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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 Bradford (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 Bradford. 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.

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 hospitals 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.

Bradford is located in Merrimack County.

To see how the shape of New Hampshire's counties have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Merrimack County: Belknap, Grafton, Hillsborough, Rockingham, Strafford & Sullivan.

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

  • Merrimack County     (The home county of Bradford)
  • Belknap County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bradford, with the one closest to Bradford listed first.
    • Tilton
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tilton have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tilton
      • Tilton is located in Belknap County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,556 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Tilton <2>
    • Sanbornton
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sanbornton have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sanbornton
      • Sanbornton is located in Belknap County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,012 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sanbornton <2>
    • Gardners Grove
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Gaza
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Allens Mills
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
    • Belmont
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
    • New Hampton
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for New Hampton have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Hampton
      • New Hampton is located in Belknap County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,234 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for New Hampton <2>
    • Winnisquam
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Gilmanton
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
    • Laconia
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Wildwood Village
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wildwood Village have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wildwood Village
      • Wildwood Village is located in Belknap County
  • Cheshire County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bradford, with the one closest to Bradford listed first.
    • Mill Village
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mill Village have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mill Village
      • Mill Village is located in Cheshire County
    • Stoddard
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Stoddard have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stoddard
      • Stoddard is located in Cheshire County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,254 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Stoddard <2>
    • Marlow
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Marlow have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marlow
      • Marlow is located in Cheshire County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 733 people
    • Alstead Center
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Alstead
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Gilsum
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gilsum have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gilsum
      • Gilsum is located in Cheshire County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 807 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Gilsum <2>
    • Nelson
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Lower Village
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lower Village have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lower Village
      • Lower Village is located in Cheshire County
    • Sullivan
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Eastview
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Eastview. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eastview
      • Eastview is located in Cheshire County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Eastview
      • From Bradford to Eastview
    • Harrisville
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
    • Drewsville
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
  • Grafton County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bradford, with the one closest to Bradford listed first.
    • East Grafton
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
    • Grafton
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Grafton have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grafton
      • Grafton is located in Grafton County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,337 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Grafton <2>
    • South Alexandria
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
    • Lockehaven
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
    • Bristol
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Alexandria
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Lower Shaker Village
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lower Shaker Village have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lower Shaker Village
      • Lower Shaker Village is located in Grafton County
    • Upper Shaker Village
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Upper Shaker Village have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Upper Shaker Village
      • Upper Shaker Village is located in Grafton County
    • Montcalm
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Montcalm. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montcalm
      • Montcalm is located in Grafton County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Montcalm
      • From Bradford to Montcalm
    • Canaan
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
    • Orange
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Orange have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orange
      • Orange is located in Grafton County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 312 people
    • Bridgewater
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bridgewater have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bridgewater
      • Bridgewater is located in Grafton County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,082 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bridgewater <2>
  • Hillsborough County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bradford, with the one closest to Bradford listed first.
    • Hillsboro Center
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Hillsboro Upper Village
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Hillsboro Lower Village
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Hillsboro
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Windsor
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Windsor have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Windsor
      • Windsor is located in Hillsborough County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 232 people
    • North Branch
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • Holton
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Holton. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holton
      • Holton is located in Hillsborough County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Holton
      • From Bradford to Holton
    • Deering
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Antrim Center
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
    • Clinton Village
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Clinton Village have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clinton Village
      • Clinton Village is located in Hillsborough County
    • Chase Village
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Chase Village have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chase Village
      • Chase Village is located in Hillsborough County
    • East Deering
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
  • Sullivan County
  • Windham County (VT)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bradford, with the one closest to Bradford listed first.
    • Bellows Falls
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bellows Falls have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bellows Falls
      • Bellows Falls is located in Windham County (VT)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,967 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bellows Falls <2>
    • North Westminster
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Westminster have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Westminster
      • North Westminster is located in Windham County (VT)
      • Estimated population in 2011: 246 people
    • Rockingham
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
    • Westminster
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Westminster have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westminster
      • Westminster is located in Windham County (VT)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 267 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Westminster <2>
    • Brockways Mills
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
    • Rockingham
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rockingham have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rockingham
      • Rockingham is located in Windham County (VT)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,986 people
    • Saxtons River
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
    • Westminster
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Westminster have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westminster
      • Westminster is located in Windham County (VT)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,952 people
  • Windsor County (VT)

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

Cemeteries Near Bradford ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Bradford.

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

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

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.<6>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Bradford had a population of 403 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Bradford had a population of 1,739 people.

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

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Bradford ...

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 57 newspapers that have been published in the area around Bradford.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Bradford. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Bradford and those printed in the larger area surrounding Bradford.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 19 miles [30.6 km]<4> of Bradford.

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 Bradford:

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

The official website for State of New Hampshire: https://www.nh.gov/

Footnotes ...

<1>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.
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<3>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.
<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- Bradford) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Bradford. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 43.2692, Longitude: -71.9586    
<5>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.
<6>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 Bradford, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025