591 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Yelm <1>
    • Tanglewilde
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
      • Tanglewilde is located in Thurston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tanglewilde
    • Kellys Korner
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Kellys Korner is located in Thurston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kellys Korner
    • Puget
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
      • Puget is located in Thurston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Puget
    • Lacey
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
      • Lacey is located in Thurston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lacey
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 54,178 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lacey <1>
    • Rainier
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
    • East Olympia
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Olympia
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
    • Tumwater
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
    • McIntosh
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • McIntosh is located in Thurston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McIntosh

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

Cemeteries Near Hillhurst ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Hillhurst.

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

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

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

  • Spanaway Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
  • Ft. Lewis Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Wren Family Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Old Settlers Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Old Settlers Cemetery
    • The Old Settlers Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Gravelly Lake Cemetery
  • Fir Lane Memorial Park
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
  • King Hill Pioneer Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for King Hill Pioneer Cemetery
    • The King Hill Pioneer Cemetery has also been known as:
    • King Hill Indian Cemetery
  • Trinity Lutheran Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
  • Parkland Evangelical Lutheran Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
  • Steilacoom Masonic Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
  • Home of Peace Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
  • Byrd Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
  • Ross Family Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Continue List   (78 more) ...
    • Roy Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Jeschke Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Smith Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smith Cemetery
      • The Smith Cemetery has also been known as:
      • Henry Smith 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>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Hillhurst had a population of 68 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service.

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

  • Lake City
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Lake City is located in Pierce County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake City
  • Roy
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Roy is located in Pierce County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roy
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 823 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Roy <1>
  • Parkland
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
  • Lakeview
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Lakeview is located in Pierce County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lakeview
  • Midland
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Midland is located in Pierce County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Midland
  • Fern Hill
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Fern Hill is located in Pierce County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fern Hill
  • Steilacoom
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Excelsior
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Excelsior is located in Pierce County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Excelsior
  • Yelm
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Yelm is located in Thurston County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yelm
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 9,591 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Yelm <1>
  • Tacoma
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
  • Leber
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Leber is located in Pierce County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leber
  • Fox Island
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Meeker
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Meeker is located in Pierce County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meeker
    • Puyallup
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Wollochet
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
      • Wollochet is located in Pierce County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wollochet

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

Newspapers Published in Hillhurst ...

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 87 newspapers that have been published in the area around Hillhurst.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Hillhurst, there are papers which were published within 18 miles [29 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Hillhurst.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first visit the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These websites either 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 Hillhurst:

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>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Hillhurst) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.
<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 Hillhurst, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.