RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> State of Washington >> Pierce County >> Park Junction >> Genealogy HelperIndex...










Learn About
The Commemorative
Quarter for
Washington

The Commemorative Quarter for Washington





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 Park Junction (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 Park Junction. 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 Park Junction ...

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.

Although we can't give a definitive list, hopefully the following will give you a feel for the variations that might have occurred.

For example, a typical abbreviation for Park Junction: Park Jct. (or less commonly used: Park Jctn.)

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

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

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

  • Pierce County     (The home county of Park Junction)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Park Junction, with the one closest to Park Junction listed first.
    • Elbe
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
    • Ashford
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Alder
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Alder have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alder
      • Alder is located in Pierce County
    • Eatonville
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • La Grande
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Clay City
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Clay City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clay City
      • Clay City is located in Pierce County
    • Longmire
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
    • Kapowsin
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
    • Melmont ‑ Historic
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • 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.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Melmont
      • Melmont is located in Pierce County
    • South Creek
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for South Creek. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Creek
      • South Creek is located in Pierce County
    • Graham
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
    • Carbonado
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
  • King County
    • Osceola
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Osceola
      • Osceola is located in King County
  • Lewis County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Park Junction, with the one closest to Park Junction listed first.
    • Mineral
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Morton
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Glenoma
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
    • Randle
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Ajlune
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ajlune have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ajlune
      • Ajlune is located in Lewis County
    • Cinebar
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Mossyrock
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Packwood
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Silver Creek
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Lacamas
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lacamas
      • Lacamas is located in Lewis County
    • Salkum
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Onalaska
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Thurston County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Park Junction, with the one closest to Park Junction listed first.
    • North Yelm
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Yelm have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Yelm
      • North Yelm is located in Thurston County
    • Yelm
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yelm
      • Yelm is located in Thurston County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 9,591 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Yelm <1>
    • Rainier
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
    • McIntosh
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McIntosh
      • McIntosh is located in Thurston County

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

Newspapers Published in Park Junction ...

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 50 newspapers that have been published in the area around Park Junction.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Park Junction, there are papers which were published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Park Junction.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we begin 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 Park Junction:

Cemeteries Near Park Junction ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Park Junction.

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

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

  • Alder Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
  • Eatonville Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • The Eatonville Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Glacier Park Cemetery
    • Glacier View Cemetery
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Eatonville Cemetery
  • Mashel Prairie Indian Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Rainier Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • The Rainier Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Old Indian Cemetery
    • Old Pioneer Cemetery
    • Rainer Free Cemetery
    • Stringtown Cemetery
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Rainier Cemetery
  • Jensen Pioneer Cemetery
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Bethany Lutheran Cemetery
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
  • Soldiers Home Cemetery
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
    • The Soldiers Home Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Old Soldiers Home Cemetery
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Soldiers Home Cemetery
  • Orting Cemetery
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
    • The Orting Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Orting IOOF Cemetery
    • Orting IOOF Cemetery
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Orting Cemetery
  • Carbonado Cemetery
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
  • Jeschke Cemetery
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Smith Cemetery
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
    • The Smith Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Henry Smith Cemetery
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Smith Cemetery
  • Yelm Rainier Cemetery
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Continue List   (18 more) ...
    • Klickitat Cemetery
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Klickitat Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Klickitat Cemetery
    • Evergreen Cemetery
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Evergreen Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Evergreen Cemetery
    • Shoestring Cemetery
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Shoestring Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Shoestring 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.<5>

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

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

  • Eatonville
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
  • Morton
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
  • Leber
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Leber have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leber
    • Leber is located in Pierce County
  • Kapowsin
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
  • Bremer
    (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bremer have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bremer
    • Bremer is located in Lewis County
  • Vance
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Vance have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vance
    • Vance is located in Lewis County
  • Cinebar
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Harmony
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Harmony have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harmony
    • Harmony is located in Lewis County
  • Swofford
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Swofford have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Swofford
    • Swofford is located in Lewis County
  • Mossyrock
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Cora
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cora have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cora
    • Cora is located in Lewis County
  • Carbonado
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Orting
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
    • Alpha
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Alpha have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alpha
      • Alpha is located in Lewis County
    • Wilkeson
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)

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

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Park Junction. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.

The official website for Pierce County: www.co.pierce.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>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.
<4>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 drawn from Point A (ie- Park Junction) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Park Junction. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 46.7607, Longitude: -122.1407       In this case, the coordinates for Park Junction have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<5>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 Park Junction, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

Copyright 2024
All Rights Reserved

Thank you for visiting our website.

In closing, please keep in mind that we can not guarantee the accuracy or timeliness of the information on this website, so use with care. We encourage you to double-check the information that is critical to you.

If you've found an error or have additional information that you would like to share, please don't hesitate to write: Click here to contact us.

This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024