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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 Rowley (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 Rowley. 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 Rowley ...

While it's still very early in our research, we found that:

  • Rowley was settled in 1638.
  • It was incorporated in 1639.

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.

Rowley 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 Rowley. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Rowley:

  • Essex County     (The home county of Rowley)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rowley, with the one closest to Rowley listed first.
    • Newbury Old Town
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Newbury Old Town is located in Essex County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newbury Old Town
    • Ipswich
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Ipswich is located in Essex County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ipswich
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 14,091 people
    • Newbury
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
      • Newbury is located in Essex County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newbury
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 7,175 people
    • Byfield
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Byfield is located in Essex County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Byfield
    • Hamilton
      (5 miles [8 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
    • East Boxford
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
      • East Boxford is located in Essex County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Boxford
    • Georgetown
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
      • Georgetown is located in Essex County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Georgetown
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 8,789 people
    • Newburyport
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
      • Newburyport is located in Essex County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newburyport
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 18,495 people
    • Asbury Grove
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
      • Asbury Grove is located in Essex County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Asbury Grove
    • Topsfield
      (6 miles [9.7 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
    • Essex Falls
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Essex Falls is located in Essex County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Essex Falls
    • Essex
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Essex is located in Essex County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Essex
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,824 people
    • Boxford
      (7 miles [11.3 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
  • Middlesex County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rowley, with the one closest to Rowley listed first.
    • North Reading
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
      • North Reading is located in Middlesex County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Reading
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 15,904 people
    • West Village
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
      • West Village is located in Middlesex County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Village
    • Montrose
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Montrose is located in Middlesex County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montrose
    • Reading
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Reading is located in Middlesex County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reading
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 25,535 people
    • Wakefield
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Wakefield is located in Middlesex County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wakefield
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 27,051 people
    • Lindenwood
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Lindenwood is located in Middlesex County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lindenwood
    • Mishawum ‑ Historic
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Mishawum is located in Middlesex County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mishawum
    • Stoneham
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Stoneham is located in Middlesex County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stoneham
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 23,961 people
    • Walnut Hill
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Walnut Hill is located in Middlesex County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walnut Hill
    • Wilmington
      (19 miles [30.6 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
    • Tewksbury
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • Tewksbury is located in Middlesex County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tewksbury
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 30,970 people
    • Melrose
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Melrose is located in Middlesex County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Melrose
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 27,790 people
    • Montvale
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Montvale is located in Middlesex County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montvale
  • Norfolk County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rowley, with the one closest to Rowley listed first.
    • Brookline Village
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Brookline Village is located in Norfolk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brookline Village
    • Brookline
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Brookline is located in Norfolk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brookline
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 59,022 people
  • Plymouth County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rowley, with the one closest to Rowley listed first.
    • Bayside
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Bayside is located in Plymouth County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bayside
    • Hull
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Hull is located in Plymouth County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hull
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 10,484 people
    • Kenberma
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Kenberma is located in Plymouth County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kenberma
  • Suffolk County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rowley, with the one closest to Rowley listed first.
    • Franklin Park
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
      • Franklin Park is located in Suffolk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Franklin Park
    • Revere
      (22 miles [35.4 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
      (23 miles [37 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
    • Winthrop
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Winthrop is located in Suffolk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winthrop
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 18,446 people
    • Charlestown
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Charlestown is located in Suffolk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Charlestown
    • East Boston
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • East Boston is located in Suffolk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Boston
    • Point Shirley
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Point Shirley is located in Suffolk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Point Shirley
    • Boston
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Boston is located in Suffolk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boston
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 691,531 people
    • Bay Village
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Bay Village is located in Suffolk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bay Village
    • South Boston
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • South Boston is located in Suffolk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Boston
    • Allston
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Allston is located in Suffolk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Allston
    • Roxbury
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Roxbury is located in Suffolk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roxbury
    • Brighton
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Brighton is located in Suffolk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brighton
  • Hillsborough County (NH)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rowley, with the one closest to Rowley listed first.
    • Pelham
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • 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
      (28 miles [45.1 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>
    • Nashua
      (30 miles [48.3 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>
  • Rockingham County (NH)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rowley, with the one closest to Rowley listed first.
    • South Seabrook
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
      • South Seabrook is located in Rockingham County (NH)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Seabrook
    • Fogg Corners
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Fogg Corners is located in Rockingham County (NH)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fogg Corners
    • Seabrook
      (12 miles [19.3 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 <1>
    • South Hampton
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • Hampton Beach
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
      • Hampton Beach is located in Rockingham County (NH)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hampton Beach
    • Hampton Falls
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
    • Newton
      (13 miles [20.9 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>
    • Plaistow
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Plaistow is located in Rockingham County (NH)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plaistow
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 7,735 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Plaistow <1>
    • Great Boars Head
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Great Boars Head is located in Rockingham County (NH)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Great Boars Head
    • Kensington
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Nason Corners
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Nason Corners is located in Rockingham County (NH)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nason Corners
    • Westville
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Westville is located in Rockingham County (NH)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westville
    • East Kingston
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
  • Strafford County (NH)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rowley, with the one closest to Rowley listed first.
    • Glenmere Village
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Glenmere Village is located in Strafford County (NH)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glenmere Village
    • Durham
      (28 miles [45.1 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>
    • Lee
      (28 miles [45.1 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>

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

Cemeteries Near Rowley ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Rowley.

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 Rowley - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Rowley Burial Ground
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
  • Locust Grove Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
  • Old Burying Ground
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
    • 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 <3>
  • Cawles Memorial Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
  • Highland Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
    • 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 <3>
  • Highland Annex Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
  • Old South Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • 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 <3>
  • Old Town Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
  • South Byfield Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
  • First Burial Ground
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Pine Grove Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • First Parish Burying Ground
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • 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 <2>
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #90981 <3>
  • Continue List   (409 more) ...

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, Rowley had a post office and no railroad service. In 2020, Rowley had a population of 6,393 people.

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

  • South Byfield
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
    • South Byfield is located in Essex County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Byfield
  • Ipswich
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Ipswich is located in Essex County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ipswich
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 14,091 people
  • Newbury
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Newbury is located in Essex County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newbury
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 7,175 people
  • Byfield
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Byfield is located in Essex County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Byfield
  • Knights Crossing
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Knights Crossing is located in Essex County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Knights Crossing
  • East Boxford
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • East Boxford is located in Essex County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Boxford
  • Hamilton
    (5 miles [8 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
  • Georgetown
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Georgetown is located in Essex County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Georgetown
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 8,789 people
  • South Georgetown
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • South Georgetown is located in Essex County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Georgetown
  • Topsfield
    (6 miles [9.7 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
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Asbury Grove is located in Essex County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Asbury Grove
  • Newburyport
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Newburyport is located in Essex County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newburyport
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 18,495 people
  • Continue List   (16 more) ...
    • Boxford
      (7 miles [11.3 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
    • Wenham
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
      • Wenham is located in Essex County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wenham
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,164 people
    • Essex Falls
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Essex Falls is located in Essex County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Essex Falls

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

Newspapers Published in Rowley ...

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 31 newspapers that have been published in the area around Rowley.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Rowley, there are papers which were published within 14 miles [22.5 km]<5>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Rowley.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first turn to 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 Rowley:

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 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>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 Rowley, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<5>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Rowley) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.