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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 Salem (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 Salem. 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 and 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.

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

  • Rockingham County     (The home county of Salem)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Salem, with the one closest to Salem listed first.
    • Wilson Corners
      (Less than 2 miles to the east)
    • North Salem
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Atkinson
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Windham
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Hampstead
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Hubbard
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
      • 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.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hubbard
      • Hubbard is located in Rockingham County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Hubbard
      • From Salem to Hubbard
    • Plaistow
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Derry
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Sandown
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sandown have been provided by the GNIS.<3> 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 <1>
    • Danville
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Derry Village
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
      • 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
    • Newton
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Newton have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newton
      • Newton is located in Rockingham County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,934 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Newton <1>
    • Londonderry
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Londonderry have been provided by the GNIS.<3> 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 <1>
  • Hillsborough County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Salem, with the one closest to Salem listed first.
    • Pelham
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pelham have been provided by the GNIS.<3> 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 <1>
    • Hudson
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Nashua
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
    • Litchfield
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
    • Reeds Ferry
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
    • East Merrimack
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for East Merrimack have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Merrimack
      • East Merrimack is located in Hillsborough County
    • Merrimack
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
    • Massabesic
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
    • South Merrimack
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
    • Hollis Depot
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Hollis Depot. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hollis Depot
      • Hollis Depot is located in Hillsborough County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Hollis Depot
      • From Salem to Hollis Depot
    • Bedford
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bedford have been provided by the GNIS.<3> 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 <1>
    • Manchester
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Hollis
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hollis have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hollis
      • Hollis is located in Hillsborough County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 8,123 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hollis <1>
  • Merrimack County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Salem, with the one closest to Salem listed first.
    • South Hooksett
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for South Hooksett have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Hooksett
      • South Hooksett is located in Merrimack County
    • Martin
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Martin have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Martin
      • Martin is located in Merrimack County
    • Hooksett
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Suncook
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Allenstown
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Pembroke
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Bow
      (29 miles [46.7 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.<2>
      • 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 <1>
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Bow
      • From Salem to Bow
    • Epsom
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Epsom have been provided by the GNIS.<3> 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 <1>
    • Dunbarton
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Strafford County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Salem, with the one closest to Salem listed first.
    • Glenmere Village
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
    • Lee
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • 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 <1>
    • Durham
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Madbury
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • 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
  • Essex County (MA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Salem, with the one closest to Salem listed first.
    • Ayers Village
      (Less than 2 miles to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ayers Village have been provided by the GNIS.<3> 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
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Methuen
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Methuen have been provided by the GNIS.<3> 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
    • Ward Hill
      (5 miles [8 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.<2>
      • 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 Salem to Ward Hill
    • Bradford
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Haverhill
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Lawrence
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • North Andover
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Andover have been provided by the GNIS.<3> 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
    • Groveland
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Shawsheen Village
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Shawsheen Village have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shawsheen Village
      • Shawsheen Village is located in Essex County (MA)
    • West Boxford
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for West Boxford have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Boxford
      • West Boxford is located in Essex County (MA)
    • Andover
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Haggetts
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Haggetts. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Haggetts
      • Haggetts is located in Essex County (MA)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Haggetts
      • From Salem to Haggetts
  • Middlesex County (MA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Salem, with the one closest to Salem listed first.
    • Dracut
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Collinsville
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
      • 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.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Collinsville
      • Collinsville is located in Middlesex County (MA)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Collinsville
      • From Salem to Collinsville
    • Lowell
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Tewksbury
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • Ayres City
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ayres City have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ayres City
      • Ayres City is located in Middlesex County (MA)
    • Middlesex Village
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Middlesex Village have been provided by the GNIS.<3> 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
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Princeton Village
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Princeton Village have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Princeton Village
      • Princeton Village is located in Middlesex County (MA)
    • Tyngsbororough
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tyngsbororough have been provided by the GNIS.<3> 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
    • North Billerica
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
    • West Village
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for West Village have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Village
      • West Village is located in Middlesex County (MA)
    • North Reading
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Chelmsford
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
  • Suffolk County (MA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Salem, with the one closest to Salem listed first.
    • Revere
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
    • Chelsea
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
    • Allston
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Allston have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Allston
      • Allston is located in Suffolk County (MA)
    • Charlestown
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
    • Bay Village
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bay Village have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bay Village
      • Bay Village is located in Suffolk County (MA)
    • Boston
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
    • Brighton
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
    • East Boston
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
    • Winthrop
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
  • Worcester County (MA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Salem, with the one closest to Salem listed first.
    • Shaker Village
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • 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 Worcester County (MA)
    • Harvard
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Lunenburg
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Still River
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
  • York County (ME)
    • South Eliot
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • 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)

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

Cemeteries Near Salem ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Salem.

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

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Salem, with the one closest to Salem 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.<7>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Salem had a population of 374 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service. In 2020, Salem had a population of 30,641 people.

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

  • Ayers Village
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ayers Village have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ayers Village
    • Ayers Village is located in Essex County (MA)
  • Salem Depot
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Salem Depot have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salem Depot
    • Salem Depot is located in Rockingham County
  • North Salem
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
  • Methuen
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Methuen have been provided by the GNIS.<3> 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
  • Atkinson
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Ward Hill
    (5 miles [8 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.<2>
    • 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 Salem to Ward Hill
  • Westville
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Westville have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westville
    • Westville is located in Rockingham County
  • Windham
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
  • Lawrence
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • Hubbard
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • 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.<2>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hubbard
    • Hubbard is located in Rockingham County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Hubbard
    • From Salem to Hubbard
  • South Lawrence
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for South Lawrence have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Lawrence
    • South Lawrence is located in Essex County (MA)
  • Bradford
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
  • Continue List   (16 more) ...

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Salem ...

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 188 newspapers that have been published in the area around Salem.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Salem. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Salem and those printed in the larger area surrounding Salem.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 15 miles [24.1 km]<5> of Salem.

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 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 Salem:

The official website for Salem: https://salemnh.gov/

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>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<2>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.
<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>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 from Point A (ie- Salem) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Salem. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 42.7885, Longitude: -71.2009    
<6>The Massachusetts Historical Commission (MHC) has created and maintains a database of historic properties that is called MACRIS (for the Massachusetts Cultural Resource Information System). More information about the MHC and MACRIS can be found on their website: mhc-macris.net.

When visiting the MACRIS website, you might encounter their page requiring the 'Acceptance of Terms'. With your acceptance, you'll be transfered to the desired page.

<7>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 Salem, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025