RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> State of Maine >> Cumberland County >> West Gray >> Genealogy HelperIndex...










Learn About
The Commemorative
Quarter for
Maine

The Commemorative Quarter for Maine





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 Gray (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 Gray. 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 Gray ...

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.

Although we can't give a definitive list, hopefully the following will give you a feel for the variations that might have occurred.

For example, a typical abbreviation for West Gray: W. Gray

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 doctors 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.

West Gray is located in Cumberland 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 Cumberland County: Androscoggin, Oxford, Sagadahoc & York.

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

  • Cumberland County     (The home county of West Gray)
    • The following are listed by their distance from West Gray, with the one closest to West Gray listed first.
    • Gray
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gray have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gray
      • Gray is located in Cumberland County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 8,297 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Gray <2>
    • Ireland Corner
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • North Windham
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Dry Mills
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Dry Mills. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dry Mills
      • Dry Mills is located in Cumberland County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Dry Mills
      • From West Gray to Dry Mills
    • East Gray
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for East Gray. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Gray
      • East Gray is located in Cumberland County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to East Gray
      • From West Gray to East Gray
    • Windham
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Windham have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Windham
      • Windham is located in Cumberland County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 18,915 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Windham <2>
    • Raymond
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Raymond have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Raymond
      • Raymond is located in Cumberland County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,550 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Raymond <2>
    • North Gorham
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • North Yarmouth
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for North Yarmouth. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Yarmouth
      • North Yarmouth is located in Cumberland County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,997 people
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to North Yarmouth
      • From West Gray to North Yarmouth
    • Newhall
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Newhall. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newhall
      • Newhall is located in Cumberland County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Newhall
      • From West Gray to Newhall
    • Cumberland Center
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cumberland Center have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cumberland Center
      • Cumberland Center is located in Cumberland County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cumberland Center <2>
    • Frye Island
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Frye Island have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frye Island
      • Frye Island is located in Cumberland County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 13 people
  • Androscoggin County
    • The following are listed by their distance from West Gray, with the one closest to West Gray listed first.
    • West Poland
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for West Poland have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Poland
      • West Poland is located in Androscoggin County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for West Poland <2>
    • Danville
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Danville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Danville
      • Danville is located in Androscoggin County
    • Poland
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Poland have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Poland
      • Poland is located in Androscoggin County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,683 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Poland <2>
    • East Poland
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for East Poland have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Poland
      • East Poland is located in Androscoggin County
    • Durham
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Durham have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Durham
      • Durham is located in Androscoggin County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,044 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Durham <2>
    • Rumford Junction
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Littlefield Corner
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
    • Minot
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
    • Moussam
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
    • Penley Corner
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Mechanic Falls
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
    • Lisbon
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lisbon have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lisbon
      • Lisbon is located in Androscoggin County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 9,053 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lisbon <2>
  • Kennebec County
  • Oxford County
  • Sagadahoc County
    • The following are listed by their distance from West Gray, with the one closest to West Gray listed first.
    • Pejepscot
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
    • Topsham
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Topsham have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Topsham
      • Topsham is located in Sagadahoc County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 8,942 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Topsham <2>
    • Bowdoin
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bowdoin have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bowdoin
      • Bowdoin is located in Sagadahoc County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,222 people
    • Sabino
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
    • West Bath
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for West Bath have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Bath
      • West Bath is located in Sagadahoc County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,932 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for West Bath <2>
    • Bowdoinham
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Sebasco Estates
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sebasco Estates have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sebasco Estates
      • Sebasco Estates is located in Sagadahoc County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sebasco Estates <2>
    • Bath
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
    • Small Point
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Small Point have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Small Point
      • Small Point is located in Sagadahoc County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Small Point <2>
    • Days Ferry
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
    • Phippsburg
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Phippsburg have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Phippsburg
      • Phippsburg is located in Sagadahoc County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,275 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Phippsburg <2>
    • Woolwich
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Woolwich have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woolwich
      • Woolwich is located in Sagadahoc County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,218 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Woolwich <2>
  • York County

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

Cemeteries Near West Gray ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of West Gray.

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

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

  • Purington Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Purington Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Purington Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Knight Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Knight Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Knight Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Dolley Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Dolley Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Dolley Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Franklin Stevens Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Franklin Stevens Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Franklin Stevens Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Arlington Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Windham Hill Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Windham Hill Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Windham Hill Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Morrell Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Morrell Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Morrell Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Smith Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
  • West Cumberland Church Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the West Cumberland Church Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the West Cumberland Church Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Harding Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Harding Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Harding Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Mayberry Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • Friends Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Friends Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Friends Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (458 more) ...
    • Godd Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Godd Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Godd Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Farris Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Farris Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Farris Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • North Gorham Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the North Gorham Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the North Gorham Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.

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 West Gray had a population of 75 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service.

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

  • Gray
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gray have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gray
    • Gray is located in Cumberland County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 8,297 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Gray <2>
  • North Windham
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
  • West Cumberland
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for West Cumberland have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Cumberland
    • West Cumberland is located in Cumberland County
  • East Gray
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for East Gray. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Gray
    • East Gray is located in Cumberland County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to East Gray
    • From West Gray to East Gray
  • North Gray
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Gray have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Gray
    • North Gray is located in Cumberland County
  • Dry Mills
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Dry Mills. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dry Mills
    • Dry Mills is located in Cumberland County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Dry Mills
    • From West Gray to Dry Mills
  • North Gorham
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • Windham Center
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Windham Center have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Windham Center
    • Windham Center is located in Cumberland County
  • North Falmouth
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Falmouth have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Falmouth
    • North Falmouth is located in Cumberland County
  • Gray Station
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gray Station have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gray Station
    • Gray Station is located in Cumberland County
  • Raymond
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Raymond have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Raymond
    • Raymond is located in Cumberland County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,550 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Raymond <2>
  • Walnut Hill
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Walnut Hill have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walnut Hill
    • Walnut Hill is located in Cumberland County
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • North Yarmouth
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for North Yarmouth. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Yarmouth
      • North Yarmouth is located in Cumberland County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,997 people
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to North Yarmouth
      • From West Gray to North Yarmouth
    • East Raymond
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for East Raymond have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Raymond
      • East Raymond is located in Cumberland County
    • Newhall
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Newhall. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newhall
      • Newhall is located in Cumberland County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Newhall
      • From West Gray to Newhall

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

Newspapers Published in West Gray ...

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 263 newspapers that have been published in the area around West Gray.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of West Gray, there are papers which were published within 14 miles [22.5 km]<6>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for West Gray.

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 professional and volunteer 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 Gray:

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

The official website for Cumberland County: www.cumberlandcounty.org/

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 West Gray, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<6>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- West Gray) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in West Gray. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 43.8589, Longitude: -70.3753       In this case, the coordinates for West Gray have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).




 

Copyright 2025
All Rights Reserved

Thank you for visiting our website.

In closing, please keep in mind that we can not guarantee the accuracy or timeliness of the information on this website, so use with care. We encourage you to double-check the information that is critical to you.

If you've found an error or have additional information that you would like to share, please don't hesitate to write: Click here to contact us.

This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025