RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> State of Maine >> Lincoln County >> South Bristol >> Genealogy HelperIndex...

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 South Bristol (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 South Bristol. 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 South Bristol ...

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 South Bristol: S. Bristol

You might be interested in other communities that are also named South Bristol. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for South Bristol.

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 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.

South Bristol is located in Lincoln 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 Lincoln County: Kennebec, Knox, Sagadahoc & Waldo.

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

  • Lincoln County     (The home county of South Bristol)
    • The following are listed by their distance from South Bristol, with the one closest to South Bristol listed first.
    • East Boothbay
      (Less than 2 miles to the west)
    • Pemaquid Beach
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
      • Pemaquid Beach is located in Lincoln County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pemaquid Beach
    • Pemaquid Harbor
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Pemaquid Harbor is located in Lincoln County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pemaquid Harbor
    • Linekin
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Linekin is located in Lincoln County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Linekin
    • Bayville
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
      • Bayville is located in Lincoln County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bayville
    • New Harbor
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Pemaquid
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Pemaquid Point
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Pemaquid Point is located in Lincoln County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pemaquid Point
    • Boothbay Harbor
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Boothbay
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Chamberlain
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Mouse Island
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Mouse Island is located in Lincoln County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mouse Island
  • Androscoggin County
    • The following are listed by their distance from South Bristol, with the one closest to South Bristol listed first.
    • Lisbon Falls
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
    • Durham
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Durham is located in Androscoggin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Durham
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,044 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Durham <1>
    • Lisbon
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Lisbon is located in Androscoggin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lisbon
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 9,053 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lisbon <1>
  • Cumberland County
    • The following are listed by their distance from South Bristol, with the one closest to South Bristol listed first.
    • East Harpswell
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
      • East Harpswell is located in Cumberland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Harpswell
    • Harding
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
      • Harding is located in Cumberland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harding
    • Cundys Harbor
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
    • Pennellville
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • Pennellville is located in Cumberland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pennellville
    • Brunswick
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
    • Harpswell Center
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Harpswell Center is located in Cumberland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harpswell Center
    • Harpswell
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
    • Orrs Island
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
    • Bunganuc Landing
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Bunganuc Landing is located in Cumberland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bunganuc Landing
    • Bailey Island
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Bailey Island is located in Cumberland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bailey Island
    • Merepoint
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Merepoint is located in Cumberland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Merepoint
    • West Harpswell
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • West Harpswell is located in Cumberland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Harpswell
  • Kennebec County
    • The following are listed by their distance from South Bristol, with the one closest to South Bristol listed first.
    • East Pittston
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • East Pittston is located in Kennebec County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Pittston
    • South Gardiner
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • South Gardiner is located in Kennebec County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Gardiner
    • Pittston
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Pittston is located in Kennebec County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pittston
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,819 people
    • Chelsea
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • Randolph
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • Gardiner
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Litchfield Corners
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Litchfield Corners is located in Kennebec County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Litchfield Corners
    • Litchfield
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Farmingdale
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
    • South Windsor
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • South Windsor is located in Kennebec County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Windsor
    • Batchelders Crossing
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Batchelders Crossing is located in Kennebec County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Batchelders Crossing
    • West Gardiner
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • West Gardiner is located in Kennebec County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Gardiner
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,376 people
  • Knox County
    • The following are listed by their distance from South Bristol, with the one closest to South Bristol listed first.
    • Friendship
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Port Clyde
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
    • Pleasant Point
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Pleasant Point is located in Knox County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Point
    • South Cushing
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • South Cushing is located in Knox County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Cushing
    • Martinsville
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Martinsville is located in Knox County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Martinsville
    • Tenants Harbor
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
    • Cushing
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Long Cove
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Long Cove is located in Knox County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Long Cove
    • Saint George
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Saint George is located in Knox County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint George
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,578 people
    • Warren Station
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Warren Station is located in Knox County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Warren Station
    • Spruce Head
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
    • Thomaston
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
  • Sagadahoc County
    • The following are listed by their distance from South Bristol, with the one closest to South Bristol listed first.
    • MacMahan
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
      • MacMahan is located in Sagadahoc County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for MacMahan
    • Murphys Corner
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Murphys Corner is located in Sagadahoc County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Murphys Corner
    • Georgetown
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Arrowsic
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Phippsburg
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Woolwich
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Days Ferry
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Days Ferry is located in Sagadahoc County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Days Ferry
    • Popham Beach
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Popham Beach is located in Sagadahoc County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Popham Beach
    • Bath
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
      • Bath is located in Sagadahoc County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bath
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 8,335 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bath <1>
    • West Bath
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
    • Sabino
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
      • Sabino is located in Sagadahoc County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sabino
    • Sebasco Estates
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)

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

Cemeteries Near South Bristol ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of South Bristol.

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 South Bristol - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Farnham Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
  • Main Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
  • Oaklawn Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
  • Ocean View Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
  • Wiley Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
  • Ocean Hill Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
  • West Bristol Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • Grove Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Poole - Greenlaw Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Wilson Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Loudville Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Chamberlain Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Continue List   (203 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.<3>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that South Bristol had a population of 250 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service. In 2020, South Bristol had a population of 878 people.

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

  • East Boothbay
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
  • Linekin
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Linekin is located in Lincoln County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Linekin
  • Pemaquid Beach
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
    • Pemaquid Beach is located in Lincoln County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pemaquid Beach
  • Boothbay Harbor
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
  • Ocean Point
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Ocean Point is located in Lincoln County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ocean Point
  • New Harbor
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
  • Pemaquid
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Boothbay
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
  • Mouse Island
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Mouse Island is located in Lincoln County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mouse Island
  • West Bristol
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • West Bristol is located in Lincoln County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Bristol
  • Southport
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
  • East Edgecomb
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • East Edgecomb is located in Lincoln County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Edgecomb
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Trevett
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • West Southport
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Bristol
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)

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

Newspapers Published in South Bristol ...

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 37 newspapers that have been published in the area around South Bristol.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of South Bristol, there are papers which were published within 21 miles [33.8 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for South Bristol.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we begin with the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These helpful 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 South Bristol:

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 South Bristol, 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 obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- South Bristol) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.