RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> State of Maine >> Knox County >> West Rockport >> 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 West Rockport (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 Rockport. 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 Rockport ...

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.

Another variation: West Rock Port.

  • A typical abbreviation for West Rockport: W. Rockport

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 hospitals and doctors 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 Rockport is located in Knox 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 Knox County: Lincoln & Waldo.

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

  • Knox County     (The home county of West Rockport)
    • The following are listed by their distance from West Rockport, with the one closest to West Rockport listed first.
    • Rockport
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
    • Camden
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • South Hope
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
      • South Hope is located in Knox County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Hope
    • Glen Cove
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Glen Cove is located in Knox County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glen Cove
    • Lake City
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Lake City is located in Knox County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake City
    • Hope
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Rockland
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Thomaston
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Owls Head
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Warren
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Union
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Warren Station
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Warren Station is located in Knox County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Warren Station
  • Hancock County
    • The following are listed by their distance from West Rockport, with the one closest to West Rockport listed first.
    • Cape Rosier
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Cape Rosier is located in Hancock County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cape Rosier
    • Harborside
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Sunset
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
    • Castine
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Penobscot
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Deer Isle
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
    • Little Deer Isle
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
    • Stonington
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
    • West Brooksville
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • West Brooksville is located in Hancock County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Brooksville
    • Sargentville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Sargentville is located in Hancock County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sargentville
    • Mountainville
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Mountainville is located in Hancock County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mountainville
    • Brooksville
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
  • Kennebec County
    • The following are listed by their distance from West Rockport, with the one closest to West Rockport listed first.
    • Branch Mills
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Branch Mills is located in Kennebec County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Branch Mills
    • South Windsor
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • South Windsor is located in Kennebec County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Windsor
    • Windsor
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
    • North Windsor
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • North Windsor is located in Kennebec County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Windsor
    • South China
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • East Pittston
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • East Pittston is located in Kennebec County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Pittston
    • China
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • China is located in Kennebec County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for China
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,339 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for China <1>
    • Albion
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
    • East Vassalboro
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • East Vassalboro is located in Kennebec County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Vassalboro
    • Chelsea
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
    • Pittston
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Pittston is located in Kennebec County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pittston
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,819 people
    • South Gardiner
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • South Gardiner is located in Kennebec County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Gardiner
  • Lincoln County
    • The following are listed by their distance from West Rockport, with the one closest to West Rockport listed first.
    • Davis Corner
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
      • Davis Corner is located in Lincoln County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Davis Corner
    • South Waldoboro
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
      • South Waldoboro is located in Lincoln County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Waldoboro
    • Waldoboro
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Flanders Corner
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
      • Flanders Corner is located in Lincoln County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flanders Corner
    • Eugley Corner
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Eugley Corner is located in Lincoln County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eugley Corner
    • Jefferson
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
    • Medomak
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
      • Medomak is located in Lincoln County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Medomak
    • Nobleboro
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
    • Somerville
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Somerville is located in Lincoln County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Somerville
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 569 people
    • Bremen
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Harrington Corner
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Harrington Corner is located in Lincoln County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harrington Corner
    • Coopers Mills
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
  • Waldo County
    • The following are listed by their distance from West Rockport, with the one closest to West Rockport listed first.
    • Lincolnville Center
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Lincolnville
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Bickfords Corner
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Bickfords Corner is located in Waldo County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bickfords Corner
    • Searsmont
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • Belmont
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
      • Belmont is located in Waldo County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belmont
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 911 people
    • Center Belmont
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
      • Center Belmont is located in Waldo County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Center Belmont
    • Greers Corner
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
      • Greers Corner is located in Waldo County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greers Corner
    • Slab City
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
      • Slab City is located in Waldo County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Slab City
    • Northport
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Belmont Corner
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Belmont Corner is located in Waldo County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belmont Corner
    • Islesboro
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Islesboro is located in Waldo County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Islesboro
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 562 people
    • South Montville
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
      • South Montville is located in Waldo County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Montville

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

Cemeteries Near West Rockport ...

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

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 Rockport - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • New Rockville Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
  • Amesbury Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
  • Oak Hill Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
  • Tolman Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
  • Rockport Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
  • Mountain View Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Achorn Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
  • Seaview Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Glen Cove Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Samoset Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Hope Grove Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • Farnsworth Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • Continue List   (264 more) ...
    • Riverview Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Newcomb Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Fairview 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 West Rockport in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of West Rockport.

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

  • Rockville
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Rockville is located in Knox County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rockville
  • Rockport
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
  • Camden
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
  • South Hope
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • South Hope is located in Knox County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Hope
  • East Union
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • East Union is located in Knox County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Union
  • Hope
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • Rockland
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • South Union
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • South Union is located in Knox County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Union
  • Warren
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Thomaston
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
  • Owls Head
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Union
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
  • Continue List   (18 more) ...
    • Warren Station
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Warren Station is located in Knox County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Warren Station
    • South Warren
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
      • South Warren is located in Knox County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Warren
    • South Thomaston
      (9 miles [14.5 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 Rockport. See our List of 1890's Communities around West Rockport.

Newspapers Published in West Rockport ...

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 40 newspapers that have been published in the area around West Rockport.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of West Rockport, there are papers which were published within 17 miles [27.4 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for West Rockport.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first visit 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 West Rockport:

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 Rockport, 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 from Point A (ie- West Rockport) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.