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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 Wilderness Village (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 Wilderness Village. 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 Wilderness Village ...

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 Wilderness Village: Wilderness Vlg. (in Canada, 'Vlge.' is the more common abbreviation.)

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 southwest 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 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 west 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.

Wilderness Village is located in King 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 King County: Chelan, Kittitas, Pierce & Snohomish.

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

  • King County     (The home county of Wilderness Village)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Wilderness Village, with the one closest to Wilderness Village listed first.
    • Orchard Grove
      (Less than 2 miles to the east)
      • Orchard Grove is located in King County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orchard Grove
    • Maple Valley
      (Less than 2 miles to the south)
    • Danville
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Danville is located in King County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Danville
    • Landsburg
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
      • Landsburg is located in King County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Landsburg
    • Ravensdale
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Ravensdale is located in King County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ravensdale
    • Covington
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Hobart
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Maple Heights - Lake Desire
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Lake Morton - Berrydale
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Mirrormont
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
      • Mirrormont is located in King County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mirrormont
    • Black Diamond
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • One Hundred One Pines
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • Kitsap County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Wilderness Village, with the one closest to Wilderness Village listed first.
    • Southworth
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Southworth is located in Kitsap County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Southworth
    • Olalla
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
    • South Colby
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • South Colby is located in Kitsap County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Colby
    • Colby
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Colby is located in Kitsap County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colby
    • Colchester
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Colchester is located in Kitsap County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colchester
    • Fort Ward
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Fort Ward is located in Kitsap County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fort Ward
    • Manchester
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Port Blakely ‑ Historic
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Port Blakely is located in Kitsap County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Port Blakely
    • Yeomalt
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Yeomalt is located in Kitsap County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yeomalt
    • South Park Village
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
    • Bainbridge Island
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Bainbridge Island is located in Kitsap County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bainbridge Island
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 25,358 people
      • Bainbridge Island has also been known as:
      • Winslow
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bainbridge Island <1>
    • Burley
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
  • Kittitas County
  • Pierce County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Wilderness Village, with the one closest to Wilderness Village listed first.
    • Lake Tapps
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Lake Tapps is located in Pierce County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Tapps
    • Buckley
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
    • Bonney Lake
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Edgewood
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Sumner
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
    • North Puyallup
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • North Puyallup is located in Pierce County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Puyallup
    • Northeast Tacoma
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Northeast Tacoma is located in Pierce County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Northeast Tacoma
    • South Prairie
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
    • Alderton
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Alderton is located in Pierce County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alderton
    • Firwood ‑ Historic
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Firwood is located in Pierce County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Firwood
    • Gardenville ‑ Historic
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Gardenville is located in Pierce County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gardenville
    • Dash Point
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
      • Dash Point is located in Pierce County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dash Point
  • Snohomish County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Wilderness Village, with the one closest to Wilderness Village listed first.
    • Echo Lake
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Echo Lake is located in Snohomish County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Echo Lake
    • Maltby
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Maltby is located in Snohomish County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maltby
    • Brier
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Brier is located in Snohomish County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brier
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 6,955 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Brier <1>
    • Canyon Park
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Canyon Park is located in Snohomish County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Canyon Park
    • North Creek
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • North Creek is located in Snohomish County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Creek
    • Mountlake Terrace
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)

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

Cemeteries Near Wilderness Village ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Wilderness Village.

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 Wilderness Village - one of the links might be able to help.

If not found below, our Cemetery List for Wilderness Village covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

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

  • Hobart - Maple Valley Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hobart - Maple Valley Cemetery
    • The Hobart - Maple Valley Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Maple Valley Hobart Cemetery
  • Tahoma National Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tahoma National Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Tahoma National Cemetery is a very large cemetery that is located 6 miles [9.7 km]<2> to the east of Kent.
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #109448 <3>
  • Ravensdale Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
  • Suise Creek Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
  • Black Diamond Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • Franklin Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Greenwood Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
  • Saar Pioneer Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
  • Hillside Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
  • White Lake Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
  • Mt. Olivet Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
  • Krain Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
  • Continue List   (76 more) ...
    • Auburn Cemetery
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Mountain View Cemetery
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Enumclaw Municipal Cemetery
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)

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.<4>

While we didn't find Wilderness Village in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Wilderness Village.

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

  • Maple Valley
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
  • Summit
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Summit is located in King County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Summit
  • Covington
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Cedar Mountain
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Cedar Mountain is located in King County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Mountain
  • Black Diamond
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • Elliott
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Elliott is located in King County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elliott
  • Green River
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Green River is located in King County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green River
  • Franklin ‑ Historic
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Franklin is located in King County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Franklin
  • Kangley
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Kangley is located in King County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kangley
  • Thomas
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Thomas is located in King County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thomas
  • Palmer
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Palmer is located in King County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Palmer
  • Kent
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Kent is located in King County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kent
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 130,676 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Kent <1>
  • Continue List   (16 more) ...
    • Christopher
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Christopher is located in King County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Christopher
    • O'Brien
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
      • O'Brien is located in King County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for O'Brien
    • Veazie
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Veazie is located in King County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Veazie

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

Newspapers Published in Wilderness Village ...

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 97 newspapers that have been published in the area around Wilderness Village.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Wilderness Village, there are papers which were published within 14 miles [22.5 km]<2>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Wilderness Village.

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 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 Wilderness Village:

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>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or 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- Wilderness Village) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.
<3>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.
<4>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 Wilderness Village, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.