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 Willis Corners (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 Willis Corners. 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 Willis Corners ...
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 Willis Corners: Willis Cors.
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 southeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals were in the next county to the east. 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 east 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.
Willis Corners 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 Willis Corners. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Willis Corners:
- Knox County (The home county of Willis Corners)
- The following are listed by their distance from Willis Corners, with the one closest to Willis Corners listed first.
- Thomaston
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Rockland
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Warren
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Glen Cove
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Glen Cove is located in Knox County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glen Cove
- South Thomaston
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Owls Head
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- West Rockport
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Warren Station
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Warren Station is located in Knox County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Warren Station
- Saint George
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Saint George is located in Knox County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint George
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,578 people
- Spruce Head
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Cushing
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Rockport
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Long Cove
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Long Cove is located in Knox County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Long Cove
- Hancock County
- The following are listed by their distance from Willis Corners, with the one closest to Willis Corners listed first.
- Sunset
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Cape Rosier
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Cape Rosier is located in Hancock County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cape Rosier
- Harborside
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Deer Isle
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Stonington
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Little Deer Isle
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Oceanville
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Oceanville is located in Hancock County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oceanville
- Castine
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Penobscot
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Mountainville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Mountainville is located in Hancock County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mountainville
- Sargentville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Sargentville is located in Hancock County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sargentville
- Brooksville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- West Brooksville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- West Brooksville is located in Hancock County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Brooksville
- Kennebec County
- The following are listed by their distance from Willis Corners, with the one closest to Willis Corners listed first.
- South Windsor
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- South Windsor is located in Kennebec County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Windsor
- Windsor
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Branch Mills
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Branch Mills is located in Kennebec County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Branch Mills
- East Pittston
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- East Pittston is located in Kennebec County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Pittston
- North Windsor
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- North Windsor is located in Kennebec County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Windsor
- South China
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Chelsea
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- South Gardiner
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- South Gardiner is located in Kennebec County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Gardiner
- 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
- Randolph
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Lincoln County
- The following are listed by their distance from Willis Corners, with the one closest to Willis Corners listed first.
- South Waldoboro
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- South Waldoboro is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Waldoboro
- Davis Corner
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Davis Corner is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Davis Corner
- Waldoboro
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Eugley Corner
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Eugley Corner is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eugley Corner
- Flanders Corner
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Flanders Corner is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flanders Corner
- Medomak
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Medomak is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Medomak
- Bremen
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Jefferson
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Nobleboro
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Harrington Corner
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Harrington Corner is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harrington Corner
- Loudville
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Loudville is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loudville
- Round Pond
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Damariscotta
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Sagadahoc County
- Murphys Corner
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Murphys Corner is located in Sagadahoc County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Murphys Corner
- Waldo County
- The following are listed by their distance from Willis Corners, with the one closest to Willis Corners listed first.
- Lincolnville Center
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Lincolnville
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Searsmont
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Bickfords Corner
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Bickfords Corner is located in Waldo County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bickfords Corner
- Greers Corner
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Greers Corner is located in Waldo County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greers Corner
- Slab City
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Slab City is located in Waldo County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Slab City
- Belmont
(19 miles [30.6 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
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Center Belmont is located in Waldo County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Center Belmont
- South Montville
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- South Montville is located in Waldo County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Montville
- Islesboro
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Islesboro is located in Waldo County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Islesboro
- Population from the 2020 Census: 562 people
- Northport
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Belmont Corner
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Belmont Corner is located in Waldo County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belmont Corner
- Liberty
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Willis Corners, see our County-by-County Page for Willis Corners.
Cemeteries Near Willis Corners ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Willis Corners.
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 Willis Corners - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Willis Corners covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Willis Corners, with the one closest to Willis Corners listed first.
- St. Johns Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Thomaston Village Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- The Village Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Farnsworth Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Achorn Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Fairview Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Newcomb Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- South Warren Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Counce Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Head of Bay Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Hall Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Tolman Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Continue List (246 more) ...
- Riverview Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Seaview Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Glen Cove Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
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 Willis Corners in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Willis Corners.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Willis Corners, with the one closest to Willis Corners listed first.
- Thomaston
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- South Warren
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- South Warren is located in Knox County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Warren
- Rockland
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Warren
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- North Cushing
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- North Cushing is located in Knox County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Cushing
- South Thomaston
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Rockville
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Rockville is located in Knox County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rockville
- Ash Point
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Ash Point is located in Knox County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ash Point
- Owls Head
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Warren Station
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Warren Station is located in Knox County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Warren Station
- Cushing
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Saint George
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Saint George is located in Knox County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint George
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,578 people
- Continue List (13 more) ...
- Spruce Head
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Rockport
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- South Union
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- South Union is located in Knox County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Union
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Willis Corners. See our List of 1890's Communities around Willis Corners.
Newspapers Published in Willis Corners ...
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 60 newspapers that have been published in the area around Willis Corners.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Willis Corners, there are papers which were published within 20 miles [32.2 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Willis Corners.
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 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 Willis Corners:
- Websites specific to Maine
- Pages specific to Knox County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Hancock County
- Kennebec County
- Lincoln County
- Sagadahoc County
- Waldo 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 Willis Corners, 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- Willis Corners) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |