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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 West Fairfield (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 West Fairfield. 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 West Fairfield ...

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 have occurred.

For example, a typical abbreviation for West Fairfield: W. Fairfield

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 southeast 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 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.

West Fairfield is located in Spokane 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 Spokane County: Benewah (ID), Bonner (ID), Kootenai (ID), Lincoln, Pend Oreille, Stevens & Whitman.

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

  • Spokane County     (The home county of West Fairfield)
    • The following are listed by their distance from West Fairfield, with the one closest to West Fairfield listed first.
    • Fairfield
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Waverly
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
      • 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
    • Latah
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Rockford
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Spring Valley
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Valley
      • Spring Valley is located in Spokane County
    • Spangle
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Valleyford
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Mica
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mica
      • Mica is located in Spokane County
    • Cheney
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
    • Marshall
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marshall
      • Marshall is located in Spokane County
    • Dishman
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dishman have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dishman
      • Dishman is located in Spokane County
    • Opportunity
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Opportunity
      • Opportunity is located in Spokane County
    • Veradale
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
  • Whitman County
    • The following are listed by their distance from West Fairfield, with the one closest to West Fairfield listed first.
    • Lone Pine
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lone Pine have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lone Pine
      • Lone Pine is located in Whitman County
    • Rosalia
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Tekoa
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Willard
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willard
      • Willard is located in Whitman County
    • Malden
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Oakesdale
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakesdale
      • Oakesdale is located in Whitman County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 425 people
    • Pine City ‑ Historic
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
      • 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
    • Belmont
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
    • Farmington
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Eden
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Eden have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eden
      • Eden is located in Whitman County
    • Garfield
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
    • Steptoe
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
    • Saint John
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
  • Benewah County (ID)
    • The following are listed by their distance from West Fairfield, with the one closest to West Fairfield listed first.
    • Willard
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willard
      • Willard is located in Benewah County (ID)
    • Plummer
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plummer
      • Plummer is located in Benewah County (ID)
    • Tensed
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • 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>
    • Chatcolet
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chatcolet
      • Chatcolet is located in Benewah County (ID)
    • De Smet
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • 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)
    • Parkline
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Parkline have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parkline
      • Parkline is located in Benewah County (ID)
    • Saint Maries
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Saint Maries have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Maries
      • Saint Maries is located in Benewah County (ID)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,465 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Saint Maries <1>
  • Kootenai County (ID)
    • The following are listed by their distance from West Fairfield, with the one closest to West Fairfield listed first.
    • Worley
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • 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>
    • Bellgrove
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bellgrove
      • Bellgrove is located in Kootenai County (ID)
    • Conkling Park
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Conkling Park
      • Conkling Park is located in Kootenai County (ID)
    • Harrison
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Harrison have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harrison
      • Harrison is located in Kootenai County (ID)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 215 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Harrison <1>
    • State Line Village
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for State Line Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for State Line Village
      • State Line Village is located in Kootenai County (ID)
    • State Line
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for State Line have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for State Line
      • State Line is located in Kootenai County (ID)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 49 people
    • Post Falls
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Post Falls have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Post Falls
      • Post Falls is located in Kootenai County (ID)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 38,933 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Post Falls <1>
    • Huetter
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Huetter
      • Huetter is located in Kootenai County (ID)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 114 people
    • Medimont
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Medimont have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Medimont
      • Medimont is located in Kootenai County (ID)
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Medimont <1>
    • Hauser
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hauser have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hauser
      • Hauser is located in Kootenai County (ID)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 726 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hauser <1>
    • Coeur d'Alene Junction
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Coeur d'Alene Junction have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coeur d'Alene Junction
      • Coeur d'Alene Junction is located in Kootenai County (ID)
    • Coeur d'Alene
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Fernan Lake Village
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fernan Lake Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fernan Lake Village
      • Fernan Lake Village is located in Kootenai County (ID)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 174 people
  • Latah County (ID)
    • Cora
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cora have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cora
      • Cora is located in Latah County (ID)

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

Newspapers Published in West Fairfield ...

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 83 newspapers that have been published in the area around West Fairfield.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of West Fairfield, there are papers which were published within 27 miles [43.5 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for West Fairfield.

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 websites either 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 West Fairfield:

Cemeteries Near West Fairfield ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of West Fairfield.

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

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

  • Rosewood Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Rosewood Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Rosewood Cemetery
  • Fairfield Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Fairfield Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Fairfield Cemetery
  • Farmington Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • 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.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Farmington Cemetery
  • Mt. Hope Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mt. Hope Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mt. Hope Cemetery
  • Fairview Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Fairview Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Fairview Cemetery
  • Latah Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • 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.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Latah Cemetery
  • Wood Memorial Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Wood Memorial Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Wood Memorial Cemetery
  • Rosalia IOOF Evergreen Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
  • Riggs Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • 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.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Riggs Cemetery
  • Lone Pine Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • 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.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lone Pine Cemetery
  • Evergreen Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Evergreen Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Evergreen Cemetery
  • Mica Peak Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mica Peak Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mica Peak Cemetery
  • Continue List   (49 more) ...
    • Mica Creek Cemetery
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mica Creek Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mica Creek Cemetery
    • Mica Cemetery
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mica Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mica Cemetery
    • Goldenrod Cemetery
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • 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.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Goldenrod 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 West Fairfield in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of West Fairfield.

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

  • Waverly
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
    • 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
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
  • Latah
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Rockford
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Plaza
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • 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
  • Spangle
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
  • Lone Pine
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lone Pine have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lone Pine
    • Lone Pine is located in Whitman County
  • Freeman
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Freeman have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Freeman
    • Freeman is located in Spokane County
  • Rosalia
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Tekoa
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Mica
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mica
    • Mica is located in Spokane County
  • Oakesdale
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakesdale
    • Oakesdale is located in Whitman County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 425 people
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Seltice
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Seltice have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seltice
      • Seltice is located in Whitman County
    • Chester
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Chester have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chester
      • Chester is located in Spokane County
    • Pine City ‑ Historic
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
      • 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

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

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

The official website for Spokane County: www.spokanecounty.org/

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 obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- West Fairfield) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in West Fairfield. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 47.3707, Longitude: -117.2213       In this case, the coordinates for West Fairfield 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 West Fairfield, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024