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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 Ponderosa Estates (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 Ponderosa Estates. 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 Ponderosa Estates ...

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 Ponderosa Estates: Ponderosa Ests.

You might be interested in other communities that are also named Ponderosa Estates. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Ponderosa Estates.

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 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.

Ponderosa Estates 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 Ponderosa Estates. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Ponderosa Estates:

  • Pierce County     (The home county of Ponderosa Estates)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ponderosa Estates, with the one closest to Ponderosa Estates listed first.
    • Bonney Lake
      (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
    • Prairie Ridge
      (Less than 2 miles to the south)
      • Prairie Ridge is located in Pierce County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prairie Ridge
    • South Prairie
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Alderton
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
      • Alderton is located in Pierce County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alderton
    • Sumner
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Orting
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • McMillin
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
      • McMillin is located in Pierce County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McMillin
    • Lake Tapps
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
      • Lake Tapps is located in Pierce County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Tapps
    • South Hill
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
      • South Hill is located in Pierce County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Hill
    • Buckley
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • North Puyallup
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
      • North Puyallup is located in Pierce County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Puyallup
    • Wilkeson
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Puyallup
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
  • King County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ponderosa Estates, with the one closest to Ponderosa Estates listed first.
    • Osceola
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Osceola is located in King County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Osceola
    • Enumclaw
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Pacific
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Green River
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
      • Green River is located in King County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green River
    • Krain
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Krain is located in King County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Krain
    • Algona
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Milton
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Auburn
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Lake Morton - Berrydale
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Lea Hill
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
      • Lea Hill is located in King County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lea Hill
    • One Hundred One Pines
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Black Diamond
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Federal Way
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
  • Kitsap County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ponderosa Estates, with the one closest to Ponderosa Estates listed first.
    • Olalla
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Burley
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Southworth
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Southworth is located in Kitsap County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Southworth
    • South Colby
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • South Colby is located in Kitsap County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Colby
  • Lewis County
  • Thurston County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ponderosa Estates, with the one closest to Ponderosa Estates listed first.
    • North Yelm
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • North Yelm is located in Thurston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Yelm
    • Yelm
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • 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
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Puget
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Puget is located in Thurston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Puget
    • Tanglewilde
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Tanglewilde is located in Thurston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tanglewilde

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

Cemeteries Near Ponderosa Estates ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Ponderosa Estates.

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 Ponderosa Estates - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Lake Tapps Pioneer Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Tapps Pioneer Cemetery
    • The Lake Tapps Pioneer Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Dieringer Cemetery
    • Dieringer Pioneer Cemetery
  • Wilkeson Catholic Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilkeson Catholic Cemetery
    • The Wilkeson Catholic Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Lady of the Lourdes Catholic Church Cemetery
  • Wilkeson Town Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilkeson Town Cemetery
    • The Wilkeson Town Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Knights of Pythias Cemetery
  • Sumner Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sumner Cemetery
    • The Sumner Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Sumner Pioneer Cemetery
    • Sumner Town Cemetery
  • Orting Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orting Cemetery
    • The Orting Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Orting IOOF Cemetery
    • Orting IOOF Cemetery
  • Soldiers Home Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Soldiers Home Cemetery
    • The Soldiers Home Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Old Soldiers Home Cemetery
  • Buckley Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buckley Cemetery
    • The Buckley Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Buckley Public Cemetery
    • White River Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #76722 <2>
  • Woodbine Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodbine Cemetery
    • The Woodbine Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Puyallup Cemetery
  • Carbonado Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Holy Cross Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Enumclaw Municipal Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Firwood Indian Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
  • Continue List   (73 more) ...
    • White Lake Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Krain Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Georges Cemetery
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)

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 Ponderosa Estates in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Ponderosa Estates.

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

  • South Prairie
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
  • Alderton
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Alderton is located in Pierce County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alderton
  • McMillin
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • McMillin is located in Pierce County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McMillin
  • Orting
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Cascade Junction
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Cascade Junction is located in Pierce County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cascade Junction
  • Sumner
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Lake Tapps
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Lake Tapps is located in Pierce County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Tapps
  • Burnett
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Burnett is located in Pierce County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burnett
  • Meeker
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Meeker is located in Pierce County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meeker
  • Wilkeson
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Buckley
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
  • Boise
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Boise is located in King County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boise
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Osceola
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Osceola is located in King County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Osceola
    • Puyallup
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Carbonado
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)

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

Newspapers Published in Ponderosa Estates ...

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 32 newspapers that have been published in the area around Ponderosa Estates.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Ponderosa Estates, there are papers which were published within 18 miles [29 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Ponderosa Estates.

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 helpful 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 Ponderosa Estates:

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 Ponderosa Estates, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<4>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Ponderosa Estates) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.