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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 Manchester By The Sea (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 Manchester By The Sea. 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 Manchester By The Sea ...

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.

Manchester By The Sea has also been known as: Manchester.

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 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.

Manchester By The Sea is located in Essex County.

To see how the shape of Massachusetts' counties have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Essex County: Middlesex, Suffolk & Rockingham (NH).

Below are the counties that are near Manchester By The Sea. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Manchester By The Sea:

  • Essex County     (The home county of Manchester By The Sea)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Manchester By The Sea, with the one closest to Manchester By The Sea listed first.
    • West Manchester
      (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
    • Kettle Cove Village
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kettle Cove Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kettle Cove Village
      • Kettle Cove Village is located in Essex County
    • Beverly Farms
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
    • Prides Crossing
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Prides Crossing have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prides Crossing
      • Prides Crossing is located in Essex County
    • Essex Falls
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Centerville
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Centerville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Centerville
      • Centerville is located in Essex County
    • Freshwater Cove Village
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Freshwater Cove Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Freshwater Cove Village
      • Freshwater Cove Village is located in Essex County
    • Essex
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • West Gloucester
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Gloucester
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gloucester have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gloucester
      • Gloucester is located in Essex County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 30,539 people
    • Hamilton
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hamilton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hamilton
      • Hamilton is located in Essex County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 8,070 people
    • Beverly
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • South Hamilton
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for South Hamilton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Hamilton
      • South Hamilton is located in Essex County
  • Middlesex County
  • Norfolk County
  • Plymouth County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Manchester By The Sea, with the one closest to Manchester By The Sea listed first.
    • Hull
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
    • Hingham
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
    • Minot
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Minot have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Minot
      • Minot is located in Plymouth County
    • North Scituate
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Scituate have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Scituate
      • North Scituate is located in Plymouth County
    • Scituate
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Scituate have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scituate
      • Scituate is located in Plymouth County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 19,047 people
    • Greenbush
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Greenbush have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenbush
      • Greenbush is located in Plymouth County
    • Accord
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
    • Norwell
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
    • Marshfield Hills
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Marshfield Hills have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marshfield Hills
      • Marshfield Hills is located in Plymouth County
    • North Marshfield
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Marshfield have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Marshfield
      • North Marshfield is located in Plymouth County
    • Humarock
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Humarock have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Humarock
      • Humarock is located in Plymouth County
  • Suffolk County
  • Hillsborough County (NH)
    • Pelham
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pelham have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pelham
      • Pelham is located in Hillsborough County (NH)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 14,306 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Pelham <3>
  • Rockingham County (NH)

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

Cemeteries Near Manchester By The Sea ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Manchester By The Sea.

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 Manchester By The Sea covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

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

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 Manchester By The Sea had a population of 1,479 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Manchester By The Sea had a population of 5,438 people.

These communities are listed based on their distance from Manchester By The Sea, with the one closest to Manchester By The Sea listed first.

  • West Manchester
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
  • Beverly Farms
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
  • Prides Crossing
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Prides Crossing have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prides Crossing
    • Prides Crossing is located in Essex County
  • Essex Falls
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
  • Magnolia
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Magnolia have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Magnolia
    • Magnolia is located in Essex County
  • South Essex
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for South Essex have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Essex
    • South Essex is located in Essex County
  • West Gloucester
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Essex
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
  • Montserrat
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Montserrat have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montserrat
    • Montserrat is located in Essex County
  • Beverly
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
  • Gloucester
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gloucester have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gloucester
    • Gloucester is located in Essex County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 30,539 people
  • Hamilton
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hamilton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hamilton
    • Hamilton is located in Essex County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 8,070 people
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • North Beverly
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Beverly have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Beverly
      • North Beverly is located in Essex County
    • Marblehead
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Marblehead have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marblehead
      • Marblehead is located in Essex County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 20,551 people
    • Asbury Grove
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)

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

Newspapers Published in Manchester By The Sea ...

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 100 newspapers that have been published in the area around Manchester By The Sea.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Manchester By The Sea, there are papers which were published within 17 miles [27.4 km]<7>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Manchester By The Sea.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we start with the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These professional and volunteer 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 Manchester By The Sea:

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Manchester By The Sea. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.

The official website for State of Massachusetts: https://www.mass.gov/

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>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>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<4>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.

<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 Manchester By The Sea, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<7>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- Manchester By The Sea) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Manchester By The Sea. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 42.5749, Longitude: -70.7708    









 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025