RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> State of New Hampshire >> Rockingham County >> Chester >> Genealogy HelperIndex...










Learn About
The Commemorative
Quarter for
New Hampshire

The Commemorative Quarter for New Hampshire





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 Chester (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 Chester. 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 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.

Chester is located in Rockingham 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 Rockingham County: Essex (MA), York (ME), Hillsborough, Merrimack & Strafford.

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

  • Rockingham County     (The home county of Chester)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Chester, with the one closest to Chester listed first.
    • Sandown
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sandown have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandown
      • Sandown is located in Rockingham County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 6,551 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sandown <2>
    • Auburn
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Hubbard
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Hubbard. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hubbard
      • Hubbard is located in Rockingham County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Hubbard
      • From Chester to Hubbard
    • Derry Village
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Derry Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Derry Village
      • Derry Village is located in Rockingham County
    • Fremont
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • East Candia
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Raymond
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
      • 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 Rockingham County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 10,573 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Raymond <2>
    • Hampstead
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Derry
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Wilson
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Wilson. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilson
      • Wilson is located in Rockingham County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Wilson
      • From Chester to Wilson
    • Danville
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Candia
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Candia have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Candia
      • Candia is located in Rockingham County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,959 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Candia <2>
    • Londonderry
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Londonderry have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Londonderry
      • Londonderry is located in Rockingham County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 26,646 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Londonderry <2>
  • Belknap County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Chester, with the one closest to Chester listed first.
    • Barnstead
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Barnstead have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barnstead
      • Barnstead is located in Belknap County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,777 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Barnstead <2>
    • Lower Gilmanton
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
  • Hillsborough County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Chester, with the one closest to Chester listed first.
    • Massabesic
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Manchester
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Reeds Ferry
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Pinardville
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pinardville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pinardville
      • Pinardville is located in Hillsborough County
    • East Merrimack
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for East Merrimack have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Merrimack
      • East Merrimack is located in Hillsborough County
    • Litchfield
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Merrimack
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Bedford
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bedford have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bedford
      • Bedford is located in Hillsborough County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 22,957 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bedford <2>
    • Pelham
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pelham have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pelham
      • Pelham is located in Hillsborough County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 14,306 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Pelham <2>
    • Grasmere
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
    • Hudson
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Nashua
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Goffstown
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Goffstown have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goffstown
      • Goffstown is located in Hillsborough County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 18,136 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Goffstown <2>
  • Merrimack County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Chester, with the one closest to Chester listed first.
    • South Hooksett
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for South Hooksett have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Hooksett
      • South Hooksett is located in Merrimack County
    • Martin
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Martin have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Martin
      • Martin is located in Merrimack County
    • Hooksett
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Allenstown
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Suncook
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Pembroke
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Epsom
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Epsom have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Epsom
      • Epsom is located in Merrimack County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,824 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Epsom <2>
    • Gossville
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
    • Bow
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Bow. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bow
      • Bow is located in Merrimack County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 8,063 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bow <2>
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Bow
      • From Chester to Bow
    • Dunbarton
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Chichester
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
    • Horse Corner
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Concord
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Strafford County
  • Essex County (MA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Chester, with the one closest to Chester listed first.
    • Ayers Village
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ayers Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ayers Village
      • Ayers Village is located in Essex County (MA)
    • Tozier Corner
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
    • Bradford
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Haverhill
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Merrimac
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Merrimac have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Merrimac
      • Merrimac is located in Essex County (MA)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 6,972 people
    • Ward Hill
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Ward Hill. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ward Hill
      • Ward Hill is located in Essex County (MA)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Ward Hill
      • From Chester to Ward Hill
    • Methuen
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Methuen have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Methuen
      • Methuen is located in Essex County (MA)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 50,910 people
    • Rocks Village
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rocks Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rocks Village
      • Rocks Village is located in Essex County (MA)
    • Amesbury
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
    • Lawrence
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
    • Groveland
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
    • West Newbury
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
    • North Andover
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Andover have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Andover
      • North Andover is located in Essex County (MA)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 31,460 people
  • Middlesex County (MA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Chester, with the one closest to Chester listed first.
    • Collinsville
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Collinsville. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Collinsville
      • Collinsville is located in Middlesex County (MA)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Collinsville
      • From Chester to Collinsville
    • Dracut
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • Tyngsbororough
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tyngsbororough have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tyngsbororough
      • Tyngsbororough is located in Middlesex County (MA)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 12,646 people
    • Lowell
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
    • Middlesex Village
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Middlesex Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Middlesex Village
      • Middlesex Village is located in Middlesex County (MA)
    • North Chelmsford
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
    • Dunstable
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Ayres City
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ayres City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ayres City
      • Ayres City is located in Middlesex County (MA)
    • Princeton Village
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Princeton Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Princeton Village
      • Princeton Village is located in Middlesex County (MA)
    • Tewksbury
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
    • Chelmsford
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
    • Babbatasset Village
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Babbatasset Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Babbatasset Village
      • Babbatasset Village is located in Middlesex County (MA)
    • East Pepperell
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for East Pepperell have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Pepperell
      • East Pepperell is located in Middlesex County (MA)
  • York County (ME)

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

Cemeteries Near Chester ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Chester.

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

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Chester, with the one closest to Chester 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.<5>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Chester had a population of 480 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service. In 2020, Chester had a population of 5,278 people.

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

  • East Derry
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for East Derry have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Derry
    • East Derry is located in Rockingham County
  • West Hampstead
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for West Hampstead have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Hampstead
    • West Hampstead is located in Rockingham County
  • Sandown
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sandown have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandown
    • Sandown is located in Rockingham County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 6,551 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sandown <2>
  • Hubbard
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Hubbard. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hubbard
    • Hubbard is located in Rockingham County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Hubbard
    • From Chester to Hubbard
  • Auburn
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
  • Wilson
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Wilson. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilson
    • Wilson is located in Rockingham County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Wilson
    • From Chester to Wilson
  • Derry
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Hampstead
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Fremont
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
  • Raymond
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • 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 Rockingham County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 10,573 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Raymond <2>
  • East Candia
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
  • North Londonderry
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Londonderry have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Londonderry
    • North Londonderry is located in Rockingham County
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • East Hampstead
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for East Hampstead have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Hampstead
      • East Hampstead is located in Rockingham County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for East Hampstead <2>
    • Danville
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • North Danville
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Danville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Danville
      • North Danville is located in Rockingham County

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

Newspapers Published in Chester ...

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 99 newspapers that have been published in the area around Chester.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Chester, there are papers which were published within 16 miles [25.7 km]<6>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Chester.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we start with the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These 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 Chester:

The official website for Chester: chesternh.org/

The official website for Rockingham County: www.co.rockingham.nh.us/

The official website for State of New Hampshire: https://www.nh.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 Chester, 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' (or point-to-point) distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Chester) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Chester. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 42.9572, Longitude: -71.2567    









 

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