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 Merrimac (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 Merrimac. 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.
A Few Details for Merrimac ...
While it's still very early in our research, we found that:
- Merrimac was settled in 1638.
- It was incorporated in 1876.
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 hospitals and 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.
Merrimac is located in Essex County.
To see how the shape of Massachusetts' counties may 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 Merrimac. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Merrimac:
- Essex County (The home county of Merrimac)
- The following are listed by their distance from Merrimac, with the one closest to Merrimac listed first.
- Rocks Village
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Rocks Village is located in Essex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rocks Village
- West Newbury
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- West Newbury is located in Essex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Newbury
- Population from the 2020 Census: 4,781 people
- Amesbury
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Amesbury is located in Essex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amesbury
- Population from the 2020 Census: 17,537 people
- Groveland
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Groveland is located in Essex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Groveland
- Population from the 2020 Census: 6,868 people
- Byfield
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Byfield is located in Essex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Byfield
- Bradford
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Bradford is located in Essex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bradford
- Haverhill
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Haverhill is located in Essex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Haverhill
- Population from the 2020 Census: 64,098 people
- Newburyport
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Newburyport is located in Essex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newburyport
- Population from the 2020 Census: 18,495 people
- Salisbury
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Salisbury is located in Essex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salisbury
- Population from the 2020 Census: 9,591 people
- Georgetown
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Georgetown is located in Essex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Georgetown
- Population from the 2020 Census: 8,789 people
- Newbury
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Newbury is located in Essex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newbury
- Population from the 2020 Census: 7,175 people
- Ward Hill
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Ward Hill is located in Essex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ward Hill
- Ayers Village
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Ayers Village is located in Essex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ayers Village
- Middlesex County
- The following are listed by their distance from Merrimac, with the one closest to Merrimac listed first.
- North Reading
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- North Reading is located in Middlesex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Reading
- Population from the 2020 Census: 15,904 people
- Dracut
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Dracut is located in Middlesex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dracut
- Population from the 2020 Census: 31,423 people
- West Village
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- West Village is located in Middlesex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Village
- Tewksbury
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Tewksbury is located in Middlesex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tewksbury
- Population from the 2020 Census: 30,970 people
- Collinsville
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Collinsville is located in Middlesex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Collinsville
- Lowell
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Lowell is located in Middlesex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lowell
- Population from the 2020 Census: 110,904 people
- Montrose
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Montrose is located in Middlesex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montrose
- Reading
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Reading is located in Middlesex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reading
- Population from the 2020 Census: 25,535 people
- Ayres City
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Ayres City is located in Middlesex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ayres City
- Wilmington
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Wilmington is located in Middlesex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilmington
- Population from the 2020 Census: 23,287 people
- Middlesex Village
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Middlesex Village is located in Middlesex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Middlesex Village
- North Billerica
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- North Billerica is located in Middlesex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Billerica
- Princeton Village
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Princeton Village is located in Middlesex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Princeton Village
- Suffolk County
- The following are listed by their distance from Merrimac, with the one closest to Merrimac listed first.
- Franklin Park
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Franklin Park is located in Suffolk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Franklin Park
- Revere
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Revere is located in Suffolk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Revere
- Population from the 2020 Census: 52,375 people
- Chelsea
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Chelsea is located in Suffolk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chelsea
- Population from the 2020 Census: 39,230 people
- Hillsborough County (NH)
- The following are listed by their distance from Merrimac, with the one closest to Merrimac listed first.
- Pelham
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Pelham is located in Hillsborough County (NH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pelham
- Population from the 2020 Census: 14,306 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Pelham <1>
- Hudson
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Hudson is located in Hillsborough County (NH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hudson
- Population from the 2020 Census: 25,620 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hudson <1>
- Massabesic
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Massabesic is located in Hillsborough County (NH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Massabesic
- Nashua
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Nashua is located in Hillsborough County (NH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nashua
- Population from the 2020 Census: 89,167 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Nashua <1>
- East Merrimack
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- East Merrimack is located in Hillsborough County (NH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Merrimack
- Litchfield
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Merrimack
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Reeds Ferry
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Reeds Ferry is located in Hillsborough County (NH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reeds Ferry
- Manchester
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Pinardville
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Pinardville is located in Hillsborough County (NH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pinardville
- Bedford
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Bedford is located in Hillsborough County (NH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bedford
- Population from the 2020 Census: 22,957 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bedford <1>
- Hollis Depot
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Hollis Depot is located in Hillsborough County (NH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hollis Depot
- South Merrimack
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- South Merrimack is located in Hillsborough County (NH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Merrimack
- Merrimack County (NH)
- The following are listed by their distance from Merrimac, with the one closest to Merrimac listed first.
- South Hooksett
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- South Hooksett is located in Merrimack County (NH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Hooksett
- Martin
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Martin is located in Merrimack County (NH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Martin
- Hooksett
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Allenstown
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Suncook
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Rockingham County (NH)
- The following are listed by their distance from Merrimac, with the one closest to Merrimac listed first.
- Newton
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Newton is located in Rockingham County (NH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newton
- Population from the 2020 Census: 4,934 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Newton <1>
- South Hampton
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Plaistow
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Westville
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Westville is located in Rockingham County (NH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westville
- East Kingston
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Monahan Corners
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Monahan Corners is located in Rockingham County (NH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monahan Corners
- South Seabrook
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- South Seabrook is located in Rockingham County (NH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Seabrook
- Kingston
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Kensington
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Nason Corners
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Nason Corners is located in Rockingham County (NH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nason Corners
- Seabrook
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Atkinson
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Danville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Strafford County (NH)
- The following are listed by their distance from Merrimac, with the one closest to Merrimac listed first.
- Glenmere Village
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Glenmere Village is located in Strafford County (NH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glenmere Village
- Lee
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Lee is located in Strafford County (NH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lee
- Population from the 2020 Census: 4,597 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lee <1>
- Durham
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Durham is located in Strafford County (NH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Durham
- Population from the 2020 Census: 16,441 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Durham <1>
- Madbury
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Madbury is located in Strafford County (NH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Madbury
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,879 people
- Dover
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Dover is located in Strafford County (NH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dover
- Population from the 2020 Census: 32,443 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Dover <1>
- East Barrington
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- East Barrington is located in Strafford County (NH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Barrington
- Barrington
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Bow Lake Village
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Bow Lake Village is located in Strafford County (NH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bow Lake Village
- Bow Lake Village has also been known as:
- Bow Lake
- Pickering
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Pickering is located in Strafford County (NH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pickering
- Rollinsford
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Somersworth
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Somersworth is located in Strafford County (NH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Somersworth
- Population from the 2020 Census: 12,286 people
- Former names for Somersworth:
- Great Falls
- Summersworth
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Somersworth <1>
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Merrimac, see our County-by-County Page for Merrimac.
Cemeteries Near Merrimac ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Merrimac.
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 Merrimac - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Merrimac covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Merrimac, with the one closest to Merrimac listed first.
- Church Street Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Locust Grove Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Bridge Street Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Lower Corner Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- Children of Israel Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- Merrimack Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Walnut Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Walnut Hill Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- St. Josephs Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Union Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- St. Joseph Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Old Town Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Continue List (467 more) ...
- Highland Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Riverview Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riverview Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Riverview Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located outside and to the northeast of Groveland.
- Jump to the Massachusetts Cultural Resource Information System: MACRIS ID #GRV.800 <3>
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #91517 <2>
- Union Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
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>
The Rand McNally Atlas shows that in 1895, Merrimac had a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Merrimac had a population of 6,972 people.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Merrimac, with the one closest to Merrimac listed first.
- Merrimacport
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Merrimacport is located in Essex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Merrimacport
- West Newbury
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- West Newbury is located in Essex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Newbury
- Population from the 2020 Census: 4,781 people
- Newton
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Newton is located in Rockingham County (NH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newton
- Population from the 2020 Census: 4,934 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Newton <1>
- Salisbury Point
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Salisbury Point is located in Essex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salisbury Point
- Amesbury
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Amesbury is located in Essex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amesbury
- Population from the 2020 Census: 17,537 people
- South Hampton
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Newton Junction
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Newton Junction is located in Rockingham County (NH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newton Junction
- Plaistow
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Haverhill
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Haverhill is located in Essex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Haverhill
- Population from the 2020 Census: 64,098 people
- Bradford
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Bradford is located in Essex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bradford
- Groveland
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Groveland is located in Essex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Groveland
- Population from the 2020 Census: 6,868 people
- Byfield
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Byfield is located in Essex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Byfield
- Continue List (17 more) ...
- Powwow River
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Powwow River is located in Rockingham County (NH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Powwow River
- Westville
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Westville is located in Rockingham County (NH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westville
- South Groveland
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- South Groveland is located in Essex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Groveland
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Merrimac. See our List of 1890's Communities around Merrimac.
Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Merrimac ...
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 71 newspapers that have been published in the area around Merrimac.
We have organized these newspapers into two lists:
- A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Merrimac. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Merrimac and those printed in the larger area surrounding Merrimac.
- An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 11 miles [17.7 km]<5> of Merrimac.
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 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 Merrimac:
- Websites specific to Massachusetts
- Pages specific to Essex County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Middlesex County
- Suffolk County
- Hillsborough County
- Merrimack County
- Rockingham County
- Strafford County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Massachusetts
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 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. |
| <3> | 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.
|
| <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 Merrimac, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <5> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Merrimac) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |