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 Ashland (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 Ashland. 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.

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.

Ashland is located in Aroostook County.

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

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Aroostook County: Penobscot, Piscataquis, Somerset & Washington.

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

• Aroostook County     (The home county of Ashland)
  • The following are listed by their distance from Ashland, with the one closest to Ashland listed first.
  • Sheridan
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sheridan have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sheridan
    • Sheridan is located in Aroostook County
  • Garfield Plantation
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Garfield Plantation have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garfield Plantation
    • Garfield Plantation is located in Aroostook County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 74 people
  • Nashville Plantation
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Nashville Plantation have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nashville Plantation
    • Nashville Plantation is located in Aroostook County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 42 people
  • Walker
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walker
    • Walker is located in Aroostook County
  • Portage
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Portage have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Portage
    • Portage is located in Aroostook County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Portage <2>
  • Castle Hill
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Castle Hill have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Castle Hill
    • Castle Hill is located in Aroostook County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 390 people
  • Masardis
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Masardis have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Masardis
    • Masardis is located in Aroostook County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 227 people
  • Chapman
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chapman
    • Chapman is located in Aroostook County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 450 people
  • Portage Lake
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Portage Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Portage Lake
    • Portage Lake is located in Aroostook County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 370 people
  • Mapleton
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mapleton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mapleton
    • Mapleton is located in Aroostook County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,824 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mapleton <2>
  • Wade
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wade have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wade
    • Wade is located in Aroostook County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 261 people
  • Oxbow Plantation
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Oxbow Plantation have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oxbow Plantation
    • Oxbow Plantation is located in Aroostook County
    • Estimated population in 2018: 61 people
  • Oxbow
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Oxbow have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oxbow
    • Oxbow is located in Aroostook County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Oxbow <2>

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Ashland ...

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 24 newspapers that have been published in the area around Ashland.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

• A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Ashland. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Ashland and those printed in the larger area surrounding Ashland.
• An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 28 miles [45.1 km]<3> of Ashland.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we begin with the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These 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 Ashland:

• Websites specific to Maine
  • Jump to Cyndi's List
  • Jump to Family Search
  • Jump to Genealogy Trails
  • Website for the Maine State Archives

• Pages specific to Aroostook County
  • Jump to Cyndi's List
  • Jump to Family Search
  • Jump to Genealogy Trails

• Genealogy information for nearby counties

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

Cemeteries Near Ashland ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Ashland.

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 Ashland covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

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

• Ashland Municipal Cemetery
  (Less than 2 miles to the north)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Ashland Municipal Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Ashland Municipal Cemetery
• Dunn Cemetery
  (Less than 2 miles to the west)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Dunn Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Dunn Cemetery
• Ashland Sheridan Cemetery
  (Less than 2 miles to the north)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Ashland Sheridan Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Ashland Sheridan Cemetery
• Winslow Cemetery
  (Less than 2 miles to the south)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Winslow Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Winslow Cemetery
• Old St. Marks Cemetery
  (Less than 2 miles to the north)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Old St. Marks Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Old St. Marks Cemetery
• Alieff Cemetery
  (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Alieff Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Alieff Cemetery
• Walker Gardiner Cemetery
  (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Walker Gardiner Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Walker Gardiner Cemetery
• Rafford Cemetery
  (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Rafford Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Rafford Cemetery
• York Cemetery
  (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the York Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the York Cemetery
• Robinson Cemetery
  (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Robinson Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Robinson Cemetery
• Frenchville Catholic Cemetery
  (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Frenchville Catholic Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Frenchville Catholic Cemetery
• Alley Cemetery
  (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Alley Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Alley Cemetery
• Continue List   (84 more) ...
  • Smith Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Smith Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Smith Cemetery
  • Our Lady of the Lake Catholic Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Our Lady of the Lake Catholic Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Our Lady of the Lake Catholic Cemetery
  • Sutherland Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Sutherland Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Sutherland Cemetery

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 Ashland had a population of 267 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service. In 2020, Ashland had a population of 1,214 people.

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

• Masardis
  (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Masardis have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Masardis
  • Masardis is located in Aroostook County
  • Population from the 2020 Census: 227 people
• Portage
  (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Portage have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Portage
  • Portage is located in Aroostook County
  • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Portage <2>
• Castle Hill
  (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Castle Hill have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Castle Hill
  • Castle Hill is located in Aroostook County
  • Population from the 2020 Census: 390 people
• Mapleton
  (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mapleton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mapleton
  • Mapleton is located in Aroostook County
  • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,824 people
  • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mapleton <2>
• Oxbow
  (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Oxbow have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oxbow
  • Oxbow is located in Aroostook County
  • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Oxbow <2>
• Washburn
  (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Washburn have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Washburn
  • Washburn is located in Aroostook County
  • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,533 people
  • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Washburn <2>
• Perham
  (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Perham
  • Perham is located in Aroostook County
  • Population from the 2020 Census: 364 people
  • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Perham <2>
• Presque Isle
  (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Presque Isle
  • Presque Isle is located in Aroostook County
  • Population from the 2020 Census: 8,950 people
  • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Presque Isle <2>
• Parkhurst
  (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Parkhurst have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parkhurst
  • Parkhurst is located in Aroostook County
• Westfield
  (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Westfield have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westfield
  • Westfield is located in Aroostook County
  • Population from the 2020 Census: 505 people
• Easton
  (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Easton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Easton
  • Easton is located in Aroostook County
  • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,177 people
• Roberts
  (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Roberts have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roberts
  • Roberts is located in Aroostook County
• Continue List   (12 more) ...
  • Caribou
    (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Caribou have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Caribou
    • Caribou is located in Aroostook County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 7,622 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Caribou <2>
  • New Sweden
    (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for New Sweden have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Sweden
    • New Sweden is located in Aroostook County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 563 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for New Sweden <2>
  • Blaine
    (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Blaine have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blaine
    • Blaine is located in Aroostook County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 668 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Blaine <2>

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

Off-the-Road Links ...

The official website for Ashland: www.townofashland.com/

The official website for Aroostook County: www.aroostook.me.us/

The official website for State of Maine: https://www.maine.gov/