RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> State of Washington >> Lewis County >> Phillips >> Genealogy HelperIndex...

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 Phillips (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 Phillips. 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 northeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors and hospitals 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.

Phillips is located in Lewis 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 Lewis County: Cowlitz, Grays Harbor, Pacific, Pierce, Skamania, Thurston, Wahkiakum & Yakima.

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

  • Lewis County     (The home county of Phillips)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Phillips, with the one closest to Phillips listed first.
    • Onalaska
      (Less than 2 miles to the east)
    • Ethel
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
    • Lacamas
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
      • Lacamas is located in Lewis County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lacamas
    • Salkum
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Silver Creek
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Saint Urban
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Saint Urban is located in Lewis County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Urban
    • Napavine
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Cinebar
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Toledo
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Winlock
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Newaukum
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
      • Newaukum is located in Lewis County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newaukum
    • Mossyrock
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
    • Chehalis
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Cowlitz County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Phillips, with the one closest to Phillips listed first.
    • Olequa
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Olequa is located in Cowlitz County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Olequa
    • Toutle
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
    • Silver Lake
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
    • Ryderwood
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Ryderwood is located in Cowlitz County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ryderwood
    • Castle Rock
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
    • Pleasant Hill
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Pleasant Hill is located in Cowlitz County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Hill
    • Ostrander
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Ostrander is located in Cowlitz County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ostrander
    • Longview Heights
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Longview Heights is located in Cowlitz County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Longview Heights
    • Coal Creek
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Coal Creek is located in Cowlitz County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coal Creek
    • Kelso
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Kelso is located in Cowlitz County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kelso
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 12,438 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Kelso <1>
    • West Longview
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • West Longview is located in Cowlitz County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Longview
  • Grays Harbor County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Phillips, with the one closest to Phillips listed first.
    • Chehalis Village
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Chehalis Village is located in Grays Harbor County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chehalis Village
    • Oakville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Pierce County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Phillips, with the one closest to Phillips listed first.
    • McKenna
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
    • Alder
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Alder is located in Pierce County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alder
    • La Grande
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Mock City
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Mock City is located in Pierce County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mock City
    • Elbe
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Eatonville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Thurston County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Phillips, with the one closest to Phillips listed first.
    • Bucoda
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
    • McIntosh
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • McIntosh is located in Thurston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McIntosh
    • Tenino
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
    • Grand Mound
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Rainier
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
    • Rochester
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
    • Independence
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Independence is located in Thurston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Independence
    • Yelm
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • 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>
    • Littlerock
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • East Olympia
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • North Yelm
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • North Yelm is located in Thurston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Yelm
    • Bordeaux ‑ Historic
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Bordeaux is located in Thurston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bordeaux
    • Kellys Korner
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Kellys Korner is located in Thurston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kellys Korner

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

Cemeteries Near Phillips ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Phillips.

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

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

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

  • Alpha Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Shoestring Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Lone Hill Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
  • Greenwood Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
  • Fern Hill Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
  • Klickitat Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
  • Tower Twp. Cemetery
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tower Twp. Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Tower Twp. Cemetery is located 8 miles [12.9 km]<2> to the northeast of Castle Rock.
    • The Tower Twp. Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Tower Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2277304 <3>
  • Washington Lawn Cemetery
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
  • Claquato Cemetery
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
  • Snow Cemetery
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
  • Mountain View Cemetery
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
  • Little Falls Cemetery
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Continue List   (26 more) ...
    • Greenwood Memorial Park
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Silver Lake Cemetery
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Silver Lake Cemetery
      • To give a relative sense of its location, the Silver Lake Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located less than 2 miles<2> to the west of Toutle.
      • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #77049 <3>
    • Rosin Cemetery
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rosin Cemetery
      • To give a relative sense of its location, the Rosin Cemetery is located 3 miles [4.8 km]<2> to the northeast of Castle Rock.
      • The Rosin Cemetery has also been known as:
      • Rosin Cemetery
      • Tower Cemetery
      • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #77025 <3>

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>

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

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

  • Ethel
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
  • Salkum
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Silver Creek
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Alpha
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Alpha is located in Lewis County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alpha
  • Napavine
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
  • Cowlitz
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Cowlitz is located in Lewis County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cowlitz
  • Winlock
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
  • Toledo
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
  • Cinebar
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
  • Newaukum
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
    • Newaukum is located in Lewis County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newaukum
  • Wilson
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Wilson is located in Lewis County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilson
  • Mossyrock
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Harmony
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
      • Harmony is located in Lewis County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harmony
    • Chehalis
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Centralia
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)

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

Newspapers Published in Phillips ...

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 84 newspapers that have been published in the area around Phillips.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Phillips, there are papers which were published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<2>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Phillips.

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 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 Phillips:

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>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 drawn from Point A (ie- Phillips) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.
<3>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.
<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 Phillips, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.