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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 Biddeford (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 Biddeford. 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 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.

Biddeford is located in York 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 York County: Cumberland, Oxford, Carroll (NH), Rockingham (NH) & Strafford (NH).

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

  • York County     (The home county of Biddeford)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Biddeford, with the one closest to Biddeford listed first.
    • Saco
      (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saco
      • Saco is located in York County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 20,121 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Saco <1>
    • Airport Village
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Airport Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Airport Village
      • Airport Village is located in York County
    • Kinney Shores
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kinney Shores
      • Kinney Shores is located in York County
    • Ocean Park
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ocean Park have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ocean Park
      • Ocean Park is located in York County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ocean Park <1>
    • Old Orchard Beach
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Old Orchard Beach have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Old Orchard Beach
      • Old Orchard Beach is located in York County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 9,095 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Old Orchard Beach <1>
    • Adams Corner
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adams Corner
      • Adams Corner is located in York County
    • Biddeford Pool
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Dayton
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dayton have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dayton
      • Dayton is located in York County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,107 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Dayton <1>
    • Arundel
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Arundel have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arundel
      • Arundel is located in York County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,457 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Arundel <1>
    • Town House Corners
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Town House Corners
      • Town House Corners is located in York County
    • Days Mill
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Days Mill have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Days Mill
      • Days Mill is located in York County
    • Cape Porpoise
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cape Porpoise
      • Cape Porpoise is located in York County
    • Kennebunk Landing
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kennebunk Landing
      • Kennebunk Landing is located in York County
  • Cumberland County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Biddeford, with the one closest to Biddeford listed first.
    • Grand Beach
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Grand Beach have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grand Beach
      • Grand Beach is located in Cumberland County
    • West Scarborough
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for West Scarborough have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Scarborough
      • West Scarborough is located in Cumberland County
    • Prouts Neck
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Danish Village ‑ Historic
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Danish Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Danish Village
      • Danish Village is located in Cumberland County
    • Scarborough
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Scarborough have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scarborough
      • Scarborough is located in Cumberland County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 21,527 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Scarborough <1>
    • North Scarborough
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Scarborough
      • North Scarborough is located in Cumberland County
    • Lone Creek Village ‑ Historic
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lone Creek Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lone Creek Village
      • Lone Creek Village is located in Cumberland County
    • Gorham
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gorham have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gorham
      • Gorham is located in Cumberland County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 17,962 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Gorham <1>
    • Cape Elizabeth
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Pleasantdale
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pleasantdale have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasantdale
      • Pleasantdale is located in Cumberland County
    • Stroudwater
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stroudwater
      • Stroudwater is located in Cumberland County
    • Sagamore Village
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sagamore Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sagamore Village
      • Sagamore Village is located in Cumberland County
    • South Portland
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
  • Oxford County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Biddeford, with the one closest to Biddeford listed first.
    • Durgintown
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Durgintown
      • Durgintown is located in Oxford County
    • Kezar Falls
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kezar Falls
      • Kezar Falls is located in Oxford County
  • Carroll County (NH)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Biddeford, with the one closest to Biddeford listed first.
    • East Wakefield
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
    • Wakefield
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
    • Woodman
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodman
      • Woodman is located in Carroll County (NH)
    • South Effingham
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for South Effingham have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Effingham
      • South Effingham is located in Carroll County (NH)
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for South Effingham <1>
    • Brookfield
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Brookfield have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brookfield
      • Brookfield is located in Carroll County (NH)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 688 people
  • Strafford County (NH)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Biddeford, with the one closest to Biddeford listed first.
    • Rollinsford
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rollinsford have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rollinsford
      • Rollinsford is located in Strafford County (NH)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,577 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Rollinsford <1>
    • East Rochester
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Rochester
      • East Rochester is located in Strafford County (NH)
    • Somersworth
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Somersworth
      • Somersworth is located in Strafford County (NH)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 12,286 people
      • Former names for Somersworth:
      • Great Falls
      • Summersworth
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Somersworth <1>
    • Milton
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milton
      • Milton is located in Strafford County (NH)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,614 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Milton <1>
    • North Rochester
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Rochester
      • North Rochester is located in Strafford County (NH)
    • Dover
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dover
      • Dover is located in Strafford County (NH)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 32,443 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Dover <1>
    • Rochester
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rochester
      • Rochester is located in Strafford County (NH)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 31,719 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Rochester <1>
    • Middleton
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Middleton have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Middleton
      • Middleton is located in Strafford County (NH)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,832 people
    • Place
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Place have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Place
      • Place is located in Strafford County (NH)

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Biddeford ...

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 305 newspapers that have been published in the area around Biddeford.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Biddeford. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Biddeford and those printed in the larger area surrounding Biddeford.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 15 miles [24.1 km]<3> of Biddeford.

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 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 Biddeford:

Cemeteries Near Biddeford ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Biddeford.

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

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

  • Greenwood Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
  • Woodlawn Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
  • St. Marys Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
  • St. Josephs Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
  • Laurel Hill Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
  • Russell Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Russell Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Russell Cemetery
  • West Scarboro Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the West Scarboro Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the West Scarboro Cemetery
  • Arundel Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Arundel Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Arundel Cemetery
  • Hope Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
  • Evergreen Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Evergreen Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Evergreen Cemetery
  • Black Point Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Black Point Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Black Point Cemetery
  • Mitchell - Hatch Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
  • Continue List   (233 more) ...
    • Home Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Home Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Home Cemetery
    • South Buston Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
      • To give a relative sense of its location, the South Buston Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located in Bar Mills.
      • The South Buston Cemetery has also been known as:
      • Tory Hill Cemetery
      • Tory Hill Meeting House Yard Cemetery
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the South Buston Cemetery
      • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #1980911 <4>
    • Nonesuch Cemetery
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Nonesuch Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Nonesuch 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.<5>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Biddeford had a population of 14,443 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Biddeford had a population of 21,500 people.

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

  • Saco
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saco
    • Saco is located in York County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 20,121 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Saco <1>
  • Ferry Beach
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ferry Beach have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ferry Beach
    • Ferry Beach is located in York County
  • Bay View
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bay View have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bay View
    • Bay View is located in York County
  • Camp Ellis
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Camp Ellis have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Camp Ellis
    • Camp Ellis is located in York County
  • Old Orchard Beach
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Old Orchard Beach have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Old Orchard Beach
    • Old Orchard Beach is located in York County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 9,095 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Old Orchard Beach <1>
  • Biddeford Pool
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Pine Point
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pine Point have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Point
    • Pine Point is located in Cumberland County
  • West Scarborough
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for West Scarborough have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Scarborough
    • West Scarborough is located in Cumberland County
  • Goodwins Mills
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Goodwins Mills have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goodwins Mills
    • Goodwins Mills is located in York County
  • Arundel
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Arundel have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arundel
    • Arundel is located in York County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,457 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Arundel <1>
  • Prouts Neck
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Pine Point Beach
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pine Point Beach have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Point Beach
    • Pine Point Beach is located in Cumberland County
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • West Kennebunk
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for West Kennebunk have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Kennebunk
      • West Kennebunk is located in York County
    • Kennebunk
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Cape Porpoise
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cape Porpoise
      • Cape Porpoise is located in York County

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

The official website for Biddeford: www.biddefordmaine.org/

The official website for York County: www.co.york.me.us/

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

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 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.
<3>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- Biddeford) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Biddeford. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 43.4915, Longitude: -70.4550    
<4>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.
<5>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 Biddeford, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024