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 South Union (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 South Union. 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 South Union ...
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.
Although we can't give a definitive list, hopefully the following will give you a feel for the variations that might occur.
For example, a typical abbreviation for South Union: S. Union
You might be interested in other communities that are also named South Union. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for South Union.
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 northwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals and doctors were in the next county to the west. 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 west 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.
South Union is located in Thurston 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 Thurston County: Grays Harbor, Lewis, Mason & Pierce.
Below are the counties that are near South Union. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to South Union:
- Thurston County (The home county of South Union)
- The following are listed by their distance from South Union, with the one closest to South Union listed first.
- East Olympia
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Tumwater
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Littlerock
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Olympia
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Tenino
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Kellys Korner
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Kellys Korner is located in Thurston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kellys Korner
- Lacey
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- McIntosh
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- McIntosh is located in Thurston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McIntosh
- Bordeaux ‑ Historic
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Bordeaux is located in Thurston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bordeaux
- Tanglewilde
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Tanglewilde is located in Thurston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tanglewilde
- Bucoda
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Grand Mound
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Grays Harbor County
- The following are listed by their distance from South Union, with the one closest to South Union listed first.
- Chehalis Village
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Chehalis Village is located in Grays Harbor County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chehalis Village
- Oakville
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Sine
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- Sine is located in Grays Harbor County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sine
- McCleary
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Cedarville
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Cedarville is located in Grays Harbor County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedarville
- Porter
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Porter is located in Grays Harbor County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Porter
- McCleary Junction
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- McCleary Junction is located in Grays Harbor County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McCleary Junction
- Malone - Porter
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Malone - Porter is located in Grays Harbor County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Malone - Porter
- Malone
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Garden City
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Garden City is located in Grays Harbor County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garden City
- Elma
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Elma is located in Grays Harbor County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elma
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,378 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Elma <1>
- Satsop
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Satsop is located in Grays Harbor County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Satsop
- Lewis County
- The following are listed by their distance from South Union, with the one closest to South Union listed first.
- Fords Prairie
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Fords Prairie is located in Lewis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fords Prairie
- Centralia
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Galvin
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Chehalis
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Claquato
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Claquato is located in Lewis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Claquato
- Newaukum
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Newaukum is located in Lewis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newaukum
- Adna
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Fayette
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Fayette is located in Lewis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fayette
- Napavine
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Curtis
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Onalaska
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Doty
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Mason County
- The following are listed by their distance from South Union, with the one closest to South Union listed first.
- New Kamilche
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- New Kamilche is located in Mason County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Kamilche
- Shelton
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Bayshore
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Bayshore is located in Mason County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bayshore
- Grapeview
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Union ‑ Historic
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Union is located in Mason County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union
- Mohrweis
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Mohrweis is located in Mason County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mohrweis
- Skokomish
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Skokomish is located in Mason County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Skokomish
- Allyn
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Tahuya
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Pierce County
- The following are listed by their distance from South Union, with the one closest to South Union listed first.
- Mock City
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Mock City is located in Pierce County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mock City
- McKenna
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
- DuPont
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Roy
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Fort Lewis
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
- Anderson Island
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- Anderson Island is located in Pierce County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Anderson Island
- Longbranch
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Meridian
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Meridian is located in Pierce County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meridian
- Tillicum
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Tillicum is located in Pierce County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tillicum
- Gertrude
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Gertrude is located in Pierce County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gertrude
- Lake City
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Lake City is located in Pierce County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake City
- Steilacoom
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to South Union, see our County-by-County Page for South Union.
Cemeteries Near South Union ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of South Union.
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 South Union - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for South Union covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from South Union, with the one closest to South Union listed first.
- Mills & Mills Memorial Park
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mills & Mills Memorial Park
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Mills & Mills Memorial Park is located outside and to the southwest of Tumwater.
- The Mills & Mills Memorial Park has also been known as:
- Olympic Memorial Garden Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #76974 <2>
- Union Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Woodlawn Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- McLane Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McLane Cemetery
- The McLane Cemetery has also been known as:
- Mud Bay Cemetery
- Mt. Tabor Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Forest Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Grand Mound Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Rainier Cemetery
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Greenwood Memorial Park
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Ross Family Cemetery
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Squaxin Cemetery
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Mountain View Cemetery
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Continue List (59 more) ...
- Washington Lawn Cemetery
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Oakville Pioneer Cemetery
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Yelm Rainier Cemetery
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
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 South Union in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of South Union.
These communities are listed based on their distance from South Union, with the one closest to South Union listed first.
- Plumb
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Plumb is located in Thurston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plumb
- Tumwater
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Belmore
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Belmore is located in Thurston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belmore
- Littlerock
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Tenino
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Olympia
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Lacey
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- McIntosh
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- McIntosh is located in Thurston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McIntosh
- Grand Mound
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Bucoda
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Rochester
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Yelm
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Continue List (17 more) ...
- Puget
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Puget is located in Thurston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Puget
- New Kamilche
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- New Kamilche is located in Mason County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Kamilche
- Centralia
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around South Union. See our List of 1890's Communities around South Union.
Newspapers Published in South Union ...
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 175 newspapers that have been published in the area around South Union.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of South Union, there are papers which were published within 24 miles [38.6 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for South Union.
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 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 South Union:
- Websites specific to Washington
- Pages specific to Thurston County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Grays Harbor County
- Lewis County
- Mason County
- Pierce County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Washington
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 South Union, 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 obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- South Union) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |