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Our Genealogy Helper

Introduction ...

So far, we found very little information about Lester. The little that we've found leads us believe that the community is historic.<1>

We've added Lester to our Gazetteer with the hope that we can develop more information. If you can help us with Lester, please Contact Us.

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 Lester (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 Lester. 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.

Although our information shows that the community of Lester is historic, it would have been located within present day King 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 King County: Chelan, Kittitas, Pierce & Snohomish.

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

  • King County     (The home county of Lester)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Lester, with the one closest to Lester listed first.
    • Kangley
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kangley
      • Kangley is located in King County
    • Kanaskat
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kanaskat
      • Kanaskat is located in King County
    • Palmer
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Palmer have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Palmer
      • Palmer is located in King County
    • Riverbend
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riverbend
      • Riverbend is located in King County
    • Tanner
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tanner
      • Tanner is located in King County
    • Franklin ‑ Historic
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Franklin
      • Franklin is located in King County
    • Enumclaw
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
    • Krain
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Krain
      • Krain is located in King County
    • North Bend
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Black Diamond
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
    • Landsburg
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Landsburg
      • Landsburg is located in King County
    • Ravensdale
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ravensdale have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ravensdale
      • Ravensdale is located in King County
    • Osceola
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Osceola
      • Osceola is located in King County
  • Kittitas County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Lester, with the one closest to Lester listed first.
    • Martin
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Martin have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Martin
      • Martin is located in Kittitas County
    • Cabin Creek
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cabin Creek
      • Cabin Creek is located in Kittitas County
    • Snoqualmie Pass
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
    • Easton
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
    • Pine Glen
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Glen
      • Pine Glen is located in Kittitas County
    • Nelson
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Nelson have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nelson
      • Nelson is located in Kittitas County
    • Ronald
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
    • Roslyn
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
    • South Cle Elum
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
    • Cle Elum
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
    • Teanaway
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Teanaway have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Teanaway
      • Teanaway is located in Kittitas County
  • Pierce County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Lester, with the one closest to Lester listed first.
    • Greenwater
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Crystal Mountain
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
    • Buckley
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
    • Wilkeson
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
    • Carbonado
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
    • Melmont ‑ Historic
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Melmont. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Melmont
      • Melmont is located in Pierce County
    • South Prairie
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)

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

Newspapers Published in Lester ...

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 24 newspapers that have been published in the area around Lester.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Lester, there are papers which were published within 28 miles [45.1 km]<5>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Lester.

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 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 Lester:

Cemeteries Near Lester ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Lester.

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

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

  • Franklin Cemetery
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for the Franklin Cemetery. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Franklin Cemetery
  • Mt. Olivet Cemetery
    (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
  • Krain Cemetery
    (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Krain Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Krain Cemetery
  • Enumclaw Municipal Cemetery
    (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Enumclaw Municipal Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Enumclaw Municipal Cemetery
  • Holy Cross Cemetery
    (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Holy Cross Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Holy Cross Cemetery
  • Laurel Hill Memorial Cemetery
    (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Laurel Hill Memorial Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Laurel Hill Memorial Cemetery
  • Ravensdale Cemetery
    (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Ravensdale Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Ravensdale Cemetery
  • Black Diamond Cemetery
    (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
  • Buckley Cemetery
    (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
  • Wilkeson Town Cemetery
    (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
    • The Wilkeson Town Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Knights of Pythias Cemetery
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Wilkeson Town Cemetery
  • Wilkeson Catholic Cemetery
    (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
    • The Wilkeson Catholic Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Lady of the Lourdes Catholic Church Cemetery
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Wilkeson Catholic Cemetery
  • Hobart - Maple Valley Cemetery
    (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
  • Continue List   (5 more) ...
    • Carbonado Cemetery
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
    • Peterson Cemetery
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Peterson Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Peterson Cemetery
    • Lake Tapps Pioneer Cemetery
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • The Lake Tapps Pioneer Cemetery has also been known as:
      • Dieringer Cemetery
      • Dieringer Pioneer Cemetery
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lake Tapps Pioneer 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.

Lester itself is historic and was described in the Rand McNally Atlas as having railroad service and no post office.

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

  • Martin
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Martin have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Martin
    • Martin is located in Kittitas County
  • Easton
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
  • Nelson
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Nelson have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nelson
    • Nelson is located in Kittitas County
  • Kangley
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kangley
    • Kangley is located in King County
  • Palmer
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Palmer have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Palmer
    • Palmer is located in King County
  • Veazie
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Veazie have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Veazie
    • Veazie is located in King County
  • Ronald
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
  • Franklin ‑ Historic
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Franklin
    • Franklin is located in King County
  • Roslyn
    (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
  • Enumclaw
    (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
  • North Bend
    (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
  • Black Diamond
    (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Boise
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Boise have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boise
      • Boise is located in King County
    • Osceola
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Osceola
      • Osceola is located in King County
    • Buckley
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)

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

The official website for King County: www.metrokc.gov/

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

Footnotes ...

<1>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 Lester, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<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>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<4>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.
<5>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Lester) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Lester. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 47.2091, Longitude: -121.4935    
<6>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.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024