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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 North Yelm (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 North Yelm. 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 North Yelm ...

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.

For example, a typical abbreviation for North Yelm: N. Yelm

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 southwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors 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.

North Yelm is located in Thurston 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 Thurston County: Grays Harbor, Lewis, Mason & Pierce.

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

  • Thurston County     (The home county of North Yelm)
    • The following are listed by their distance from North Yelm, with the one closest to North Yelm listed first.
    • Yelm
      (Less than 2 miles to the south)
      • 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>
    • Nisqually Indian Community
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Rainier
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Kellys Korner
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
      • Kellys Korner is located in Thurston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kellys Korner
    • Tanglewilde
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Tanglewilde is located in Thurston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tanglewilde
    • McIntosh
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
      • McIntosh is located in Thurston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McIntosh
    • Lacey
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
      • 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>
    • East Olympia
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
    • Tenino
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Olympia
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
    • Tumwater
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
    • Puget
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Puget is located in Thurston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Puget
    • Bucoda
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Grays Harbor County
    • The following are listed by their distance from North Yelm, with the one closest to North Yelm listed first.
    • Chehalis Village
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Chehalis Village is located in Grays Harbor County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chehalis Village
    • Oakville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
  • King County
    • The following are listed by their distance from North Yelm, with the one closest to North Yelm listed first.
    • Milton
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Tahlequah
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Tahlequah is located in King County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tahlequah
    • Pacific
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Algona
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Buenna
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Buenna is located in King County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buenna
    • Federal Way
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Magnolia Beach
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Magnolia Beach is located in King County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Magnolia Beach
    • Auburn
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Redondo
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Redondo is located in King County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Redondo
    • Star Lake
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Star Lake is located in King County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Star Lake
    • Woodmont Beach
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Woodmont Beach is located in King County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodmont Beach
  • Lewis County
    • The following are listed by their distance from North Yelm, with the one closest to North Yelm listed first.
    • Centralia
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
    • Cinebar
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
    • Fords Prairie
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Fords Prairie is located in Lewis County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fords Prairie
    • Galvin
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Mineral
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Chehalis
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Lacamas
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Lacamas is located in Lewis County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lacamas
    • Onalaska
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
    • Newaukum
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Newaukum is located in Lewis County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newaukum
    • Salkum
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
    • Claquato
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Claquato is located in Lewis County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Claquato
    • Ethel
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
    • Mossyrock
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
  • Mason County
    • The following are listed by their distance from North Yelm, with the one closest to North Yelm listed first.
    • New Kamilche
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • New Kamilche is located in Mason County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Kamilche
    • Grapeview
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Bayshore
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Bayshore is located in Mason County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bayshore
    • Shelton
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Allyn
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
  • Pierce County
    • The following are listed by their distance from North Yelm, with the one closest to North Yelm listed first.
    • Mock City
      (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
      • Mock City is located in Pierce County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mock City
    • McKenna
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Roy
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
      • 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>
    • Fort Lewis
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • DuPont
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • South Creek
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
      • South Creek is located in Pierce County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Creek
    • Tillicum
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
      • Tillicum is located in Pierce County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tillicum
    • Elk Plain
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Elk Plain is located in Pierce County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elk Plain
    • Spanaway
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Lake City
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
      • Lake City is located in Pierce County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake City
    • Anderson Island
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Anderson Island is located in Pierce County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Anderson Island
    • Clover Park
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Clover Park is located in Pierce County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clover Park
    • Frederickson
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Frederickson is located in Pierce County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frederickson

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

Cemeteries Near North Yelm ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of North Yelm.

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 North Yelm - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Yelm Rainier Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
  • Roy Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
  • King Hill Pioneer Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for King Hill Pioneer Cemetery
    • The King Hill Pioneer Cemetery has also been known as:
    • King Hill Indian Cemetery
  • Ross Family Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
  • Rainier Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • Ft. Lewis Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
  • Smith Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smith Cemetery
    • The Smith Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Henry Smith Cemetery
  • Jeschke Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Wren Family Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
  • Woodlawn Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
  • Jensen Pioneer Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
  • Bethany Lutheran Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
  • Continue List   (71 more) ...
    • Fir Lane Memorial Park
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Spanaway Cemetery
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Steilacoom Masonic Cemetery
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)

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.<3>

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

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

  • Yelm
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
    • 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>
  • Roy
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • 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>
  • Hillhurst
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Hillhurst is located in Pierce County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hillhurst
  • McIntosh
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • McIntosh is located in Thurston County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McIntosh
  • Lacey
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
    • 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>
  • Plumb
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Plumb is located in Thurston County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plumb
  • Leber
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
    • Leber is located in Pierce County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leber
  • Tenino
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
  • Lake City
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
    • Lake City is located in Pierce County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake City
  • Steilacoom
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
  • Lakeview
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Lakeview is located in Pierce County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lakeview
  • Olympia
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Tumwater
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
    • Parkland
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Puget
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Puget is located in Thurston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Puget

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

Newspapers Published in North Yelm ...

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 147 newspapers that have been published in the area around North Yelm.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of North Yelm, there are papers which were published within 21 miles [33.8 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for North Yelm.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we like to start 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 North Yelm:

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>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 North Yelm, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<4>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- North Yelm) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.