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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 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 have occurred.

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 and 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.

Western Junction is located in Thurston 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 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)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McIntosh
      • McIntosh is located in Thurston County
    • 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)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kellys Korner
      • Kellys Korner is located in Thurston County
    • Lacey
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lacey
      • Lacey is located in Thurston County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 54,178 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lacey <1>
    • Nisqually Indian Community
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Nisqually Indian Community. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nisqually Indian Community
      • Nisqually Indian Community is located in Thurston County
    • 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)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yelm
      • Yelm is located in Thurston County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 9,591 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Yelm <1>
    • Tanglewilde
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tanglewilde
      • Tanglewilde is located in Thurston County
    • North Yelm
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Yelm have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Yelm
      • North Yelm is located in Thurston County
  • 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)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Chehalis Village have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chehalis Village
      • Chehalis Village is located in Grays Harbor County
    • Oakville
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
    • Cedarville
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cedarville have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedarville
      • Cedarville is located in Grays Harbor County
    • Sine
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sine
      • Sine is located in Grays Harbor County
    • McCleary
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Porter
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Porter have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Porter
      • Porter is located in Grays Harbor County
    • McCleary Junction
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McCleary Junction
      • McCleary Junction is located in Grays Harbor County
    • Malone - Porter
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Malone - Porter
      • Malone - Porter is located in Grays Harbor County
    • Malone
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
    • Garden City
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Garden City have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garden City
      • Garden City is located in Grays Harbor County
    • Elma
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • 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>
  • 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)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fords Prairie have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fords Prairie
      • Fords Prairie is located in Lewis County
    • 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)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Claquato
      • Claquato is located in Lewis County
    • Newaukum
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Newaukum have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newaukum
      • Newaukum is located in Lewis County
    • 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)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fayette have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fayette
      • Fayette is located in Lewis County
    • Lacamas
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lacamas
      • Lacamas is located in Lewis County
    • 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)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for New Kamilche have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Kamilche
      • New Kamilche is located in Mason County
    • Shelton
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Bayshore
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bayshore
      • Bayshore is located in Mason County
    • 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)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mock City have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mock City
      • Mock City is located in Pierce County
    • McKenna
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Roy
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roy
      • Roy is located in Pierce County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 823 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Roy <1>
    • DuPont
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Fort Lewis
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Fort Lewis. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fort Lewis
      • Fort Lewis is located in Pierce County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Fort Lewis <1>
    • Anderson Island
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Anderson Island
      • Anderson Island is located in Pierce County
    • Tillicum
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tillicum
      • Tillicum is located in Pierce County
    • South Creek
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for South Creek. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Creek
      • South Creek is located in Pierce County
    • Longbranch
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
    • Lake City
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lake City have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake City
      • Lake City is located in Pierce County
    • Steilacoom
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Clover Park
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clover Park
      • Clover Park is located in Pierce County

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

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 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)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Forest Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Forest Cemetery
  • Woodlawn Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
  • Mills & Mills Memorial Park
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • 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 our Gazetteer entry for the Mills & Mills Memorial Park
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #76974 <5>
  • Union Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
  • Mt. Tabor Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mt. Tabor Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mt. Tabor Cemetery
  • 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)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Grand Mound Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Grand Mound Cemetery
  • King Hill Pioneer Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
  • McLane Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for the McLane Cemetery. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
    • The McLane Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Mud Bay Cemetery
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the McLane Cemetery
  • Roy Cemetery
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
  • Continue List   (62 more) ...

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.<6>

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)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McIntosh
    • McIntosh is located in Thurston County
  • Plumb
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Plumb have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plumb
    • Plumb is located in Thurston County
  • 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)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lacey
    • Lacey is located in Thurston County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 54,178 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lacey <1>
  • Yelm
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yelm
    • Yelm is located in Thurston County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 9,591 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Yelm <1>
  • Belmore
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Belmore have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belmore
    • Belmore is located in Thurston County
  • 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)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roy
    • Roy is located in Pierce County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 823 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Roy <1>
  • 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)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Puget
      • Puget is located in Thurston County

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.

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

The official website for Thurston County: www.co.thurston.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>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.
<3>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.
<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.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Western Junction. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 46.9090, Longitude: -122.7924       In this case, the coordinates for Western Junction have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<5>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.
<6>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.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024