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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 Thornton (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 Thornton. 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 southeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors and hospitals were in the next county to the east. 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 east 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.

Thornton is located in Whitman 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 Whitman County: Benewah (ID), Latah (ID), Nez Perce (ID), Adams, Asotin, Columbia, Franklin, Garfield, Lincoln & Spokane.

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

  • Whitman County     (The home county of Thornton)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Thornton, with the one closest to Thornton listed first.
    • Oakesdale
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakesdale
      • Oakesdale is located in Whitman County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 425 people
    • Steptoe
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Rosalia
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Malden
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Pine City ‑ Historic
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pine City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine City
      • Pine City is located in Whitman County
    • Juno
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Juno. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Juno
      • Juno is located in Whitman County
    • Saint John
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Belmont
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Eden
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Eden. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eden
      • Eden is located in Whitman County
    • Elberton
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elberton
      • Elberton is located in Whitman County
    • Lone Pine
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Lone Pine. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lone Pine
      • Lone Pine is located in Whitman County
    • Garfield
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Glenwood
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Glenwood. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glenwood
      • Glenwood is located in Whitman County
  • Lincoln County
    • Sprague
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Spokane County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Thornton, with the one closest to Thornton listed first.
    • Spring Valley
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Valley
      • Spring Valley is located in Spokane County
    • Latah
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Waverly
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Waverly have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waverly
      • Waverly is located in Spokane County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 110 people
    • Fairfield
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Spangle
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
    • Rockford
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Cheney
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • Tyler
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Tyler. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tyler
      • Tyler is located in Spokane County
    • Valleyford
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
  • Benewah County (ID)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Thornton, with the one closest to Thornton listed first.
    • Willard
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willard
      • Willard is located in Benewah County (ID)
    • De Smet
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for De Smet have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for De Smet
      • De Smet is located in Benewah County (ID)
    • Tensed
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tensed
      • Tensed is located in Benewah County (ID)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 123 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Tensed <1>
    • Plummer
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plummer
      • Plummer is located in Benewah County (ID)
  • Kootenai County (ID)
    • Worley
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Worley
      • Worley is located in Kootenai County (ID)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 265 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Worley <1>
  • Latah County (ID)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Thornton, with the one closest to Thornton listed first.
    • Cora
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Cora. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cora
      • Cora is located in Latah County (ID)
    • Freeze
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Freeze
      • Freeze is located in Latah County (ID)
    • Potlatch Junction
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Potlatch Junction
      • Potlatch Junction is located in Latah County (ID)
    • Viola
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Viola have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Viola
      • Viola is located in Latah County (ID)
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Viola <1>
    • Potlatch
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Onaway
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Onaway have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Onaway
      • Onaway is located in Latah County (ID)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 198 people
    • Princeton
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Princeton have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Princeton
      • Princeton is located in Latah County (ID)
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Princeton <1>

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

Cemeteries Near Thornton ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Thornton.

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

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

  • Pleasant Valley Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pleasant Valley Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pleasant Valley Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Oakesdale Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Oakesdale Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Oakesdale Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Pine City Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pine City Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pine City Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Bethel Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
  • Riggs Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Riggs Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Riggs Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Rosalia IOOF Evergreen Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Rosalia IOOF Evergreen Cemetery
    • The Rosalia IOOF Evergreen Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Evergreen Cemetery
    • IOOF Cemetery
    • IOOF Cemetery
    • Rosalia Cemetery
    • Rosalia IOOF Evergreen Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #172058 <4>
  • Stipe Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
  • Lone Pine Cemetery
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lone Pine Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lone Pine Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Garfield Cemetery
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Garfield Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Garfield Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Colfax Cemetery
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Colfax Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Colfax Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located outside and to the northeast of Colfax.
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #76743 <4>
  • Eden Valley Cemetery
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Eden Valley Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Eden Valley Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Silver Creek Cemetery
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Silver Creek Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Silver Creek Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (39 more) ...
    • Farmington Cemetery
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Farmington Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Farmington Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Goldenrod Cemetery
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Goldenrod Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Goldenrod Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Latah Cemetery
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Latah Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Latah Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.

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>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that in 1895, Thornton had a post office and railroad service.

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

  • Sunset
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sunset have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunset
    • Sunset is located in Whitman County
  • Oakesdale
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakesdale
    • Oakesdale is located in Whitman County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 425 people
  • Steptoe
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
  • Rosalia
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
  • Pine City ‑ Historic
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pine City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine City
    • Pine City is located in Whitman County
  • Juno
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Juno. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Juno
    • Juno is located in Whitman County
  • Saint John
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
  • Belmont
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
  • Elberton
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elberton
    • Elberton is located in Whitman County
  • Eden
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Eden. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eden
    • Eden is located in Whitman County
  • Garfield
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Lone Pine
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Lone Pine. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lone Pine
    • Lone Pine is located in Whitman County
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Plaza
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Plaza have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plaza
      • Plaza is located in Spokane County
    • Diamond
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Diamond have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Diamond
      • Diamond is located in Whitman County
    • Glenwood
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Glenwood. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glenwood
      • Glenwood is located in Whitman County

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

Newspapers Published in Thornton ...

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 64 newspapers that have been published in the area around Thornton.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Thornton, there are papers which were published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<6>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Thornton.

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 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 Thornton:

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

The official website for Whitman County: www.whitmancounty.org/

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>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>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.
<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 Thornton, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<6>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- Thornton) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Thornton. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 47.1207, Longitude: -117.3896       In this case, the coordinates for Thornton have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 29 Apr 2025