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 West Baldwin (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 West Baldwin. 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 West Baldwin ...
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 West Baldwin: W. Baldwin
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 northeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals and doctors were in the next county to the east. 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 east 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.
West Baldwin 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 West Baldwin. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to West Baldwin:
- Cumberland County (The home county of West Baldwin)
- The following are listed by their distance from West Baldwin, with the one closest to West Baldwin listed first.
- Baldwin
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Baldwin is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baldwin
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,641 people
- Sebago
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Steep Falls
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- South Bridgton
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- South Bridgton is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Bridgton
- Frye Island
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Frye Island is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frye Island
- Population from the 2020 Census: 13 people
- Naples
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Sebago Lake
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Sebago Lake is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sebago Lake
- Sandy Creek
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Sandy Creek is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandy Creek
- Standish
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- South Casco
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Bridgton
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- North Gorham
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
- North Gorham is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Gorham
- North Windham
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
- North Windham is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Windham
- Androscoggin County
- The following are listed by their distance from West Baldwin, with the one closest to West Baldwin listed first.
- West Poland
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Poland
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- East Poland
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- East Poland is located in Androscoggin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Poland
- Mechanic Falls
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Moussam
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Moussam is located in Androscoggin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moussam
- Danville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Danville is located in Androscoggin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Danville
- Minot
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Minot is located in Androscoggin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Minot
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,595 people
- Littlefield Corner
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Littlefield Corner is located in Androscoggin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Littlefield Corner
- Rumford Junction
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Rumford Junction is located in Androscoggin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rumford Junction
- Oxford County
- The following are listed by their distance from West Baldwin, with the one closest to West Baldwin listed first.
- Durgintown
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Durgintown is located in Oxford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Durgintown
- East Hiram
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- East Hiram is located in Oxford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Hiram
- Rankins Mill
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Rankins Mill is located in Oxford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rankins Mill
- Hiram
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Kezar Falls
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Kezar Falls is located in Oxford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kezar Falls
- Porter
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Porter is located in Oxford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Porter
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,525 people
- Denmark
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Brownfield
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- East Brownfield
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- East Brownfield is located in Oxford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Brownfield
- East Denmark
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- East Denmark is located in Oxford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Denmark
- Merrill Corner
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Merrill Corner is located in Oxford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Merrill Corner
- East Fryeburg
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- East Fryeburg is located in Oxford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Fryeburg
- Fryeburg
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- York County
- The following are listed by their distance from West Baldwin, with the one closest to West Baldwin listed first.
- Cornish
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- Limington
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- North Limington
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- North Limington is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Limington
- East Parsonsfield
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- East Parsonsfield is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Parsonsfield
- North Parsonsfield
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- North Parsonsfield is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Parsonsfield
- East Limington
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- East Limington is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Limington
- South Limington
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- South Limington is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Limington
- Limerick
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Parsonsfield
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Lake Arrowhead
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Lake Arrowhead is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Arrowhead
- Newfield
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- South Effingham
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- South Effingham is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Effingham
- Chicopee
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- Chicopee is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chicopee
- Carroll County (NH)
- The following are listed by their distance from West Baldwin, with the one closest to West Baldwin listed first.
- Effingham
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Freedom
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- South Effingham
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Eaton
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- East Madison
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- East Madison is located in Carroll County (NH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Madison
- Center Conway
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Woodman
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Woodman is located in Carroll County (NH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodman
- East Wakefield
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Wakefield
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Conway
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Ossipee
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Madison
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Chickville
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Chickville is located in Carroll County (NH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chickville
- Strafford County (NH)
- Middleton
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Middleton is located in Strafford County (NH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Middleton
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,832 people
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to West Baldwin, see our County-by-County Page for West Baldwin.
Cemeteries Near West Baldwin ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of West Baldwin.
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 West Baldwin - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for West Baldwin covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from West Baldwin, with the one closest to West Baldwin listed first.
- Tar Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Flint Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Benton Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Durgin Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Riverside Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- Ricker Ancient Burial Ground
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ricker Ancient Burial Ground
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Ricker Ancient Burial Ground is located less than 2 miles<3> to the south of Cornish.
- The Ricker Ancient Burial Ground has also been known as:
- High Road Cemetery
- Old High Road Cemetery
- Ricker Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Weeman Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Dyer Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Pierce Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Foster Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Wadsworth Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Continue List (384 more) ...
- Barker Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Cole Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Emerson - Thorne Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
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.<4>
The Rand McNally Atlas shows that West Baldwin had a population of 206 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service.
These communities are listed based on their distance from West Baldwin, with the one closest to West Baldwin listed first.
- Cornish
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- East Hiram
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- East Hiram is located in Oxford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Hiram
- Hiram
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Rankins Mill
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Rankins Mill is located in Oxford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rankins Mill
- North Baldwin
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- North Baldwin is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Baldwin
- South Hiram
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- South Hiram is located in Oxford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Hiram
- Kezar Falls
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Kezar Falls is located in Oxford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kezar Falls
- Steep Falls
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Sebago
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- East Parsonsfield
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- East Parsonsfield is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Parsonsfield
- Limington
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- North Limington
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- North Limington is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Limington
- Continue List (20 more) ...
- East Sebago
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- East Sebago is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Sebago
- Porter
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Porter is located in Oxford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Porter
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,525 people
- North Parsonsfield
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- North Parsonsfield is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Parsonsfield
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around West Baldwin. See our List of 1890's Communities around West Baldwin.
Newspapers Published in West Baldwin ...
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 17 newspapers that have been published in the area around West Baldwin.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of West Baldwin, there are papers which were published within 17 miles [27.4 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for West Baldwin.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we first turn to 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 West Baldwin:
- Websites specific to Maine
- Pages specific to Cumberland County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Androscoggin County
- Oxford County
- York County
- Carroll County
- Strafford 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> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or point-to-point) distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- West Baldwin) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |
| <4> | 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 West Baldwin, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |