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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 Relief (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 Relief. 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 and 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.

Relief is located in Columbia 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 Columbia County: Umatilla (OR), Wallowa (OR), Franklin, Garfield, Walla Walla & Whitman.

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

  • Columbia County     (The home county of Relief)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Relief, with the one closest to Relief listed first.
    • Starbuck
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Delaney
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Delaney. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Delaney
      • Delaney is located in Columbia County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Delaney
      • From Relief to Delaney
    • Grange City ‑ Historic
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Grange City have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grange City
      • Grange City is located in Columbia County
    • Dayton
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Huntsville
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Menoken
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
  • Adams County
  • Franklin County
  • Garfield County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Relief, with the one closest to Relief listed first.
    • Pomeroy
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
    • Gould City
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gould City have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gould City
      • Gould City is located in Garfield County
    • Pataha
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
    • Peola
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
  • Walla Walla County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Relief, with the one closest to Relief listed first.
    • Waitsburg
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • Tompkins
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
    • Prescott
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Prescott have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prescott
      • Prescott is located in Walla Walla County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 310 people
    • Coppei
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Coppei. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coppei
      • Coppei is located in Walla Walla County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Coppei
      • From Relief to Coppei
    • Clyde
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
    • Magallon
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Magallon. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Magallon
      • Magallon is located in Walla Walla County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Magallon
      • From Relief to Magallon
    • Dixie
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
    • Paddock
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Kibler
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
    • Rulo
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Rulo. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rulo
      • Rulo is located in Walla Walla County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Rulo
      • From Relief to Rulo
    • Eureka
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Eureka. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eureka
      • Eureka is located in Walla Walla County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Eureka
      • From Relief to Eureka
    • Walla Walla
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Whitman County

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

Cemeteries Near Relief ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Relief.

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

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

  • Pioneer Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pioneer Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pioneer Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Turner Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Turner Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Turner Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Old Bones Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Old Bones Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Old Bones Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • IOOF Cemetery
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the IOOF Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the IOOF Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Covello Cemetery
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Covello Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Covello Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Ivy Cemetery
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Ivy Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Ivy Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Bundy Hollow Cemetery
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bundy Hollow Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bundy Hollow Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Pioneer Memorial Park
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pioneer Memorial Park
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pioneer Memorial Park have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Owsley Cemetery
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Owsley Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Owsley Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Holy Rosary Cemetery
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Holy Rosary Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Holy Rosary Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Pomeroy City Cemetery
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
  • Washtucna Pioneer Memorial Cemetery
    (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
  • Continue List   (6 more) ...

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.<6>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that in 1895, Relief had railroad service and no post office.

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

  • Alto
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Alto have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alto
    • Alto is located in Columbia County
  • Starbuck
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
  • Delaney
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Delaney. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Delaney
    • Delaney is located in Columbia County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Delaney
    • From Relief to Delaney
  • Grange City ‑ Historic
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Grange City have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grange City
    • Grange City is located in Columbia County
  • Dayton
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
  • Menoken
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
  • Huntsville
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
  • Covello
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Covello have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Covello
    • Covello is located in Columbia County
  • Chard
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Chard have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chard
    • Chard is located in Garfield County
  • Waitsburg
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
  • Prescott
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Prescott have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prescott
    • Prescott is located in Walla Walla County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 310 people
  • Coppei
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Coppei. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coppei
    • Coppei is located in Walla Walla County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Coppei
    • From Relief to Coppei
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Marengo
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Marengo have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marengo
      • Marengo is located in Columbia County
    • Hay
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hay have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hay
      • Hay is located in Whitman County
    • Clyde
      (17 miles [27.4 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 Relief. See our List of 1890's Communities around Relief.

Newspapers Published in Relief ...

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 68 newspapers that have been published in the area around Relief.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Relief, there are papers which were published within 29 miles [46.7 km]<5>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Relief.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we like to start 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 Relief:

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

The official website for Columbia County: www.columbiaco.com/

The official website for State of Washington: https://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>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.
<3>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.
<4>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.
<5>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 from Point A (ie- Relief) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Relief. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 46.4528, Longitude: -118.0862       In this case, the coordinates for Relief have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<6>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 Relief, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 29 Apr 2025