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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 Swem (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 Swem. 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 southwest 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 south.

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 south 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.

Swem is located in Pacific 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 Pacific County: Clatsop (OR), Grays Harbor, Lewis & Wahkiakum.

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

  • Pacific County     (The home county of Swem)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Swem, with the one closest to Swem listed first.
    • Lebam
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Menlo
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Menlo
      • Menlo is located in Pacific County
    • Raymond
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
    • South Bend
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
    • Bay Center
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
    • Tokeland
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
    • Naselle
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Oysterville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
  • Cowlitz County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Swem, with the one closest to Swem listed first.
    • Ryderwood
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ryderwood
      • Ryderwood is located in Cowlitz County
    • Olequa
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Olequa have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Olequa
      • Olequa is located in Cowlitz County
  • Grays Harbor County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Swem, with the one closest to Swem listed first.
    • Cedarville
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cedarville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedarville
      • Cedarville is located in Grays Harbor County
    • Chehalis Village
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Chehalis Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chehalis Village
      • Chehalis Village is located in Grays Harbor County
    • Oakville
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Porter
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Porter have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Porter
      • Porter is located in Grays Harbor County
    • Malone - Porter
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Malone - Porter
      • Malone - Porter is located in Grays Harbor County
    • Malone
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
    • Melbourne
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Melbourne
      • Melbourne is located in Grays Harbor County
    • Brady
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brady
      • Brady is located in Grays Harbor County
    • Elma
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elma
      • Elma is located in Grays Harbor County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,378 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Elma <1>
    • Satsop
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Satsop have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Satsop
      • Satsop is located in Grays Harbor County
    • Montesano
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Central Park
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Central Park have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Central Park
      • Central Park is located in Grays Harbor County
  • Lewis County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Swem, with the one closest to Swem listed first.
    • Doty
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Pe Ell
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Fayette
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fayette have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fayette
      • Fayette is located in Lewis County
    • Curtis
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
    • Adna
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
    • Claquato
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Claquato
      • Claquato is located in Lewis County
    • Galvin
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
    • Chehalis
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
    • Fords Prairie
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fords Prairie have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fords Prairie
      • Fords Prairie is located in Lewis County
    • Newaukum
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Newaukum have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newaukum
      • Newaukum is located in Lewis County
    • Centralia
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
    • Napavine
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
  • Thurston County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Swem, with the one closest to Swem listed first.
    • Independence
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Independence
      • Independence is located in Thurston County
    • Rochester
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Grand Mound
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Bordeaux ‑ Historic
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bordeaux
      • Bordeaux is located in Thurston County
    • Littlerock
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Bucoda
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
    • Tenino
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Wahkiakum County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Swem, with the one closest to Swem listed first.
    • Grays River
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
    • Rosburg
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Skamokawa
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
    • Brookfield
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Brookfield have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brookfield
      • Brookfield is located in Wahkiakum County
    • Dahlia
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dahlia
      • Dahlia is located in Wahkiakum County
    • Altoona
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Altoona have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Altoona
      • Altoona is located in Wahkiakum County

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

Newspapers Published in Swem ...

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 110 newspapers that have been published in the area around Swem.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Swem, there are papers which were published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Swem.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we begin 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 Swem:

Cemeteries Near Swem ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Swem.

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

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

  • Sylvan Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
  • Finnish Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Finnish Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Finnish Cemetery
  • Giesy Family Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Giesy Family Cemetery is located less than 2 miles<3> to the southeast of Menlo.
    • The Giesy Family Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Kiel Colony Cemetery
    • Willie Keil Gravesite
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Giesy Family Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #641574 <4>
  • Fern Hill Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Fern Hill Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Fern Hill Cemetery
  • Oakville Pioneer Cemetery
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Oakville Pioneer Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Oakville Pioneer Cemetery
  • Washington Cemetery
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Washington Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Washington Cemetery
  • Claquato Cemetery
    (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
  • Sharon Cemetery
    (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Sharon Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Sharon Cemetery
  • Mountain View Cemetery
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
  • Greenwood Memorial Park
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
  • Washington Lawn Cemetery
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Washington Lawn Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Washington Lawn Cemetery
  • Grand Mound Cemetery
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Grand Mound Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Grand Mound Cemetery
  • Continue List   (16 more) ...
    • Fern Hill Cemetery
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Fern Hill Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Fern Hill Cemetery
    • Greenwood Cemetery
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Greenwood Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Greenwood Cemetery
    • Snow Cemetery
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Snow Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Snow 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.<5>

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

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

  • Pe Ell
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Lebam
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
  • Willapa
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Willapa have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willapa
    • Willapa is located in Pacific County
  • Fayette
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fayette have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fayette
    • Fayette is located in Lewis County
  • Oakville
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
  • Cedarville
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cedarville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedarville
    • Cedarville is located in Grays Harbor County
  • Boistfort
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Boistfort have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boistfort
    • Boistfort is located in Lewis County
  • Claquato
    (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Claquato
    • Claquato is located in Lewis County
  • South Bend
    (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
  • Rochester
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
  • Porter
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Porter have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Porter
    • Porter is located in Grays Harbor County
  • Wildwood
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wildwood have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wildwood
    • Wildwood is located in Lewis County
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Newaukum
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Newaukum have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newaukum
      • Newaukum is located in Lewis County
    • Chehalis
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
    • Centralia
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)

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

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

The official website for Pacific County: www.co.pacific.wa.us/

The official website for State of Washington: https://access.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>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.
<3>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Swem) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Swem. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 46.6598, Longitude: -123.4046       In this case, the coordinates for Swem have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<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>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 Swem, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024