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 Western Junction (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 Western Junction. 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 Western Junction ...
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 Western Junction: Western Jct. (or less commonly used: Western Jctn.)
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 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.
Western Junction 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 Western Junction. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Western Junction:
- Thurston County (The home county of Western Junction)
- The following are listed by their distance from Western Junction, with the one closest to Western Junction listed first.
- McIntosh
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- McIntosh is located in Thurston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McIntosh
- East Olympia
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Tenino
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Rainier
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Kellys Korner
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Kellys Korner is located in Thurston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kellys Korner
- Lacey
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Nisqually Indian Community
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Tumwater
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Bucoda
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Yelm
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Tanglewilde
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Tanglewilde is located in Thurston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tanglewilde
- North Yelm
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- North Yelm is located in Thurston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Yelm
- Grays Harbor County
- The following are listed by their distance from Western Junction, with the one closest to Western Junction listed first.
- Chehalis Village
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Chehalis Village is located in Grays Harbor County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chehalis Village
- Oakville
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Cedarville
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Cedarville is located in Grays Harbor County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedarville
- Sine
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Sine is located in Grays Harbor County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sine
- McCleary
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Porter
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Porter is located in Grays Harbor County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Porter
- McCleary Junction
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- McCleary Junction is located in Grays Harbor County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McCleary Junction
- Malone - Porter
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Malone - Porter is located in Grays Harbor County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Malone - Porter
- Malone
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Garden City
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Garden City is located in Grays Harbor County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garden City
- Elma
(29 miles [46.7 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>
- Lewis County
- The following are listed by their distance from Western Junction, with the one closest to Western Junction listed first.
- Centralia
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Fords Prairie
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Fords Prairie is located in Lewis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fords Prairie
- Galvin
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Chehalis
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Claquato
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Claquato is located in Lewis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Claquato
- Newaukum
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Newaukum is located in Lewis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newaukum
- Napavine
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Onalaska
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Adna
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Fayette
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Fayette is located in Lewis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fayette
- Lacamas
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Lacamas is located in Lewis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lacamas
- Cinebar
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Mason County
- The following are listed by their distance from Western Junction, with the one closest to Western Junction listed first.
- New Kamilche
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- New Kamilche is located in Mason County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Kamilche
- Shelton
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Bayshore
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Bayshore is located in Mason County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bayshore
- Grapeview
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Pierce County
- The following are listed by their distance from Western Junction, with the one closest to Western Junction listed first.
- Mock City
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Mock City is located in Pierce County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mock City
- McKenna
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Roy
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- DuPont
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Fort Lewis
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Anderson Island
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Anderson Island is located in Pierce County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Anderson Island
- Tillicum
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- Tillicum is located in Pierce County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tillicum
- South Creek
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- South Creek is located in Pierce County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Creek
- Longbranch
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Lake City
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Lake City is located in Pierce County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake City
- Steilacoom
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Clover Park
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Clover Park is located in Pierce County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clover Park
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Western Junction, see our County-by-County Page for Western Junction.
Cemeteries Near Western Junction ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Western Junction.
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 Western Junction - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Western Junction covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Western Junction, with the one closest to Western Junction listed first.
- Rainier Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Forest Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Woodlawn Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Mills & Mills Memorial Park
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- 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
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Mt. Tabor Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Yelm Rainier Cemetery
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Ross Family Cemetery
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Grand Mound Cemetery
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- King Hill Pioneer Cemetery
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for King Hill Pioneer Cemetery
- The King Hill Pioneer Cemetery has also been known as:
- King Hill Indian Cemetery
- McLane Cemetery
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McLane Cemetery
- The McLane Cemetery has also been known as:
- Mud Bay Cemetery
- Roy Cemetery
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Continue List (62 more) ...
- Greenwood Memorial Park
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Ft. Lewis Cemetery
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Mountain View Cemetery
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
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 Western Junction in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Western Junction.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Western Junction, with the one closest to Western Junction listed first.
- McIntosh
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- McIntosh is located in Thurston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McIntosh
- Plumb
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Plumb is located in Thurston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plumb
- Tenino
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Bucoda
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Tumwater
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Lacey
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Yelm
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Belmore
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Belmore is located in Thurston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belmore
- Olympia
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Littlerock
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Grand Mound
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Roy
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Continue List (15 more) ...
- Rochester
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Centralia
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Puget
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Puget is located in Thurston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Puget
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Western Junction. See our List of 1890's Communities around Western Junction.
Newspapers Published in Western Junction ...
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 151 newspapers that have been published in the area around Western Junction.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Western Junction, 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 Western Junction.
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 Western Junction:
- 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 Western Junction, 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 things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Western Junction) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |