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A visit to the First Burial Ground ...

Introduction ...

Note: We have organized the cemeteries in our Gazetteer based on a problem that we had while working on our own genealogy. As an example and without specifying the cemeteries involved, we found an ancestor that we believed to have been buried in one cemetery had actually been buried elsewhere.

We discovered that his burial plans had changed at the last moment and the family had scrambled to make new arrangements. By looking at nearby cemeteries, the surrounding communities and in newspapers of the period, we were finally able to locate his burial site.

Should you find yourself in the same situation, we hope that our Gazetteer helps you discover your lost ancestor.

The Location of the First Burial Ground ...

We are using the following GPS coordinates (latitude and longitude) for the First Burial Ground:

42.7698, -70.8439

Note: The GPS location that we are using for the First Burial Ground can be traced back to the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS)<1>

The First Burial Ground is located in Essex County<2>.

The county seat for Essex County is located in Salem. Salem lies 17 miles [27.4 km]<3> to the south of the First Burial Ground .

Open a Google Map centered on the First Burial Ground.

List of nearby cemeteries ...

Based on our list of cemeteries, we know of 27 that are within 7 miles [11.3 km] of the First Burial Ground.<4>

We've listed the following cemeteries based on their distance from First Burial Ground, with the nearest first.

  • First Parish Burying Ground
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
    • The First Parish Burying Ground is located in Essex County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for First Parish Burying Ground
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the First Parish Burying Ground is a large cemetery that is located outside and to the southeast of Newburyport.
    • The First Parish Burying Ground has also been known as:
    • First Parish Burial Ground
    • Newbury First Parish Burying Ground
    • Jump to the Massachusetts Cultural Resource Information System: MACRIS ID #NEW.800 <5>
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #90981 <6>
  • Oak Hill Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
  • Maplewood Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
  • Highland Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • The Highland Cemetery is located in Essex County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Highland Cemetery
  • First Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • The First Cemetery is located in Essex County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for First Cemetery
  • Green Street Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • The Green Street Cemetery is located in Essex County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Street Cemetery
  • Belleville Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • The Belleville Cemetery is located in Essex County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belleville Cemetery
  • St. Marys Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
  • South Byfield Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Rowley Burial Ground
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Long Hill Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
  • Sawyer Hill Burying Ground
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Locust Grove Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Highland Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
      • The Highland Cemetery is located in Essex County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Highland Cemetery
      • To give a relative sense of its location, the Highland Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located outside and to the north of Ipswich.
      • The Highland Cemetery has also been known as:
      • Cowles Highland Cemetery
      • Cowles Memorial Cemetery
      • Highland - Cowles Cemetery
      • New Highland Cemetery
      • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #91075 <6>
    • Old Burying Ground
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
      • The Old Burying Ground is located in Essex County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Old Burying Ground
      • To give a relative sense of its location, the Old Burying Ground is a large cemetery that is located outside and to the north of Ipswich.
      • The Old Burying Ground has also been known as:
      • Old North Burying Ground
      • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #1626132 <6>
    • Highland Annex Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Cawles Memorial Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Wildwood Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
      • The Wildwood Cemetery is located in Rockingham County (NH)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wildwood Cemetery
    • True Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
      • The True Cemetery is located in Essex County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for True Cemetery
    • Salisbury Plains Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Salisbury Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
      • The Salisbury Cemetery is located in Essex County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salisbury Cemetery
    • Mt. Prospect Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Union Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
      • The Union Cemetery is located in Essex County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union Cemetery
    • St. Josephs Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • St. Joseph Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Walnut Hill Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
      • The Walnut Hill Cemetery is located in Essex County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walnut Hill Cemetery
    • Old South Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
      • The Old South Cemetery is located in Essex County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Old South Cemetery
      • The Old South Cemetery has also been known as:
      • South Cemetery
      • South Side Cemetery
      • Southside Cemetery
      • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #91399 <6>

For an expanded list with details, please visit our List of cemeteries.

List of neighboring communities ...

The following 28 communities are within 10 miles [16.1 km]<3> of the First Burial Ground.

We've listed the following communities based on their distance from First Burial Ground, with the nearest first:

  • Newbury Old Town
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
    • Newbury Old Town is located in Essex County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newbury Old Town
  • Newbury
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
    • Newbury is located in Essex County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newbury
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 7,175 people
  • Newburyport
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Newburyport is located in Essex County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newburyport
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 18,495 people
  • Rowley
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Rowley is located in Essex County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rowley
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 6,393 people
  • Byfield
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Byfield is located in Essex County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Byfield
  • Salisbury
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Salisbury is located in Essex County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salisbury
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 9,591 people
  • Ipswich
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Ipswich is located in Essex County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ipswich
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 14,091 people
  • Amesbury
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Amesbury is located in Essex County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amesbury
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 17,537 people
  • South Seabrook
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • South Seabrook is located in Rockingham County (NH)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Seabrook
  • West Newbury
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • West Newbury is located in Essex County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Newbury
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,781 people
  • Georgetown
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Georgetown is located in Essex County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Georgetown
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 8,789 people
  • East Boxford
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • East Boxford is located in Essex County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Boxford
  • Continue List   (16 more) ...
    • Rocks Village
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
      • Rocks Village is located in Essex County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rocks Village
    • Seabrook
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
      • Seabrook is located in Rockingham County (NH)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seabrook
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 8,844 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Seabrook <7>
    • Fogg Corners
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
      • Fogg Corners is located in Rockingham County (NH)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fogg Corners
    • Hamilton
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
      • Hamilton is located in Essex County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hamilton
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 8,070 people
    • Hampton Beach
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
      • Hampton Beach is located in Rockingham County (NH)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hampton Beach
    • South Hampton
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Merrimac
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Merrimac is located in Essex County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Merrimac
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 6,972 people
    • Groveland
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
      • Groveland is located in Essex County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Groveland
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 6,868 people
    • Boxford
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Boxford is located in Essex County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boxford
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 8,331 people
    • Topsfield
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Topsfield is located in Essex County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Topsfield
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 6,660 people
    • Asbury Grove
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
      • Asbury Grove is located in Essex County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Asbury Grove
    • Nason Corners
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
      • Nason Corners is located in Rockingham County (NH)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nason Corners
    • Essex Falls
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
      • Essex Falls is located in Essex County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Essex Falls
    • Essex
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
      • Essex is located in Essex County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Essex
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,824 people
    • Great Boars Head
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
      • Great Boars Head is located in Rockingham County (NH)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Great Boars Head
    • Hampton Falls
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)

For the full list of neighboring communities with details, please visit our extended List of Communities.

Nearby communities with newspapers ...

The following communities are those where newspapers have been published and are located in the vicinity of the First Burial Ground. Unless otherwise noted, the following communities are located in Essex County.

More information can be found on our list of Local Newspapers for The First Burial Ground.

We've listed the following communities alphabetically.

Websites to help with your research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first turn to 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 websites are open to everyone.

To help you get started, the following links will take you to the pages that might help with the First Burial Ground:

  • Pages specific to Massachusetts:
  • Pages specific to Essex County:
  • Genealogy information for nearby counties:
  • Cemetery Information and Directories:

    • Miscellaneous References and Mentions ...

    Our approach is to add the name of a cemetery whenever we see it mentioned - usually from newspapers, old books and maps. Typically we have little information to start with, but we continue to add detail as we find it.

    We've created the following list to keep track of the sources that we found useful for the First Burial Ground:

    • Referenced GNIS Record ...
    • GNIS ID #600449  (First Burial Ground)
      • Note: In 2021, GNIS record #600449 was archived by the USGS. It is no longer maintained by the USGS, nor can it be retrieved from their website. In the past, the GNIS record contained the following information:
      • BGN Class: cemetery
      • County: Essex
      • Est. Elev: 11 (in feet)
      • Topo Map Name: Newburyport East
      • Location given for First Burial Ground:
      • Lat: 42.7698144     Lon: -70.8439404
      • Open a Google Map centered on the above location.

    Footnotes ...

    <1>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.
    <2>If you're interested in how the shape of Massachusetts' counties, including Essex, have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.
    <3>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- First Burial Ground) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.
    <4>While we have an extensive database of cemeteries (with over 200,000 entries), be assured that it's not complete and we're still searching for cemeteries to add.
    <5>The Massachusetts Historical Commission (MHC) has created and maintains a database of historic properties that is called MACRIS (for the Massachusetts Cultural Resource Information System). More information about the MHC and MACRIS can be found on their website: mhc-macris.net.

    When visiting the MACRIS website, you might encounter their page requiring the 'Acceptance of Terms'. With your acceptance, you'll be transfered to the desired page.

    <6>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.
    <7>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.