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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 Purgatory (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 Purgatory. 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 northwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals were in the next county to the west. 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 west 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.

Purgatory is located in Kennebec 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 Kennebec County: Androscoggin, Franklin, Lincoln, Sagadahoc, Somerset & Waldo.

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

  • Kennebec County     (The home county of Purgatory)
  • Androscoggin County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Purgatory, with the one closest to Purgatory listed first.
    • Wales
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wales have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wales
      • Wales is located in Androscoggin County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,640 people
    • Wales Corner
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Leeds Junction
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Curtis Corner
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Drinkwater Corner
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Nason Beach
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Sabattus
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Greene
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Leeds
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Leeds have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leeds
      • Leeds is located in Androscoggin County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,320 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Leeds <3>
    • Greene Corner
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
    • North Leeds
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Foggs Corner
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
    • Turner Center
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
  • Cumberland County
  • Franklin County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Purgatory, with the one closest to Purgatory listed first.
    • Chisholm
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Chisholm have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chisholm
      • Chisholm is located in Franklin County
    • Chesterville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Chesterville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chesterville
      • Chesterville is located in Franklin County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,348 people
    • Jay
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
    • North Chesterville
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • North Jay
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Jay have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Jay
      • North Jay is located in Franklin County
    • Farmington Falls
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
    • New Sharon
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for New Sharon have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Sharon
      • New Sharon is located in Franklin County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,424 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for New Sharon <3>
    • Dryden
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Wilton
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wilton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilton
      • Wilton is located in Franklin County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,929 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Wilton <3>
    • East Dixfield
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for East Dixfield have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Dixfield
      • East Dixfield is located in Franklin County
    • East Wilton
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for East Wilton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Wilton
      • East Wilton is located in Franklin County
  • Knox County
  • Lincoln County
  • Oxford County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Purgatory, with the one closest to Purgatory listed first.
    • Buckfield
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
    • East Sumner
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
    • Hartford
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hartford have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hartford
      • Hartford is located in Oxford County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,229 people
    • Hebron
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
    • Canton
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Gilbertville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Canton Point
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Sumner
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Oxford
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Oxford have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oxford
      • Oxford is located in Oxford County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,102 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Oxford <3>
    • Paris
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Paris have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paris
      • Paris is located in Oxford County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,162 people
    • South Paris
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
    • East Otisfield
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
    • Norway
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Norway have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Norway
      • Norway is located in Oxford County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,990 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Norway <3>
  • Sagadahoc County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Purgatory, with the one closest to Purgatory listed first.
    • Richmond Corner
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Bowdoin
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bowdoin have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bowdoin
      • Bowdoin is located in Sagadahoc County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,222 people
    • Richmond
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Bowdoin Center
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bowdoin Center have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bowdoin Center
      • Bowdoin Center is located in Sagadahoc County
    • Harwards
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Harwards. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harwards
      • Harwards is located in Sagadahoc County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Harwards
      • From Purgatory to Harwards
    • Bowdoinham
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
    • Pejepscot
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
    • Days Ferry
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
    • Topsham
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Topsham have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Topsham
      • Topsham is located in Sagadahoc County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 8,942 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Topsham <3>
    • Bath
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
    • Woolwich
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
    • Murphys Corner
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
    • West Bath
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for West Bath have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Bath
      • West Bath is located in Sagadahoc County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,932 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for West Bath <3>
  • Somerset County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Purgatory, with the one closest to Purgatory listed first.
    • Smithfield
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Smithfield have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smithfield
      • Smithfield is located in Somerset County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,008 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Smithfield <3>
    • Fairfield
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fairfield have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairfield
      • Fairfield is located in Somerset County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 6,552 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Fairfield <3>
  • Waldo County
    • Palermo
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Palermo have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Palermo
      • Palermo is located in Waldo County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,525 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Palermo <3>

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

Cemeteries Near Purgatory ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Purgatory.

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

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

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

  • North Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the North Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the North Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Grant Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Grant Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Grant Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Fairbanks Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Fairbanks Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Fairbanks Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Friends Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Howard Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Plains Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Plains Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Plains Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Monmouth Ridge Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Monmouth Ridge Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Monmouth Ridge Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Libby Hill Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
  • Lakeview Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lakeview Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lakeview Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • East Wales Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the East Wales Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the East Wales Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Mitchell Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mitchell Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mitchell Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Maxwell Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Maxwell Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Maxwell Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (443 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.<6>

While we didn't find Purgatory in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Purgatory.

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

  • West Gardiner
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for West Gardiner have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Gardiner
    • West Gardiner is located in Kennebec County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,376 people
  • East Monmouth
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
  • South Monmouth
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Litchfield
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
  • Litchfield Plains
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Litchfield Plains have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Litchfield Plains
    • Litchfield Plains is located in Kennebec County
  • Litchfield Corners
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • Monmouth
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
  • Wales
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wales have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wales
    • Wales is located in Androscoggin County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,640 people
  • East Wales
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for East Wales have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Wales
    • East Wales is located in Androscoggin County
  • Winthrop
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
  • Winthrop Center
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
  • North Monmouth
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Monmouth have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Monmouth
    • North Monmouth is located in Kennebec County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for North Monmouth <3>
  • Continue List   (13 more) ...
    • Gardiner
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • East Winthrop
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for East Winthrop have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Winthrop
      • East Winthrop is located in Kennebec County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for East Winthrop <3>
    • Leeds Junction
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)

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

Newspapers Published in Purgatory ...

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 76 newspapers that have been published in the area around Purgatory.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Purgatory, there are papers which were published within 19 miles [30.6 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Purgatory.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we 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 Purgatory:

Footnotes ...

<1>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.
<2>An 'estimated' location is one where we have been given GPS coordinates, but are unable to verify the accuracy of those coordinates. That said, we have some confidence that we have placed the marker near the actual location. A typical reason for being unable to verify a location is that it might be on private property or maybe historic and gone without an obvious trace.
<3>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<4>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- Purgatory) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Purgatory. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 44.2159, Longitude: -69.9326    
<5>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.
<6>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 Purgatory, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.