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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 Whelan (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 Whelan. 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 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.

Whelan 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 Whelan. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Whelan:

  • Whitman County     (The home county of Whelan)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Whelan, with the one closest to Whelan listed first.
    • Pullman
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Albion
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Shawnee
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Shawnee have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shawnee
      • Shawnee is located in Whitman County
    • Staley
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Staley have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Staley
      • Staley is located in Whitman County
    • Palouse
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Chambers
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chambers
      • Chambers is located in Whitman County
    • Grinnell
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grinnell
      • Grinnell is located in Whitman County
    • Glenwood
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Glenwood have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glenwood
      • Glenwood is located in Whitman County
    • Colfax
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Elberton
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elberton
      • Elberton is located in Whitman County
    • Colton
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
    • Garfield
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
  • Asotin County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Whelan, with the one closest to Whelan listed first.
    • Clarkston
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
    • Silcott
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Silcott have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Silcott
      • Silcott is located in Asotin County
    • West Clarkston - Highland
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for West Clarkston - Highland. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Clarkston - Highland
      • West Clarkston - Highland is located in Asotin County
    • Clarkston Heights - Vineland
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Clarkston Heights - Vineland. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clarkston Heights - Vineland
      • Clarkston Heights - Vineland is located in Asotin County
    • Asotin
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
  • Garfield County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Whelan, with the one closest to Whelan listed first.
    • Mayview
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mayview have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mayview
      • Mayview is located in Garfield County
    • Gould City
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gould City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gould City
      • Gould City is located in Garfield County
    • Pataha
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pataha
      • Pataha is located in Garfield County
  • Benewah County (ID)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Whelan, with the one closest to Whelan listed first.
    • De Smet
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • 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
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • 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>
  • Latah County (ID)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Whelan, with the one closest to Whelan listed first.
    • Viola
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
      • 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>
    • Moscow
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Moscow have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moscow
      • Moscow is located in Latah County (ID)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 26,128 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Moscow <1>
    • Potlatch Junction
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Potlatch Junction
      • Potlatch Junction is located in Latah County (ID)
    • Howell
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Howell have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Howell
      • Howell is located in Latah County (ID)
    • Freeze
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Freeze
      • Freeze is located in Latah County (ID)
    • Onaway
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
      • 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
    • Potlatch
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Troy
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Troy have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Troy
      • Troy is located in Latah County (ID)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 913 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Troy <1>
    • Cora
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • 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)
    • Princeton
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • 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>
    • Lenville
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lenville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lenville
      • Lenville is located in Latah County (ID)
    • Genesee
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Genesee have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Genesee
      • Genesee is located in Latah County (ID)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 976 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Genesee <1>
  • Nez Perce County (ID)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Whelan, with the one closest to Whelan listed first.
    • Leon
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Leon have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leon
      • Leon is located in Nez Perce County (ID)
    • Lewiston
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lewiston
      • Lewiston is located in Nez Perce County (ID)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 33,039 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lewiston <1>
    • North Lapwai
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Cherrylane
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cherrylane
      • Cherrylane is located in Nez Perce County (ID)
    • Spalding
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Spalding have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spalding
      • Spalding is located in Nez Perce County (ID)
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Spalding <1>
    • Cameron
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cameron
      • Cameron is located in Nez Perce County (ID)
    • Lapwai
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lapwai have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lapwai
      • Lapwai is located in Nez Perce County (ID)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,152 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lapwai <1>

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

Newspapers Published in Whelan ...

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 36 newspapers that have been published in the area around Whelan.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Whelan, there are papers which were published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Whelan.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first visit 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 Whelan:

Cemeteries Near Whelan ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Whelan.

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

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

  • Pitts Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pitts Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pitts Cemetery
  • Farr Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Farr Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Farr Cemetery
  • Pullman City Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • Guy Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Guy Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Guy Cemetery
  • Memorial Gardens Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Memorial Gardens Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Memorial Gardens Cemetery
  • Sunset Memorial Gardens Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Sunset Memorial Gardens Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Sunset Memorial Gardens Cemetery
  • Greenwood Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Greenwood Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Greenwood Cemetery
  • Mt. Olivet Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mt. Olivet Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mt. Olivet Cemetery
  • Eden Valley Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • 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.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Eden Valley Cemetery
  • Blaine Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Blaine Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Blaine Cemetery
  • Davis Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Davis Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Davis Cemetery
  • Rock Creek Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Rock Creek Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Rock Creek Cemetery
  • Continue List   (54 more) ...
    • Cordelia Lutheran Cemetery
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Cordelia Lutheran Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Cordelia Lutheran Cemetery
    • Buchanan Cemetery
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Buchanan Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Buchanan Cemetery
    • Colfax Cemetery
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
      • 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 our Gazetteer entry for the Colfax Cemetery
      • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #76743 <5>

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>

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

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

  • Fallon
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fallon have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fallon
    • Fallon is located in Whitman County
  • Pullman
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Sunshine
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sunshine have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunshine
    • Sunshine is located in Whitman County
  • Pullman Junction
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pullman Junction have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pullman Junction
    • Pullman Junction is located in Whitman County
  • Viola
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • 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>
  • Moscow
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Moscow have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moscow
    • Moscow is located in Latah County (ID)
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 26,128 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Moscow <1>
  • Shawnee
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Shawnee have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shawnee
    • Shawnee is located in Whitman County
  • Staley
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Staley have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Staley
    • Staley is located in Whitman County
  • Palouse
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
  • Johnson
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Johnson have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Johnson
    • Johnson is located in Whitman County
  • Joel
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Joel have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Joel
    • Joel is located in Latah County (ID)
  • Cornwall
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cornwall have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cornwall
    • Cornwall is located in Latah County (ID)
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Glenwood
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Glenwood have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glenwood
      • Glenwood is located in Whitman County
    • Colfax
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Colton
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)

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

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Whelan. 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://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>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>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 drawn from Point A (ie- Whelan) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Whelan. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 46.7841, Longitude: -117.1166       In this case, the coordinates for Whelan 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 Whelan, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024