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 Leeds (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 Leeds. 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 Leeds ...
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 occur.
For example, a typical abbreviation for West Leeds: W. Leeds
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 northwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors and hospitals were in the next county to the west. 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 west 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 Leeds is located in Androscoggin 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 Androscoggin County: Cumberland, Franklin, Kennebec, Oxford & Sagadahoc.
Below are the counties that are near West Leeds. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to West Leeds:
- Androscoggin County (The home county of West Leeds)
- The following are listed by their distance from West Leeds, with the one closest to West Leeds listed first.
- Leeds
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Leeds is located in Androscoggin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leeds
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,320 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Leeds <1>
- Turner Center
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- Turner Center is located in Androscoggin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Turner Center
- North Leeds
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- North Leeds is located in Androscoggin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Leeds
- Howes Corner
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Howes Corner is located in Androscoggin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Howes Corner
- Curtis Corner
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Curtis Corner is located in Androscoggin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Curtis Corner
- South Livermore
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- South Livermore is located in Androscoggin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Livermore
- North Turner
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- North Turner is located in Androscoggin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Turner
- Turner
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Chase Mills
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Chase Mills is located in Androscoggin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chase Mills
- Greene Corner
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Greene Corner is located in Androscoggin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greene Corner
- Greene
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Leeds Junction
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Leeds Junction is located in Androscoggin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leeds Junction
- Cumberland County
- The following are listed by their distance from West Leeds, with the one closest to West Leeds listed first.
- Cobb Cove
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Cobb Cove is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cobb Cove
- New Gloucester
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Otisfield
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Otisfield is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Otisfield
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,819 people
- Shaker Village
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Shaker Village is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shaker Village
- North Pownal
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- North Pownal is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Pownal
- Casco
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Crescent Lake
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Crescent Lake is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crescent Lake
- Brunswick
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Dry Mills
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Dry Mills is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dry Mills
- Pownal
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- East Gray
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- East Gray is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Gray
- Harrison
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Franklin County
- The following are listed by their distance from West Leeds, with the one closest to West Leeds listed first.
- Chisholm
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Chisholm is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chisholm
- Jay
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Jay is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jay
- Population from the 2020 Census: 4,598 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Jay <1>
- North Jay
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- North Jay is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Jay
- Chesterville
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Chesterville is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chesterville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,348 people
- Dryden
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Dryden is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dryden
- East Dixfield
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- East Dixfield is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Dixfield
- Wilton
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- North Chesterville
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- North Chesterville is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Chesterville
- East Wilton
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- East Wilton is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Wilton
- Farmington Falls
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- New Sharon
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- West Farmington
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- West Farmington is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Farmington
- Kennebec County
- The following are listed by their distance from West Leeds, with the one closest to West Leeds listed first.
- North Monmouth
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Wayne
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Monmouth
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- North Wayne
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- North Wayne is located in Kennebec County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Wayne
- Winthrop
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- East Monmouth
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- East Monmouth is located in Kennebec County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Monmouth
- Fayette
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Maranacook
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Maranacook is located in Kennebec County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maranacook
- Kents Hill
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- North Fayette
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- North Fayette is located in Kennebec County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Fayette
- Readfield
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- South Monmouth
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- South Monmouth is located in Kennebec County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Monmouth
- Lincoln County
- The following are listed by their distance from West Leeds, with the one closest to West Leeds listed first.
- Dresden
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- South Dresden
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- South Dresden is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Dresden
- Hatchs Corner
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Hatchs Corner is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hatchs Corner
- Whitefield
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- North Whitefield
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- North Whitefield is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Whitefield
- Head Tide
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Head Tide is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Head Tide
- Coopers Mills
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Alna
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Oxford County
- The following are listed by their distance from West Leeds, with the one closest to West Leeds listed first.
- Buckfield
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Hartford
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Hartford is located in Oxford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hartford
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,229 people
- East Sumner
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- East Sumner is located in Oxford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Sumner
- Canton
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Canton is located in Oxford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Canton
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,097 people
- Canton Point
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Canton Point is located in Oxford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Canton Point
- Gilbertville
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Gilbertville is located in Oxford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gilbertville
- Hebron
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Sumner
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Paris
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Paris is located in Oxford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paris
- Population from the 2020 Census: 5,162 people
- South Paris
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- Peru
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Norway
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Sagadahoc County
- The following are listed by their distance from West Leeds, with the one closest to West Leeds listed first.
- Bowdoin
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Bowdoin is located in Sagadahoc County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bowdoin
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,222 people
- Richmond Corner
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Richmond Corner is located in Sagadahoc County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Richmond Corner
- Bowdoin Center
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Bowdoin Center is located in Sagadahoc County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bowdoin Center
- Richmond
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Bowdoinham
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Pejepscot
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Pejepscot is located in Sagadahoc County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pejepscot
- Harwards
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Harwards is located in Sagadahoc County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harwards
- Topsham
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Days Ferry
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Days Ferry is located in Sagadahoc County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Days Ferry
- Somerset County
- The following are listed by their distance from West Leeds, with the one closest to West Leeds listed first.
- Mercer
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Mercer is located in Somerset County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mercer
- Population from the 2020 Census: 637 people
- Smithfield
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to West Leeds, see our County-by-County Page for West Leeds.
Cemeteries Near West Leeds ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of West Leeds.
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 Leeds - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for West Leeds covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from West Leeds, with the one closest to West Leeds listed first.
- West Leeds Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Keens Mills Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- River Grove Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- East Leeds Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Leeds Center Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Maple Grove Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Sylvester Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Rose Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Leeds Plain Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Turner Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Upper Street Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Bear Pond Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Continue List (438 more) ...
- River Road Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Moss Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Keenes Corner Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 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.<3>
The Rand McNally Atlas shows that West Leeds had a population of 64 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service.
These communities are listed based on their distance from West Leeds, with the one closest to West Leeds listed first.
- Turner Center
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- Turner Center is located in Androscoggin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Turner Center
- Leeds
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Leeds is located in Androscoggin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leeds
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,320 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Leeds <1>
- South Leeds
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- South Leeds is located in Androscoggin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Leeds
- North Leeds
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- North Leeds is located in Androscoggin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Leeds
- Howes Corner
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Howes Corner is located in Androscoggin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Howes Corner
- Curtis Corner
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Curtis Corner is located in Androscoggin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Curtis Corner
- Turner
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- South Livermore
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- South Livermore is located in Androscoggin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Livermore
- North Turner
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- North Turner is located in Androscoggin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Turner
- Chase Mills
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Chase Mills is located in Androscoggin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chase Mills
- South Turner
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- South Turner is located in Androscoggin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Turner
- North Monmouth
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Continue List (15 more) ...
- Wayne
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Greene Corner
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Greene Corner is located in Androscoggin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greene Corner
- Greene
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around West Leeds. See our List of 1890's Communities around West Leeds.
Newspapers Published in West Leeds ...
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 48 newspapers that have been published in the area around West Leeds.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of West Leeds, there are papers which were published within 19 miles [30.6 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for West Leeds.
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 Leeds:
- Websites specific to Maine
- Pages specific to Androscoggin County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Cumberland County
- Franklin County
- Kennebec County
- Lincoln County
- Oxford County
- Sagadahoc County
- Somerset 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 West Leeds, 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 obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- West Leeds) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |