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 Mara Vista (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 Mara Vista. 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 Mara Vista ...

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 Mara Vista: Mara Vis.

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 northeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals were in the next county to the east. 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 east 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.

Mara Vista is located in Barnstable County.

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

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

Barnstable County (The home county of Mara Vista)
- The following are listed by their distance from Mara Vista, with the one closest to Mara Vista listed first.
- Acapesket
  (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
  - Acapesket is located in Barnstable County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Acapesket
- Teaticket
  (Less than 2 miles to the north)
  - Teaticket is located in Barnstable County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Teaticket
- Falmouth
  (Less than 2 miles to the west)
  - Falmouth is located in Barnstable County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Falmouth
  - Population from the 2020 Census: 31,107 people
- East Falmouth
  (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
  - East Falmouth is located in Barnstable County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Falmouth
- Monomoscoy Island
  (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
  - Monomoscoy Island is located in Barnstable County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monomoscoy Island
- Seconsett Island
  (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
  - Seconsett Island is located in Barnstable County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seconsett Island
- West Falmouth
  (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
  - West Falmouth is located in Barnstable County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Falmouth
- Woods Hole
  (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
  - Woods Hole is located in Barnstable County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woods Hole
- New Seabury
  (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
  - New Seabury is located in Barnstable County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Seabury
- Hatchville
  (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  - Hatchville is located in Barnstable County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hatchville
- Seabrook
  (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
  - Seabrook is located in Barnstable County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seabrook
- Maushop Village
  (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
  - Maushop Village is located in Barnstable County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maushop Village
- Popponesset
  (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
  - Popponesset is located in Barnstable County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Popponesset
Bristol County
- The following are listed by their distance from Mara Vista, with the one closest to Mara Vista listed first.
- Fairhaven
  (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
  - Fairhaven is located in Bristol County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairhaven
  - Population from the 2020 Census: 16,103 people
- Acushnet
  (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
  - Acushnet is located in Bristol County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Acushnet
  - Population from the 2020 Census: 10,673 people
- Bliss Corner
  (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
  - Bliss Corner is located in Bristol County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bliss Corner
- New Bedford
  (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
  - New Bedford is located in Bristol County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Bedford
  - Population from the 2020 Census: 95,517 people
- Nonquitt
  (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
  - Nonquitt is located in Bristol County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nonquitt
- South Dartmouth
  (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
  - South Dartmouth is located in Bristol County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Dartmouth
- Acushnet Center
  (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
  - Acushnet Center is located in Bristol County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Acushnet Center
- Apponagansett
  (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
  - Apponagansett is located in Bristol County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Apponagansett
- Acushnet Station ‑ Historic
  (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
  - Acushnet Station is located in Bristol County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Acushnet Station
- Long Plain
  (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
  - Long Plain is located in Bristol County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Long Plain
- North Dartmouth
  (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
  - North Dartmouth is located in Bristol County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Dartmouth
- Dartmouth
  (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
  - Dartmouth is located in Bristol County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dartmouth
  - Population from the 2020 Census: 33,926 people
- Smith Mills
  (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
  - Smith Mills is located in Bristol County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smith Mills
Dukes County
- The following are listed by their distance from Mara Vista, with the one closest to Mara Vista listed first.
- West Chop
  (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
  - West Chop is located in Dukes County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Chop
- Oak Bluffs
  (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  - Oak Bluffs is located in Dukes County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Bluffs
  - Population from the 2020 Census: 4,696 people
- Tisbury
  (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  - Tisbury is located in Dukes County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tisbury
  - Population from the 2020 Census: 4,128 people
- Vineyard Haven
  (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  - Vineyard Haven is located in Dukes County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vineyard Haven
- Christian Town
  (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
  - Christian Town is located in Dukes County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Christian Town
- North Tisbury
  (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
  - North Tisbury is located in Dukes County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Tisbury
- Edgartown
  (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
  - Edgartown is located in Dukes County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edgartown
  - Population from the 2020 Census: 4,383 people
- Gosnold
  (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
  - Gosnold is located in Dukes County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gosnold
  - Population from the 2020 Census: 75 people
- West Tisbury
  (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
  - West Tisbury is located in Dukes County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Tisbury
  - Population from the 2020 Census: 2,927 people
- Katama
  (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
  - Katama is located in Dukes County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Katama
- Chilmark
  (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
  - Chilmark is located in Dukes County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chilmark
  - Population from the 2020 Census: 930 people
- Menemsha
  (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
  - Menemsha is located in Dukes County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Menemsha
- Aquinnah
  (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
  - Aquinnah is located in Dukes County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aquinnah
  - Population from the 2020 Census: 322 people
  - Former name for Aquinnah:
  - Gay Head
Plymouth County
- The following are listed by their distance from Mara Vista, with the one closest to Mara Vista listed first.
- Marion
  (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
  - Marion is located in Plymouth County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marion
  - Population from the 2020 Census: 5,189 people
- Onset
  (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
  - Onset is located in Plymouth County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Onset
- Mattapoisett
  (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
  - Mattapoisett is located in Plymouth County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mattapoisett
  - Population from the 2020 Census: 6,427 people
- Weweantic
  (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
  - Weweantic is located in Plymouth County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weweantic
- East Wareham
  (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
  - East Wareham is located in Plymouth County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Wareham
- Onset Station
  (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
  - Onset Station is located in Plymouth County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Onset Station
- Briarwood Beach
  (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
  - Briarwood Beach is located in Plymouth County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Briarwood Beach
- Wareham Center
  (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
  - Wareham Center is located in Plymouth County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wareham Center
- Wareham
  (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
  - Wareham is located in Plymouth County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wareham
  - Population from the 2020 Census: 22,778 people
- White Island Shores
  (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
  - White Island Shores is located in Plymouth County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Island Shores
- Rochester
  (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
  - Rochester is located in Plymouth County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rochester
  - Population from the 2020 Census: 5,740 people
- West Wareham
  (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
  - West Wareham is located in Plymouth County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Wareham
- Pine Tree Village
  (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
  - Pine Tree Village is located in Plymouth County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Tree Village
Newport County (RI)
- The following are listed by their distance from Mara Vista, with the one closest to Mara Vista listed first.
- Adamsville
  (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
  - Adamsville is located in Newport County (RI)
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adamsville
- Bliss Corners
  (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
  - Bliss Corners is located in Newport County (RI)
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bliss Corners
- Little Compton
  (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
  - Little Compton is located in Newport County (RI)
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little Compton
  - Population from the 2020 Census: 3,462 people
- Little Compton
  (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
  - Little Compton is located in Newport County (RI)
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little Compton
- Tiverton
  (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
  - Tiverton is located in Newport County (RI)
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tiverton
  - Population from the 2020 Census: 15,569 people

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

Cemeteries Near Mara Vista ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Mara Vista.

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 Mara Vista - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

Methodist Society Burying Ground
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Methodist Society Burying Ground
- The Methodist Society Burying Ground has also been known as:
- Methodist Cemetery
- Old Methodist Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2314290 <1>
St. Patricks Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for St. Patricks Cemetery
- Jump to the Massachusetts Cultural Resource Information System: MACRIS ID #FAL.802 <2>
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #91652 <1>
Oak Grove Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Grove Cemetery
- Jump to the Massachusetts Cultural Resource Information System: MACRIS ID #FAL.810 <2>
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #644001 <1>
Old Town Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Old Town Cemetery
- Jump to the Massachusetts Cultural Resource Information System: MACRIS ID #FAL.808 <2>
St. Anthonys Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for St. Anthonys Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the St. Anthonys Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located in East Falmouth.
- The St. Anthonys Cemetery has also been known as:
- St. Anthonys Catholic Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #174183 <1>
Bay View Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bay View Cemetery
- The Bay View Cemetery has also been known as:
- Waquoit Cemetery
- Jump to the Massachusetts Cultural Resource Information System: MACRIS ID #FAL.807 <2>
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #91817 <1>
Crowell Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crowell Cemetery
- Jump to the Massachusetts Cultural Resource Information System: MACRIS ID #FAL.803 <2>
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #90903 <1>
East End Burying Ground
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East End Burying Ground
- The East End Burying Ground has also been known as:
- East End Meetinghouse Cemetery
- Jump to the Massachusetts Cultural Resource Information System: MACRIS ID #FAL.806 <2>
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2281806 <1>
West Chop Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Chop Cemetery
Oak Grove Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Grove Cemetery
Tisbury Village Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tisbury Village Cemetery
South End Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South End Cemetery
Continue List (207 more) ...
- Sacred Heart Cemetery
  (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sacred Heart Cemetery
- Oak Grove Cemetery
  (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Grove Cemetery
- Great Neck Woods Cemetery
  (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Great Neck Woods Cemetery
  - Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2248339 <1>

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.<3>

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

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

Falmouth Heights
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Falmouth Heights is located in Barnstable County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Falmouth Heights
Teaticket
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Teaticket is located in Barnstable County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Teaticket
Falmouth
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Falmouth is located in Barnstable County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Falmouth
- Population from the 2020 Census: 31,107 people
East Falmouth
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- East Falmouth is located in Barnstable County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Falmouth
West Chop
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- West Chop is located in Dukes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Chop
West Falmouth
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- West Falmouth is located in Barnstable County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Falmouth
Vineyard Highlands
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Vineyard Highlands is located in Dukes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vineyard Highlands
Hatchville
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Hatchville is located in Barnstable County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hatchville
Vineyard Haven
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Vineyard Haven is located in Dukes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vineyard Haven
Oak Bluffs
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Oak Bluffs is located in Dukes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Bluffs
- Population from the 2020 Census: 4,696 people
North Falmouth
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- North Falmouth is located in Barnstable County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Falmouth
Cataumet
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Cataumet is located in Barnstable County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cataumet
Continue List (14 more) ...
- Mashpee
  (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
  - Mashpee is located in Barnstable County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mashpee
  - Population from the 2020 Census: 14,266 people
- Pocasset
  (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
  - Pocasset is located in Barnstable County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pocasset
- North Tisbury
  (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
  - North Tisbury is located in Dukes County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Tisbury

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

Newspapers Published in Mara Vista ...

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 33 newspapers that have been published in the area around Mara Vista.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Mara Vista, there are papers which were published within 17 miles [27.4 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Mara Vista.

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 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 Mara Vista:

Websites specific to Massachusetts
- Jump to Cyndi's List
- Jump to Family Search
- Jump to Genealogy Trails
- Website for the Massachusetts Archives Division

Pages specific to Barnstable County
- Jump to Cyndi's List
- Jump to Family Search
- Jump to Genealogy Trails

Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Bristol County
  - Jump to Cyndi's List
  - Jump to Family Search
  - Jump to Genealogy Trails
- Dukes County
  - Jump to Cyndi's List
  - Jump to Family Search
  - Jump to Genealogy Trails
- Plymouth County
  - Jump to Cyndi's List
  - Jump to Family Search
  - Jump to Genealogy Trails
- Newport County
  - Jump to Cyndi's List
  - Jump to Family Search
  - Jump to Genealogy Trails

Cemetery Information and Directories for Massachusetts
- Cyndi's List
- Cemeteries of Massachusetts
- Cemeteries of Barnstable County
- FamilySearch.org: Cemeteries of Massachusetts
- Find-A-Grave: Home Page
- Interment.net
- Cemeteries of Massachusetts
- Cemeteries of Barnstable County

Footnotes ...

<1>	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.
<2>	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.
<3>	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 Mara Vista, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<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- Mara Vista) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.