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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 Ilwaco (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 Ilwaco. 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 doctors and 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.

Ilwaco is located in Pacific 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 Pacific County: Clatsop (OR), Grays Harbor, Lewis & Wahkiakum.

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

  • Pacific County     (The home county of Ilwaco)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ilwaco, with the one closest to Ilwaco listed first.
    • Seaview
      (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
    • Fort Canby
      (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fort Canby
      • Fort Canby is located in Pacific County
    • Pacific City ‑ Historic
      (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pacific City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pacific City
      • Pacific City is located in Pacific County
    • Long Beach
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Breakers
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Breakers
      • Breakers is located in Pacific County
    • Chinook
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Megler
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Megler
      • Megler is located in Pacific County
    • Naselle
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Ocean Park
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • Nahcotta
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
    • Oysterville
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
    • Bay Center
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
    • South Bend
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
  • Wahkiakum County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ilwaco, with the one closest to Ilwaco listed first.
    • Altoona
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Altoona have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Altoona
      • Altoona is located in Wahkiakum County
    • Rosburg
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
    • Dahlia
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dahlia
      • Dahlia is located in Wahkiakum County
    • Grays River
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
    • Brookfield
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Brookfield have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brookfield
      • Brookfield is located in Wahkiakum County
    • Skamokawa
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
  • Clatsop County (OR)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ilwaco, with the one closest to Ilwaco listed first.
    • Hammond
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hammond have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hammond
      • Hammond is located in Clatsop County (OR)
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hammond <1>
    • Warrenton
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Warrenton have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Warrenton
      • Warrenton is located in Clatsop County (OR)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,739 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Warrenton <1>
    • Astoria
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Astoria
      • Astoria is located in Clatsop County (OR)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 10,029 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Astoria <1>
    • Jeffers Garden
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jeffers Garden
      • Jeffers Garden is located in Clatsop County (OR)
    • Tongue Point Village
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tongue Point Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tongue Point Village
      • Tongue Point Village is located in Clatsop County (OR)
    • Gearhart
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gearhart have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gearhart
      • Gearhart is located in Clatsop County (OR)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,644 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Gearhart <1>
    • Svensen Junction
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Svensen Junction
      • Svensen Junction is located in Clatsop County (OR)
    • Seaside
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seaside
      • Seaside is located in Clatsop County (OR)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 6,926 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Seaside <1>
    • Brownsmead
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brownsmead
      • Brownsmead is located in Clatsop County (OR)
    • Clifton
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clifton
      • Clifton is located in Clatsop County (OR)
    • Cannon Beach
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
    • Tolovana Park
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Ilwaco ...

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 70 newspapers that have been published in the area around Ilwaco.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Ilwaco. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Ilwaco and those printed in the larger area surrounding Ilwaco.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 29 miles [46.7 km]<3> of Ilwaco.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we start with 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 Ilwaco:

Cemeteries Near Ilwaco ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Ilwaco.

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

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

  • Ilwaco Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Ilwaco Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Ilwaco Cemetery
  • Lone Fir Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lone Fir Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lone Fir Cemetery
  • Ft. Stevens Post Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Ocean View Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Warrenton Pauper Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for the Warrenton Pauper Cemetery. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<5>
    • The Warrenton Pauper Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Clatsop County Cemetery
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Warrenton Pauper Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2271005 <4>
  • Paceful Hill Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Paceful Hill Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Paceful Hill Cemetery
  • Clatsop Plains Cemetery
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Astoria Pioneer Cemetery
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Riverview Cemetery
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Riverview Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Riverview Cemetery
  • Salmon Creek Cemetery
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
    • The Salmon Creek Cemetery has also been known as:
    • New Salmon Creek Cemetery
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Salmon Creek Cemetery
  • Lewis & Clark Cemetery
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Greenwood Cemetery
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Continue List   (9 more) ...
    • Svensen Pioneer Cemetery
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • To give a relative sense of its location, the Svensen Pioneer Cemetery is located outside and to the southeast of Svensen Junction (OR).
      • The Svensen Pioneer Cemetery has also been known as:
      • Forest Hill Cemetery
      • Pleasant Hill Cemetery
      • Svensen Cemetery
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Svensen Pioneer Cemetery
      • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #38789 <4>
    • Grave Of The Unknown Sailor
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
    • Prairie Cemetery
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)

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>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Ilwaco had a population of 517 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service. In 2020, Ilwaco had a population of 1,006 people.

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

  • Fort Canby
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fort Canby
    • Fort Canby is located in Pacific County
  • Knappton ‑ Historic
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Knappton have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Knappton
    • Knappton is located in Pacific County
  • Naselle
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
  • Skipanon ‑ Historic
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Skipanon have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Skipanon
    • Skipanon is located in Clatsop County (OR)
  • Astoria
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Astoria
    • Astoria is located in Clatsop County (OR)
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 10,029 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Astoria <1>
  • Frankfort ‑ Historic
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Frankfort have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frankfort
    • Frankfort is located in Pacific County
  • Chadwell ‑ Historic
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Chadwell have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chadwell
    • Chadwell is located in Clatsop County (OR)
  • Oysterville
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
  • Deep River
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Deep River have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Deep River
    • Deep River is located in Wahkiakum County
  • Melville
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Melville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Melville
    • Melville is located in Clatsop County (OR)
  • Olney
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Olney have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Olney
    • Olney is located in Clatsop County (OR)
  • Grays River
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
  • Continue List   (11 more) ...
    • Seaside
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seaside
      • Seaside is located in Clatsop County (OR)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 6,926 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Seaside <1>
    • Bay Center
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
    • Knappa
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Knappa have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Knappa
      • Knappa is located in Clatsop County (OR)

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

The official website for Ilwaco: www.ilwacowashington.com/

The official website for Pacific County: www.co.pacific.wa.us/

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

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 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.
<3>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 from Point A (ie- Ilwaco) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Ilwaco. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 46.3089, Longitude: -124.0390    
<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>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.
<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 Ilwaco, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024