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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 Ripley (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 Ripley. 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 southwest 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 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 west 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.

Ripley is located in Somerset 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 Somerset County: Franklin, Kennebec, Penobscot, Piscataquis & Waldo.

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

  • Somerset County     (The home county of Ripley)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ripley, with the one closest to Ripley listed first.
    • Cambridge
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cambridge have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cambridge
      • Cambridge is located in Somerset County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 457 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cambridge <2>
    • Saint Albans
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Saint Albans have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Albans
      • Saint Albans is located in Somerset County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,979 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Saint Albans <2>
    • Mainstream
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Hartland
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hartland have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hartland
      • Hartland is located in Somerset County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,724 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hartland <2>
    • Harmony
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Harmony have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harmony
      • Harmony is located in Somerset County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 895 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Harmony <2>
    • Palmyra
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • West Palmyra
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Dogtown
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • Houston Corner
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • Detroit
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Detroit have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Detroit
      • Detroit is located in Somerset County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 835 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Detroit <2>
    • Pittsfield
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
    • Athens
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
    • Brighton
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
  • Kennebec County
  • Penobscot County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ripley, with the one closest to Ripley listed first.
    • Dexter
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dexter have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dexter
      • Dexter is located in Penobscot County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,702 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Dexter <2>
    • Russell Corner
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Corinna
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Corinna have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Corinna
      • Corinna is located in Penobscot County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,135 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Corinna <2>
    • Silvers Mills
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Garland
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • North Newport
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Exeter
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Newport
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Newport have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newport
      • Newport is located in Penobscot County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,248 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Newport <2>
    • East Exeter
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for East Exeter. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Exeter
      • East Exeter is located in Penobscot County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to East Exeter
      • From Ripley to East Exeter
    • East Newport
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for East Newport have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Newport
      • East Newport is located in Penobscot County
    • Stetson
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Corinth
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Corinth have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Corinth
      • Corinth is located in Penobscot County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,830 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Corinth <2>
    • Charleston
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Piscataquis County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ripley, with the one closest to Ripley listed first.
    • Parkman
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Parkman have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parkman
      • Parkman is located in Piscataquis County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 804 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Parkman <2>
    • East Sangerville
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Wellington
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
    • Guilford
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • Howard Corner
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • Sangerville
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sangerville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sangerville
      • Sangerville is located in Piscataquis County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,285 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sangerville <2>
    • Dover South Mills
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Abbot
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
    • Dover - Foxcroft
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dover - Foxcroft have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dover - Foxcroft
      • Dover - Foxcroft is located in Piscataquis County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,086 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Dover - Foxcroft <2>
    • South Dover
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for South Dover. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Dover
      • South Dover is located in Piscataquis County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to South Dover
      • From Ripley to South Dover
    • Kingsbury Plantation
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kingsbury Plantation have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kingsbury Plantation
      • Kingsbury Plantation is located in Piscataquis County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 27 people
    • Monson Junction
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
    • Atkinson Mills
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
  • Waldo County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ripley, with the one closest to Ripley listed first.
    • Burnham
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • Troy
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Troy have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Troy
      • Troy is located in Waldo County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,053 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Troy <2>
    • Winnecook
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Winnecook. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winnecook
      • Winnecook is located in Waldo County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Winnecook
      • From Ripley to Winnecook
    • Unity
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Unity have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Unity
      • Unity is located in Waldo County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,111 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Unity <2>
    • Thorndike
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Thorndike have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thorndike
      • Thorndike is located in Waldo County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 897 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Thorndike <2>
    • Jackson
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Jackson. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jackson
      • Jackson is located in Waldo County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 588 people
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Jackson
      • From Ripley to Jackson
    • Knox Ledge Corner
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)

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

Cemeteries Near Ripley ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Ripley.

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

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

  • Fern - Dale Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Fern - Dale Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Fern - Dale Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • West Ripley Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the West Ripley Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the West Ripley Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Wing Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Wing Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Wing Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Nutter Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Nutter Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Nutter Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Mt. Pleasant Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Storer Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Storer Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Storer Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Memorial Garden Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Memorial Garden Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Memorial Garden Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Mt. Pleasant Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mt. Pleasant Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mt. Pleasant Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Weeks Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Weeks Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Weeks Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • North Newport Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the North Newport Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the North Newport Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • White Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the White Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the White Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Warren Hill Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Warren Hill Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Warren Hill Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (171 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.<5>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Ripley had a population of 150 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service. In 2020, Ripley had a population of 479 people.

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

  • Dexter
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dexter have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dexter
    • Dexter is located in Penobscot County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,702 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Dexter <2>
  • Saint Albans
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Saint Albans have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Albans
    • Saint Albans is located in Somerset County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,979 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Saint Albans <2>
  • Cambridge
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cambridge have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cambridge
    • Cambridge is located in Somerset County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 457 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cambridge <2>
  • Mainstream
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
  • Corinna Center
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Corinna Center have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Corinna Center
    • Corinna Center is located in Penobscot County
  • North Dexter
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Dexter have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Dexter
    • North Dexter is located in Penobscot County
  • Corinna
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Corinna have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Corinna
    • Corinna is located in Penobscot County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,135 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Corinna <2>
  • Hartland
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hartland have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hartland
    • Hartland is located in Somerset County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,724 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hartland <2>
  • Spragues Mill
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Spragues Mill have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spragues Mill
    • Spragues Mill is located in Penobscot County
  • Silvers Mills
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
  • Harmony
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Harmony have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harmony
    • Harmony is located in Somerset County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 895 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Harmony <2>
  • Palmyra
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
  • Continue List   (16 more) ...
    • Parkman
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Parkman have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parkman
      • Parkman is located in Piscataquis County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 804 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Parkman <2>
    • North Newport
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Garland
      (10 miles [16.1 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 Ripley. See our List of 1890's Communities around Ripley.

Newspapers Published in Ripley ...

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 31 newspapers that have been published in the area around Ripley.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Ripley, there are papers which were published within 17 miles [27.4 km]<6>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Ripley.

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 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 Ripley:

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Ripley. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.

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

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>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<3>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.
<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 Ripley, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<6>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- Ripley) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Ripley. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 44.9912, Longitude: -69.3718    









 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025