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 Paris (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 Paris. 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 and hospitals 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.
Paris is located in Oxford County.
To see how the shape of Maine's counties may have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.
The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Oxford County: Androscoggin, Cumberland, Franklin, York, Carroll (NH) & Coos (NH).
Below are the counties that are near Paris. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Paris:
- Oxford County (The home county of Paris)
- The following are listed by their distance from Paris, with the one closest to Paris listed first.
- South Paris
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Norway
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- West Paris
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Hebron
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- North Norway
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- North Norway is located in Oxford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Norway
- Buckfield
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Greenwood
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Oxford
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Sumner
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- East Sumner
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- East Sumner is located in Oxford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Sumner
- Woodstock
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Bryant Pond
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Androscoggin County
- The following are listed by their distance from Paris, with the one closest to Paris listed first.
- West Minot
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- West Minot is located in Androscoggin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Minot
- Chase Mills
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Chase Mills is located in Androscoggin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chase Mills
- Mechanic Falls
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Turner
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- North Auburn
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- North Auburn is located in Androscoggin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Auburn
- West Auburn
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- West Auburn is located in Androscoggin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Auburn
- Turner Center
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Turner Center is located in Androscoggin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Turner Center
- North Turner
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- North Turner is located in Androscoggin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Turner
- Howes Corner
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Howes Corner is located in Androscoggin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Howes Corner
- Poland
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Moussam
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- Moussam is located in Androscoggin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moussam
- East Poland
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- East Poland is located in Androscoggin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Poland
- Cumberland County
- The following are listed by their distance from Paris, with the one closest to Paris listed first.
- Otisfield
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Otisfield is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Otisfield
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,819 people
- Cobb Cove
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Cobb Cove is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cobb Cove
- Harrison
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- North Bridgton
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Casco
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Bridgton
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Crescent Lake
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Crescent Lake is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crescent Lake
- Shaker Village
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Shaker Village is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shaker Village
- Sandy Creek
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Sandy Creek is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandy Creek
- Naples
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- South Bridgton
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- South Bridgton is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Bridgton
- West Bridgton
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- West Bridgton is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Bridgton
- Franklin County
- The following are listed by their distance from Paris, with the one closest to Paris listed first.
- Chisholm
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Chisholm is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chisholm
- Jay
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Jay is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jay
- Population from the 2020 Census: 4,598 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Jay <1>
- East Dixfield
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- East Dixfield is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Dixfield
- North Jay
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- North Jay is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Jay
- Berry Mills
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Berry Mills is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berry Mills
- Carthage
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Carthage is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carthage
- Population from the 2020 Census: 536 people
- Dryden
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Dryden is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dryden
- Wilton
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Chesterville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Chesterville is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chesterville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,348 people
- East Wilton
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- East Wilton is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Wilton
- Perkin's Plantation ‑ Historic
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Perkin's Plantation is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Perkin's Plantation
- North Chesterville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- North Chesterville is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Chesterville
- Kennebec County
- The following are listed by their distance from Paris, with the one closest to Paris listed first.
- Wayne
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Monmouth
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- North Monmouth
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- North Wayne
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- North Wayne is located in Kennebec County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Wayne
- East Monmouth
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- East Monmouth is located in Kennebec County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Monmouth
- South Monmouth
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- South Monmouth is located in Kennebec County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Monmouth
- Fayette
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- North Fayette
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- North Fayette is located in Kennebec County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Fayette
- Winthrop
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Kents Hill
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Litchfield Corners
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Litchfield Corners is located in Kennebec County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Litchfield Corners
- Maranacook
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Maranacook is located in Kennebec County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maranacook
- Sagadahoc County
- The following are listed by their distance from Paris, with the one closest to Paris listed first.
- Bowdoin
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Bowdoin is located in Sagadahoc County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bowdoin
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,222 people
- Bowdoin Center
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Bowdoin Center is located in Sagadahoc County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bowdoin Center
- Carroll County (NH)
- The following are listed by their distance from Paris, with the one closest to Paris listed first.
- Chatham
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- South Chatham
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- South Chatham is located in Carroll County (NH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Chatham
- Coos County (NH)
- Shelburne
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Paris, see our County-by-County Page for Paris.
Cemeteries Near Paris ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Paris.
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 Paris - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Paris covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Paris, with the one closest to Paris listed first.
- Hillside Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Pleasant Valley Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Whittemore Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Riverside Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Partridge Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Stearns Hill Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Pine Grove Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Fairview Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Forbes Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Pikes Hill Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Prince Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Grays Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Continue List (405 more) ...
- Turner Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Tuell Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Richardson Hollow Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
Nearby Communities in 1895 ...
We've built the following list with information that came from an Atlas published by Rand McNally in 1895. The Atlas had details such as the population of the community (which appears to have come from the 1890 Census) and whether there was a post office and/or railroad service available. We also indicate if the community no longer exists and is now historic.<3>
The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Paris had a population of 256 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service. In 2020, Paris had a population of 5,162 people.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Paris, with the one closest to Paris listed first.
- South Paris
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Norway
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Norway Lake
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Norway Lake is located in Oxford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Norway Lake
- North Paris
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- North Paris is located in Oxford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Paris
- North Buckfield
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- North Buckfield is located in Oxford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Buckfield
- West Paris
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Hebron
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- North Norway
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- North Norway is located in Oxford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Norway
- South Woodstock
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- South Woodstock is located in Oxford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Woodstock
- Buckfield
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- West Sumner
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- West Sumner is located in Oxford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Sumner
- Oxford
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Continue List (16 more) ...
- Welchville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Welchville is located in Oxford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Welchville
- Greenwood
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- East Waterford
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- East Waterford is located in Oxford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Waterford
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Paris. See our List of 1890's Communities around Paris.
Newspapers Published in Paris ...
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 32 newspapers that have been published in the area around Paris.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Paris, there are papers which were published within 18 miles [29 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Paris.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we like to start with the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These websites either 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 Paris:
- Websites specific to Maine
- Pages specific to Oxford County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Androscoggin County
- Cumberland County
- Franklin County
- Kennebec County
- Sagadahoc County
- Carroll County
- Coos County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Maine
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> | 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 Paris, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <4> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or point-to-point) distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Paris) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |