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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 Penacook (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 Penacook. 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 northwest 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 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.

Penacook 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 Penacook. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Penacook:

  • Merrimack County     (The home county of Penacook)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Penacook, with the one closest to Penacook listed first.
    • Boyce
      (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Boyce. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boyce
      • Boyce is located in Merrimack County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Boyce
      • From Penacook to Boyce
    • Boscawen
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Canterbury
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • East Concord
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Concord
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Loudon
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Loudon have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loudon
      • Loudon is located in Merrimack County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,697 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Loudon <2>
    • Contoocook
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Webster
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Webster have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Webster
      • Webster is located in Merrimack County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,974 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Webster <2>
    • Shaker Village
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Shaker Village have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shaker Village
      • Shaker Village is located in Merrimack County
    • Hopkinton
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Horse Corner
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Salisbury
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Salisbury have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salisbury
      • Salisbury is located in Merrimack County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,468 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Salisbury <2>
    • Lower Village
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
      • 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 Merrimack County
  • Belknap County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Penacook, with the one closest to Penacook listed first.
    • Allens Mills
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Gardners Grove
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • Tilton
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • 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>
    • Belmont
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Gilmanton
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Sanbornton
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • 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>
    • Lower Gilmanton
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Barnstead
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Barnstead have been provided by the GNIS.<3> 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>
    • Winnisquam
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
    • Gaza
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
    • Laconia
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
    • Wildwood Village
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • 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
    • Gilford
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gilford have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gilford
      • Gilford is located in Belknap County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 7,278 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Gilford <2>
  • Carroll County
  • Cheshire County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Penacook, with the one closest to Penacook listed first.
    • Mill Village
      (28 miles [45.1 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
      (29 miles [46.7 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>
  • Grafton County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Penacook, with the one closest to Penacook listed first.
    • South Alexandria
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Bristol
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
    • Alexandria
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Bridgewater
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • 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>
    • East Grafton
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Grafton
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • 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>
    • Ashland
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
    • Hebron
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hebron have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hebron
      • Hebron is located in Grafton County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 633 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hebron <2>
  • Hillsborough County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Penacook, with the one closest to Penacook listed first.
    • Chase Village
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
      • 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
    • North Weare
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for North Weare. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Weare
      • North Weare is located in Hillsborough County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to North Weare
      • From Penacook to North Weare
    • Slab City
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Slab City have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Slab City
      • Slab City is located in Hillsborough County
    • Weare
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Goffstown
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Goffstown have been provided by the GNIS.<3> 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>
    • Tavern Village
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tavern Village have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tavern Village
      • Tavern Village is located in Hillsborough County
    • East Deering
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Grasmere
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
    • Deering
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
    • Hillsboro
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
    • Hillsboro Center
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Hillsboro Lower Village
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Holton
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • 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 Penacook to Holton
  • Rockingham County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Penacook, with the one closest to Penacook listed first.
    • Deerfield Center
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
    • James City
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for James City have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for James City
      • James City is located in Rockingham County
    • Northwood Ridge
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
    • Candia
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Candia have been provided by the GNIS.<3> 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>
    • Deerfield
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Deerfield have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Deerfield
      • Deerfield is located in Rockingham County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,564 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Deerfield <2>
    • Auburn
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Northwood
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
    • East Candia
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
    • Raymond
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Raymond have been provided by the GNIS.<3> 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>
    • Nottingham
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Wilson
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • 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.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilson
      • Wilson is located in Rockingham County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Wilson
      • From Penacook to Wilson
    • Chester
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Derry Village
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Derry Village have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Derry Village
      • Derry Village is located in Rockingham County
  • Strafford County
  • Sullivan County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Penacook, with the one closest to Penacook listed first.
    • Twin Lakes Village
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Twin Lakes Village have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Twin Lakes Village
      • Twin Lakes Village is located in Sullivan County
    • Fernwood
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
    • Georges Mills
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Lower Village
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • 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 Sullivan County
    • Sunapee
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
    • Washington
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
    • Springfield
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Springfield have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Springfield
      • Springfield is located in Sullivan County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,348 people
    • Goshen
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
    • Lempster
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
    • Newport
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
    • Croydon
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Grantham
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Grantham have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grantham
      • Grantham is located in Sullivan County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,955 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Grantham <2>
    • Croydon Flat
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)

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

Cemeteries Near Penacook ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Penacook.

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

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Penacook, with the one closest to Penacook 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 Penacook had a population of 1,837 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service.

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

  • West Concord
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for West Concord have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Concord
    • West Concord is located in Merrimack County
  • Boscawen
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
  • East Concord
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Canterbury
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Tyler
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tyler have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tyler
    • Tyler is located in Merrimack County
  • Concord
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
  • Davisville
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Davisville have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Davisville
    • Davisville is located in Merrimack County
  • Contoocook
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Loudon
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Loudon have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loudon
    • Loudon is located in Merrimack County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,697 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Loudon <2>
  • Webster
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Webster have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Webster
    • Webster is located in Merrimack County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,974 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Webster <2>
  • Hopkinton
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Bow Mills
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bow Mills have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bow Mills
    • Bow Mills is located in Merrimack County
  • Continue List   (24 more) ...
    • Bow Junction
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bow Junction have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bow Junction
      • Bow Junction is located in Merrimack County
    • West Hopkinton
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for West Hopkinton have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Hopkinton
      • West Hopkinton is located in Merrimack County
    • Salisbury
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Salisbury have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salisbury
      • Salisbury is located in Merrimack County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,468 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Salisbury <2>

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Penacook ...

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 200 newspapers that have been published in the area around Penacook.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Penacook. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Penacook and those printed in the larger area surrounding Penacook.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 20 miles [32.2 km]<6> of Penacook.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we like to start 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 Penacook:

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Penacook. 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>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 Penacook, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<6>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a '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- Penacook) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Penacook. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 43.2800, Longitude: -71.5999    









 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025