RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> State of Washington >> King County >> Portage Bay >> 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 Portage Bay (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 Portage Bay. 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 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.

Portage Bay is located in King 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 King County: Chelan, Kittitas, Pierce & Snohomish.

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

  • King County     (The home county of Portage Bay)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Portage Bay, with the one closest to Portage Bay listed first.
    • Fremont
      (Less than 2 miles to the west)
      • Fremont is located in King County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fremont
    • Green Lake
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
      • Green Lake is located in King County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Lake
    • Laurelhurst
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Laurelhurst is located in King County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laurelhurst
    • Ravenna
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Ravenna is located in King County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ravenna
    • University Village
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
      • University Village is located in King County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for University Village
    • Seattle
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
    • Medina
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
      • Medina is located in King County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Medina
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,308 people
    • Pontiac
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Pontiac is located in King County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pontiac
    • Clyde Hill
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
      • Clyde Hill is located in King County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clyde Hill
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,398 people
    • Hunts Point
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
      • Hunts Point is located in King County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hunts Point
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 435 people
    • Meadow Brook
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
      • Meadow Brook is located in King County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meadow Brook
    • Northgate
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
      • Northgate is located in King County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Northgate
    • Crown Hill
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Crown Hill is located in King County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crown Hill
  • Island County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Portage Bay, with the one closest to Portage Bay listed first.
    • Clinton
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
    • Bay View
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Bay View is located in Island County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bay View
    • Freeland
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
    • Langley
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
  • Jefferson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Portage Bay, with the one closest to Portage Bay listed first.
    • Port Ludlow
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Beaver Valley
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Beaver Valley is located in Jefferson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beaver Valley
    • Brinnon
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
    • Quilcene
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
  • Kitsap County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Portage Bay, with the one closest to Portage Bay listed first.
    • Manitou Beach
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
      • Manitou Beach is located in Kitsap County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manitou Beach
    • Rolling Bay
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
      • Rolling Bay is located in Kitsap County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rolling Bay
    • Yeomalt
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
      • Yeomalt is located in Kitsap County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yeomalt
    • Bainbridge Island
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
      • Bainbridge Island is located in Kitsap County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bainbridge Island
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 25,358 people
      • Bainbridge Island has also been known as:
      • Winslow
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bainbridge Island <1>
    • Port Blakely ‑ Historic
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
      • Port Blakely is located in Kitsap County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Port Blakely
    • Fort Ward
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Fort Ward is located in Kitsap County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fort Ward
    • Port Madison
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
      • Port Madison is located in Kitsap County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Port Madison
    • Indianola
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Suquamish
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Colchester
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Colchester is located in Kitsap County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colchester
    • Manchester
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Southworth
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Southworth is located in Kitsap County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Southworth
    • Brownsville
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
      • Brownsville is located in Kitsap County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brownsville
  • Mason County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Portage Bay, with the one closest to Portage Bay listed first.
    • Belfair
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Allyn
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Pierce County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Portage Bay, with the one closest to Portage Bay listed first.
    • Dash Point
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Dash Point is located in Pierce County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dash Point
    • Wauna
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Wauna is located in Pierce County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wauna
    • Northeast Tacoma
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Northeast Tacoma is located in Pierce County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Northeast Tacoma
    • Ruston
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Ruston is located in Pierce County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ruston
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 848 people
    • Gig Harbor
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Rosedale
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Rosedale is located in Pierce County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rosedale
    • Edgewood
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
    • Gardenville ‑ Historic
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Gardenville is located in Pierce County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gardenville
    • Tacoma
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
    • Artondale
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Artondale is located in Pierce County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Artondale
    • Fife
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Fife is located in Pierce County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fife
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 10,458 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Fife <1>
    • Lake Tapps
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Lake Tapps is located in Pierce County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Tapps
    • Cromwell
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Cromwell is located in Pierce County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cromwell
  • Snohomish County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Portage Bay, with the one closest to Portage Bay listed first.
    • Brier
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
      • Brier is located in Snohomish County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brier
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 6,955 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Brier <1>
    • Esperance
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
      • Esperance is located in Snohomish County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Esperance
    • Mountlake Terrace
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Woodway
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Woodway is located in Snohomish County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodway
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,391 people
    • Edmonds
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Lynnwood
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Canyon Park
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Canyon Park is located in Snohomish County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Canyon Park
    • Alderwood Manor
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Alderwood Manor is located in Snohomish County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alderwood Manor
    • North Creek
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
      • North Creek is located in Snohomish County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Creek
    • Martha Lake
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Martha Lake is located in Snohomish County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Martha Lake
    • Picnic Point - North Lynnwood
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Maltby
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Maltby is located in Snohomish County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maltby
    • Clearview
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Clearview is located in Snohomish County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clearview

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

Cemeteries Near Portage Bay ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Portage Bay.

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 Portage Bay - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Grand Army of the Republic Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
  • Lake View Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake View Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Lake View Cemetery is a very large cemetery that is located in Seattle.
    • The Lake View Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Masonic Cemetery
    • Seattle Masonic Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #76890 <2>
  • Gar Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
  • Calvary Catholic Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
  • Mt. Pleasant Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
  • Crown Hill Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
  • Evergreen - Washelli Memorial Park
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
  • Evergreen Park Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
  • Ft. Lawton Military Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
  • Comet Lodge Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Comet Lodge Cemetery
    • The Comet Lodge Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Georgetown Cemetery
    • Graham Street Burying Ground
  • Everest Memorial Park
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
  • Kirkland Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
  • Continue List   (77 more) ...
    • Acacia Memorial Park
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Acacia Memorial Park
      • To give a relative sense of its location, the Acacia Memorial Park is a very large cemetery that is located less than 2 miles<3> to the north of Lake City.
      • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #76695 <2>
    • Forest Lawn Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Machzikay Hadath Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Machzikay Hadath Cemetery
      • The Machzikay Hadath Cemetery has also been known as:
      • Seattle Sephardic Brotherhood 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.<4>

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

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

  • Edgewater ‑ Historic
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
    • Edgewater is located in King County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edgewater
  • Fremont
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
    • Fremont is located in King County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fremont
  • Ross ‑ Historic
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
    • Ross is located in King County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ross
  • Seattle
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
  • Ravenna
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Ravenna is located in King County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ravenna
  • Pontiac
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Pontiac is located in King County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pontiac
  • Ballard
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Ballard is located in King County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ballard
  • Houghton
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Houghton is located in King County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Houghton
  • West Seattle
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • West Seattle is located in King County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Seattle
  • Kirkland
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
  • Juanita
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Juanita is located in King County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Juanita
  • Van Asselt
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Van Asselt is located in King County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Van Asselt
  • Continue List   (18 more) ...
    • York
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
      • York is located in King County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for York
    • Wayne
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Wayne is located in King County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wayne
    • Port Blakely ‑ Historic
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
      • Port Blakely is located in Kitsap County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Port Blakely

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

Newspapers Published in Portage Bay ...

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 647 newspapers that have been published in the area around Portage Bay.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Portage Bay, there are papers which were published within 7 miles [11.3 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Portage Bay.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we start with 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 Portage Bay:

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