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 Rayville (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 Rayville. 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.
Rayville is located in Cumberland 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 Cumberland County: Androscoggin, Oxford, Sagadahoc & York.
Below are the counties that are near Rayville. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Rayville:
- Cumberland County (The home county of Rayville)
- The following are listed by their distance from Rayville, with the one closest to Rayville listed first.
- Otisfield
(Less than 2 miles 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
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Cobb Cove is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cobb Cove
- Casco
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Harrison
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- North Bridgton
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Crescent Lake
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Crescent Lake is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crescent Lake
- Bridgton
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Naples
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Sandy Creek
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Sandy Creek is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandy Creek
- South Bridgton
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- South Bridgton is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Bridgton
- Shaker Village
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Shaker Village is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shaker Village
- South Casco
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Androscoggin County
- The following are listed by their distance from Rayville, with the one closest to Rayville listed first.
- West Poland
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Mechanic Falls
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Poland
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Moussam
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Moussam is located in Androscoggin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moussam
- West Minot
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- West Minot is located in Androscoggin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Minot
- East Poland
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- East Poland is located in Androscoggin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Poland
- Minot
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Minot is located in Androscoggin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Minot
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,595 people
- Littlefield Corner
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Littlefield Corner is located in Androscoggin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Littlefield Corner
- North Auburn
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- North Auburn is located in Androscoggin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Auburn
- West Auburn
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- West Auburn is located in Androscoggin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Auburn
- Danville
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Danville is located in Androscoggin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Danville
- Rumford Junction
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Rumford Junction is located in Androscoggin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rumford Junction
- Kennebec County
- The following are listed by their distance from Rayville, with the one closest to Rayville listed first.
- Monmouth
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- South Monmouth
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- South Monmouth is located in Kennebec County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Monmouth
- North Monmouth
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Litchfield Corners
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Litchfield Corners is located in Kennebec County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Litchfield Corners
- Wayne
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- East Monmouth
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- East Monmouth is located in Kennebec County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Monmouth
- Litchfield
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Oxford County
- The following are listed by their distance from Rayville, with the one closest to Rayville listed first.
- East Otisfield
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- East Otisfield is located in Oxford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Otisfield
- Oxford
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Spurrs Corner
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Spurrs Corner is located in Oxford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spurrs Corner
- Norway
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- South Paris
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Hebron
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- South Waterford
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Waterford
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Waterford is located in Oxford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waterford
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,602 people
- Waterford has also been known as:
- Sweats Island
- Sweet Island
- Swetts Island
- Waterford Flat
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Waterford <1>
- North Norway
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- North Norway is located in Oxford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Norway
- Paris
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Paris is located in Oxford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paris
- Population from the 2020 Census: 5,162 people
- Sweden
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Sweden is located in Oxford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sweden
- Population from the 2020 Census: 413 people
- East Denmark
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- East Denmark is located in Oxford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Denmark
- Sagadahoc County
- The following are listed by their distance from Rayville, with the one closest to Rayville listed first.
- Pejepscot
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Pejepscot is located in Sagadahoc County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pejepscot
- Bowdoin Center
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Bowdoin Center is located in Sagadahoc County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bowdoin Center
- Bowdoin
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Bowdoin is located in Sagadahoc County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bowdoin
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,222 people
- York County
- The following are listed by their distance from Rayville, with the one closest to Rayville listed first.
- Cornish
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- North Limington
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- North Limington is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Limington
- East Limington
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- East Limington is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Limington
- Limington
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Chicopee
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Chicopee is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chicopee
- Kimbles Corner
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Kimbles Corner is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kimbles Corner
- South Limington
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- South Limington is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Limington
- East Parsonsfield
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- East Parsonsfield is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Parsonsfield
- North Parsonsfield
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- North Parsonsfield is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Parsonsfield
- Carroll County (NH)
- The following are listed by their distance from Rayville, with the one closest to Rayville listed first.
- South Chatham
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- South Chatham is located in Carroll County (NH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Chatham
- Chatham
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Center Conway
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Eaton
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Kearsarge
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Kearsarge is located in Carroll County (NH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kearsarge
- North Conway
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Conway
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Intervale
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Intervale is located in Carroll County (NH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Intervale
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Rayville, see our County-by-County Page for Rayville.
Cemeteries Near Rayville ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Rayville.
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 Rayville - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Rayville covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Rayville, with the one closest to Rayville listed first.
- Elmwood Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Wight Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Highland Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Richville Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Oakdale Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Riverside Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riverside Cemetery
- The Riverside Cemetery has also been known as:
- Oxford Congregational Church Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2300351 <2>
- Ryefield Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Maple Ridge Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Finnish Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Carsley Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- South Harrison Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Oak Hill Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Continue List (493 more) ...
- Cedar Crest Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- South Otisfield Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Webber Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
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>
While we didn't find Rayville in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Rayville.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Rayville, with the one closest to Rayville listed first.
- Otisfield
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Otisfield is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Otisfield
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,819 people
- East Otisfield
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- East Otisfield is located in Oxford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Otisfield
- Bolsters Mills
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Bolsters Mills is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bolsters Mills
- Oxford
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Welchville
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Welchville is located in Oxford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Welchville
- Casco
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Harrison
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Edes Falls
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Edes Falls is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edes Falls
- West Poland
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Norway
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- North Bridgton
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Norway Lake
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Norway Lake is located in Oxford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Norway Lake
- Continue List (14 more) ...
- Bridgton
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Poland
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Mechanic Falls
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Rayville. See our List of 1890's Communities around Rayville.
Newspapers Published in Rayville ...
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 38 newspapers that have been published in the area around Rayville.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Rayville, 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 Rayville.
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 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 Rayville:
- Websites specific to Maine
- Pages specific to Cumberland County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Androscoggin County
- Kennebec County
- Oxford County
- Sagadahoc County
- York County
- Carroll 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 Rayville, 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' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Rayville) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |