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 Sandy River (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 Sandy River. 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.
Name Variations for Sandy River ...
When searching records, keep in mind that names and their spelling can change over time. Our sources include documents like maps, railroad schedules, Travel, Express and Shipping Guides. Many of these documents date from the 1800's and it's common to find spelling differences.
For example, a typical abbreviation for Sandy River: Sandy Riv.
You might be interested in other communities that are also named Sandy River. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Sandy River.
If you have information about these names (such as the reason for the change, date of change, the origin of the name), please Contact Us.
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 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.
Sandy River is located in Somerset 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 Somerset County: Franklin, Kennebec, Penobscot, Piscataquis & Waldo.
Below are the counties that are near Sandy River. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Sandy River:
- Somerset County (The home county of Sandy River)
- The following are listed by their distance from Sandy River, with the one closest to Sandy River listed first.
- Starks
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Starks is located in Somerset County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Starks
- Population from the 2020 Census: 638 people
- Norridgewock
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Madison
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Mercer
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Mercer is located in Somerset County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mercer
- Population from the 2020 Census: 637 people
- Anson
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Barron Corner
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Barron Corner is located in Somerset County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barron Corner
- Smithfield
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Skowhegan
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- North Anson
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- East Madison
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- East Madison is located in Somerset County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Madison
- Hinckley
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Hinckley is located in Somerset County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hinckley
- Cornville
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Cornville is located in Somerset County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cornville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,389 people
- East New Portland
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- East New Portland is located in Somerset County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East New Portland
- Androscoggin County
- The following are listed by their distance from Sandy River, with the one closest to Sandy River listed first.
- Livermore Falls
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Shy Corner
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Shy Corner is located in Androscoggin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shy Corner
- East Livermore
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- East Livermore is located in Androscoggin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Livermore
- North Livermore
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- North Livermore is located in Androscoggin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Livermore
- Livermore
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- North Leeds
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- North Leeds is located in Androscoggin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Leeds
- South Livermore
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- South Livermore is located in Androscoggin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Livermore
- Franklin County
- The following are listed by their distance from Sandy River, with the one closest to Sandy River listed first.
- New Sharon
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Industry
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Industry is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Industry
- Population from the 2020 Census: 927 people
- Farmington Falls
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- New Vineyard
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- New Vineyard is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Vineyard
- Population from the 2020 Census: 777 people
- Fairbanks
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Fairbanks is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairbanks
- Farmington
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- West Farmington
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- West Farmington is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Farmington
- North Chesterville
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- North Chesterville is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Chesterville
- Chesterville
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Chesterville is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chesterville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,348 people
- East Wilton
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- East Wilton is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Wilton
- South Strong
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- South Strong is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Strong
- Temple
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Temple is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Temple
- Population from the 2020 Census: 518 people
- Strong
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- Kennebec County
- The following are listed by their distance from Sandy River, with the one closest to Sandy River listed first.
- Rome
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Belgrade Lakes
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- North Belgrade
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- North Belgrade is located in Kennebec County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Belgrade
- Vienna
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Morrison Corner
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Morrison Corner is located in Kennebec County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morrison Corner
- Oakland
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Mount Vernon
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Benton Station
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- Benton Station is located in Kennebec County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Benton Station
- Waterville
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- Winslow
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- Belgrade
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Benton Falls
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Benton Falls is located in Kennebec County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Benton Falls
- Benton
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Benton is located in Kennebec County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Benton
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,720 people
- Oxford County
- The following are listed by their distance from Sandy River, with the one closest to Sandy River listed first.
- Canton Point
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Canton Point is located in Oxford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Canton Point
- Gilbertville
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Gilbertville is located in Oxford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gilbertville
- Canton
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Canton is located in Oxford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Canton
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,097 people
- Peru
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Dixfield
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Penobscot County
- Newport
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Piscataquis County
- The following are listed by their distance from Sandy River, with the one closest to Sandy River listed first.
- Wellington
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Wellington is located in Piscataquis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wellington
- Population from the 2020 Census: 248 people
- Kingsbury
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Kingsbury is located in Piscataquis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kingsbury
- Waldo County
- The following are listed by their distance from Sandy River, with the one closest to Sandy River listed first.
- Burnham
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Burnham is located in Waldo County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burnham
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,243 people
- Winnecook
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Winnecook is located in Waldo County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winnecook
- Unity
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Palermo
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- North Palermo
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- North Palermo is located in Waldo County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Palermo
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Sandy River, see our County-by-County Page for Sandy River.
Cemeteries Near Sandy River ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Sandy River.
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 Sandy River - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Sandy River covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Sandy River, with the one closest to Sandy River listed first.
- Land of Rest Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Sunset View Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Greenleaf Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Athearn Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Riverview Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Old Oak Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Longley Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Old Point Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Frederic Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Locke Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Gould Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Forest Hill Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Continue List (241 more) ...
- Forest Hill Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Pike Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Swan Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
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 Sandy River in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Sandy River.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Sandy River, with the one closest to Sandy River listed first.
- East Mercer
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- East Mercer is located in Somerset County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Mercer
- Starks
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Starks is located in Somerset County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Starks
- Population from the 2020 Census: 638 people
- Mercer
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Mercer is located in Somerset County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mercer
- Population from the 2020 Census: 637 people
- Norridgewock
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Madison
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Anson
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Smithfield
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- New Sharon
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Larone
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Larone is located in Somerset County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Larone
- Skowhegan
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- North Anson
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Rome
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Continue List (15 more) ...
- Allens Mills
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Allens Mills is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Allens Mills
- East Madison
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- East Madison is located in Somerset County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Madison
- Farmington Falls
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Sandy River. See our List of 1890's Communities around Sandy River.
Newspapers Published in Sandy River ...
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 112 newspapers that have been published in the area around Sandy River.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Sandy River, there are papers which were published within 23 miles [37 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Sandy River.
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 Sandy River:
- Websites specific to Maine
- Pages specific to Somerset County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Androscoggin County
- Franklin County
- Kennebec County
- Oxford County
- Penobscot County
- Piscataquis County
- Waldo 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 Sandy River, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <4> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Sandy River) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |