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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 Pioneer (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 Pioneer. 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 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.

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

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

  • Pierce County     (The home county of Pioneer)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Pioneer, with the one closest to Pioneer listed first.
    • University Place
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Steilacoom
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
    • Fircrest
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Fox Island
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Lakewood
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Lake City
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
      • Lake City is located in Pierce County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake City
    • Clover Park
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Clover Park is located in Pierce County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clover Park
    • Gertrude
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
      • Gertrude is located in Pierce County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gertrude
    • Cromwell
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
      • Cromwell is located in Pierce County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cromwell
    • Tillicum
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
      • Tillicum is located in Pierce County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tillicum
    • Artondale
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
      • Artondale is located in Pierce County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Artondale
    • Anderson Island
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Anderson Island is located in Pierce County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Anderson Island
  • King County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Pioneer, with the one closest to Pioneer listed first.
    • Tahlequah
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
      • Tahlequah is located in King County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tahlequah
    • Milton
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • Magnolia Beach
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
      • Magnolia Beach is located in King County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Magnolia Beach
    • Buenna
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Buenna is located in King County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buenna
    • Federal Way
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Redondo
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Redondo is located in King County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Redondo
    • Algona
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
    • Pacific
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
    • Woodmont Beach
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Woodmont Beach is located in King County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodmont Beach
    • Vashon
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
    • Star Lake
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Star Lake is located in King County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Star Lake
    • Zenith
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Zenith is located in King County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zenith
  • Kitsap County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Pioneer, with the one closest to Pioneer listed first.
    • Burley
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
    • Olalla
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
    • Bethel
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
    • Southworth
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Southworth is located in Kitsap County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Southworth
    • Colby
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Colby is located in Kitsap County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colby
    • East Port Orchard
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • East Port Orchard is located in Kitsap County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Port Orchard
    • Parkwood
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Parkwood is located in Kitsap County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parkwood
    • South Colby
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • South Colby is located in Kitsap County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Colby
    • South Park Village
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
    • Colchester
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Colchester is located in Kitsap County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colchester
    • Gorst
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
    • Port Orchard
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
  • Mason County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Pioneer, with the one closest to Pioneer listed first.
    • Grapeview
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Allyn
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Belfair
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Bayshore
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Bayshore is located in Mason County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bayshore
    • New Kamilche
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • New Kamilche is located in Mason County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Kamilche
    • Shelton
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
    • Tahuya
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Union ‑ Historic
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Union is located in Mason County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union
    • Skokomish
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Skokomish is located in Mason County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Skokomish
    • Hoodsport
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Potlatch
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Lilliwaup
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Thurston County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Pioneer, with the one closest to Pioneer listed first.
    • Puget
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
      • Puget is located in Thurston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Puget
    • Nisqually Indian Community
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
    • Tanglewilde
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Tanglewilde is located in Thurston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tanglewilde
    • North Yelm
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
      • North Yelm is located in Thurston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Yelm
    • Lacey
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • 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>
    • Kellys Korner
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Kellys Korner is located in Thurston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kellys Korner
    • Yelm
      (18 miles [29 km] 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>
    • Olympia
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
    • East Olympia
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Tumwater
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Rainier
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
    • McIntosh
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • McIntosh is located in Thurston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McIntosh

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

Cemeteries Near Pioneer ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Pioneer.

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

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

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

  • Ft. Steilacoom Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
  • New Tacoma Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
  • Western State Hospital Memorial Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
  • Byrd Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
  • Steilacoom Masonic Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
  • Home of Peace Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
  • Old Pioneer Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Old Pioneer Cemetery
    • The Old Pioneer Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Rigney Cemetery
  • Calvary Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
  • Old Settlers Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Old Settlers Cemetery
    • The Old Settlers Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Gravelly Lake Cemetery
  • Mountain View Memorial Park
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
  • Oakwood Hill Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakwood Hill Cemetery
    • The Oakwood Hill Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Oak Wood Cemetery
    • Oak Wood Hill Cemetery
    • Oakwood Cemetery
    • Prairie Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #1996538 <3>
  • Pauper Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
  • Continue List   (90 more) ...
    • Tacoma Cemetery
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tacoma Cemetery
      • The Tacoma Cemetery has also been known as:
      • Oaklawn Cemetery
      • Old Tacoma Cemetery
      • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #77080 <3>
    • Fox Island Cemetery
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Cromwell Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cromwell Cemetery
      • The Cromwell Cemetery has also been known as:
      • Hales Passage Cemetery
      • Hales Passage Scandinavian Lutheran Cemetery
      • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2259125 <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 Pioneer in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Pioneer.

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

  • Steilacoom
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
  • Fox Island
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
  • Wollochet
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Wollochet is located in Pierce County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wollochet
  • Lake City
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Lake City is located in Pierce County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake City
  • Lakeview
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Lakeview is located in Pierce County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lakeview
  • Excelsior
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Excelsior is located in Pierce County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Excelsior
  • Artondale
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Artondale is located in Pierce County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Artondale
  • Meridian
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Meridian is located in Pierce County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meridian
  • Parkland
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Fern Hill
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Fern Hill is located in Pierce County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fern Hill
  • Tacoma
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Gig Harbor
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
  • Continue List   (13 more) ...
    • Hillhurst
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Hillhurst is located in Pierce County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hillhurst
    • Midland
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
      • Midland is located in Pierce County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Midland
    • Longbranch
      (8 miles [12.9 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 Pioneer. See our List of 1890's Communities around Pioneer.

Newspapers Published in Pioneer ...

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 203 newspapers that have been published in the area around Pioneer.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Pioneer, there are papers which were published within 16 miles [25.7 km]<2>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Pioneer.

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 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 Pioneer:

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 'straight-line' (or 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- Pioneer) 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 Pioneer, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.