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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 Rye (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 Rye. 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 northeast 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 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 east 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.

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

  • Rockingham County     (The home county of Rye)
  • Strafford County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rye, with the one closest to Rye listed first.
    • Durham
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Dover
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Glenmere Village
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Madbury
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Madbury have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Madbury
      • Madbury is located in Strafford County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,879 people
    • Lee
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lee have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lee
      • Lee is located in Strafford County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,597 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lee <2>
    • Rollinsford
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rollinsford have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rollinsford
      • Rollinsford is located in Strafford County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,577 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Rollinsford <2>
    • Somersworth
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
    • Barrington
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Rochester
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
    • East Rochester
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
    • Bow Lake Village
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Strafford Corner
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Place
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Place. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Place
      • Place is located in Strafford County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Place
      • From Rye to Place
  • Essex County (MA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rye, with the one closest to Rye listed first.
    • Salisbury
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
      • 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 Essex County (MA)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 9,591 people
    • Amesbury
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Newburyport
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
    • Newbury Old Town
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Newbury Old Town have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newbury Old Town
      • Newbury Old Town is located in Essex County (MA)
    • Newbury
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Newbury have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newbury
      • Newbury is located in Essex County (MA)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 7,175 people
    • Merrimac
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Merrimac have been provided by the GNIS.<3> 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
    • Rocks Village
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rocks Village have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rocks Village
      • Rocks Village is located in Essex County (MA)
    • West Newbury
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
    • Byfield
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Byfield have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Byfield
      • Byfield is located in Essex County (MA)
    • Rowley
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rowley have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rowley
      • Rowley is located in Essex County (MA)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 6,393 people
    • Groveland
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Bradford
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Georgetown
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
  • York County (ME)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rye, with the one closest to Rye listed first.
    • Admiralty Village
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Admiralty Village have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Admiralty Village
      • Admiralty Village is located in York County (ME)
    • Kittery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Kittery Point
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • South Eliot
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for South Eliot have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Eliot
      • South Eliot is located in York County (ME)
    • Bedell Crossing
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Beech Ridge
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Eliot
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Eliot have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eliot
      • Eliot is located in York County (ME)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 7,115 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Eliot <2>
    • York Harbor
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • York Village
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for York Village have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for York Village
      • York Village is located in York County (ME)
    • Payneton
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Chases Pond
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
    • York Beach
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
    • York
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for York have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for York
      • York is located in York County (ME)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 13,329 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for York <2>

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

Cemeteries Near Rye ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Rye.

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

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

  • Rye Central Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
  • Wedgewood Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Wedgewood Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Wedgewood Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Temple Israel Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Temple Israel Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Temple Israel Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Calvary Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Calvary Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Calvary Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • St. Marys Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Marys Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Marys Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • South Street Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the South Street Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the South Street Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Hillside Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
  • Greenland Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Greenland Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Greenland Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Center Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Center Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Center Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Riverside Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Riverside Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Riverside Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Point of Grave Burial Ground
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Point of Grave Burial Ground
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Point of Grave Burial Ground have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • St. Johns Churchyard Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
  • Continue List   (308 more) ...
    • North Cemetery
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the North Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the North Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Union Cemetery
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Union Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Union Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Elkins Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Elkins Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Elkins Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.

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 Rye had a population of 450 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service. In 2020, Rye had a population of 5,478 people.

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

  • West Rye
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for West Rye. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Rye
    • West Rye is located in Rockingham County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to West Rye
    • From Rye to West Rye
  • Rye Beach
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
  • Little Boars Head
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Little Boars Head have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little Boars Head
    • Little Boars Head is located in Rockingham County
  • Greenland Station
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Greenland Station have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenland Station
    • Greenland Station is located in Rockingham County
  • Greenland
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Greenland have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenland
    • Greenland is located in Rockingham County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,114 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Greenland <2>
  • North Hampton
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Hampton have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Hampton
    • North Hampton is located in Rockingham County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,485 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for North Hampton <2>
  • New Castle
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Portsmouth
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
  • Hampton
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • Kittery Point
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
  • Kittery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • Bayside
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bayside have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bayside
    • Bayside is located in Rockingham County
  • Continue List   (17 more) ...
    • Newington
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • South Eliot
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for South Eliot have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Eliot
      • South Eliot is located in York County (ME)
    • Stratham Station
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Stratham Station have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stratham Station
      • Stratham Station 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 Rye. See our List of 1890's Communities around Rye.

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Rye ...

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 58 newspapers that have been published in the area around Rye.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Rye. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Rye and those printed in the larger area surrounding Rye.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 13 miles [20.9 km]<4> of Rye.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

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

The official website for Rye: town.rye.nh.us/

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>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' (or point-to-point) distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Rye) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Rye. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 43.0135, Longitude: -70.7709       In this case, the coordinates for Rye have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<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 Rye, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025