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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 Walla Walla (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 Walla Walla. 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 northwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals 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.

Walla Walla is located in Walla Walla County and is the County Seat.

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 Walla Walla County: Umatilla (OR), Benton, Columbia & Franklin.

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

  • Walla Walla County     (The home county of Walla Walla)
  • Columbia County
  • Umatilla County (OR)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Walla Walla, with the one closest to Walla Walla listed first.
    • Calhounville
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Milton - Freewater
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Milton - Freewater have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milton - Freewater
      • Milton - Freewater is located in Umatilla County (OR)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 7,052 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Milton - Freewater <1>
    • Umapine
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Blue Mountain
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • Weston
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Weston have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weston
      • Weston is located in Umatilla County (OR)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 650 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Weston <1>
    • Athena
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Athena have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Athena
      • Athena is located in Umatilla County (OR)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,140 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Athena <1>
    • Helix
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Helix have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Helix
      • Helix is located in Umatilla County (OR)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 191 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Helix <1>
    • Bingham Springs
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
    • Tollgate
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
    • Adams
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
    • Gibbon
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Gibbon. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gibbon
      • Gibbon is located in Umatilla County (OR)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Gibbon
      • From Walla Walla to Gibbon
    • Havana
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Havana. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Havana
      • Havana is located in Umatilla County (OR)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Havana
      • From Walla Walla to Havana
    • Cayuse
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)

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

Cemeteries Near Walla Walla ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Walla Walla.

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

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

  • Blue Mtn. Memorial Garden
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Blue Mtn. Memorial Garden
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Blue Mtn. Memorial Garden have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Ft. Walla Walla Military Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Ft. Walla Walla Military Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Ft. Walla Walla Military Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Mountain View Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
  • Mt. Hope Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Valley Chapel Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Valley Chapel Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Valley Chapel Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Ford Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Bowlus Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bowlus Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bowlus Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Old City Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Old City Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Old City Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • IOOF Cemetery
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
    • 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.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Ivy Cemetery
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
    • 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.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Weston Cemetery
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Weston Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Weston Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Athena Cemetery
    (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Athena Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Athena Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (11 more) ...
    • Hyatt Cemetery
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hyatt Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hyatt Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Bundy Hollow Cemetery
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
      • 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.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Key Cemetery
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Key Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Key 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 Walla Walla had a population of 4,709 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Walla Walla had a population of 33,096 people.

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

  • Valley Grove
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Valley Grove have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Valley Grove
    • Valley Grove is located in Walla Walla County
  • Spofford
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Spofford have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spofford
    • Spofford is located in Umatilla County (OR)
  • Hadley
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hadley have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hadley
    • Hadley is located in Walla Walla County
  • Gilliam
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gilliam have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gilliam
    • Gilliam is located in Walla Walla County
  • Berryman
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Berryman have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berryman
    • Berryman is located in Walla Walla County
  • Dixie
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
  • Rulo
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • 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.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rulo
    • Rulo is located in Walla Walla County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Rulo
    • From Walla Walla to Rulo
  • Blue Mountain
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
  • Climax
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Climax have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Climax
    • Climax is located in Walla Walla County
  • Downing
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Downing have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Downing
    • Downing is located in Umatilla County (OR)
  • Coppei
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
    • 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.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coppei
    • Coppei is located in Walla Walla County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Coppei
    • From Walla Walla to Coppei
  • Touchet
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
  • Continue List   (16 more) ...
    • Waitsburg
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Prescott
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Prescott have been provided by the GNIS.<2> 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
    • Weston
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Weston have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weston
      • Weston is located in Umatilla County (OR)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 650 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Weston <1>

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Walla Walla ...

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 103 newspapers that have been published in the area around Walla Walla.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Walla Walla. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Walla Walla and those printed in the larger area surrounding Walla Walla.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 27 miles [43.5 km]<6> of Walla Walla.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first turn to 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 Walla Walla:

The official website for Walla Walla: www.ci.walla-walla.wa.us/

The official website for Walla Walla County: www.co.walla-walla.wa.us/

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 Walla Walla, 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 obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Walla Walla) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Walla Walla. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 46.0660, Longitude: -118.3440    









 

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This page was last modified/updated: 29 Apr 2025