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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 Bethel (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 Bethel. 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 and doctors 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.

Bethel is located in Washington County.

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

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Washington County: New London (CT), Windham (CT), Dukes (MA), Suffolk (NY), Bristol, Kent & Newport.

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

  • Washington County     (The home county of Bethel)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bethel, with the one closest to Bethel listed first.
    • Ashaway
      (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
      • Ashaway is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ashaway
    • Hopkinton
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
      • Hopkinton is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hopkinton
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 8,095 people
    • Hopkinton
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
      • Hopkinton is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hopkinton
    • Alton
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
      • Alton is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alton
    • Burdickville
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
      • Burdickville is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burdickville
    • Bradford
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Bradford is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bradford
    • Westerly
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Westerly is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westerly
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 22,328 people
    • Westerly
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Westerly is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westerly
    • Canonchet
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
      • Canonchet is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Canonchet
    • Charlestown
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
      • Charlestown is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Charlestown
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 7,836 people
    • Hope Valley
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Hope Valley is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hope Valley
    • Avondale
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
      • Avondale is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Avondale
  • Kent County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bethel, with the one closest to Bethel listed first.
    • West Greenwich
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
      • West Greenwich is located in Kent County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Greenwich
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 6,418 people
    • Kitts Corner
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Kitts Corner is located in Kent County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kitts Corner
    • Gortons Corner
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Gortons Corner is located in Kent County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gortons Corner
    • Greene
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Greene is located in Kent County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greene
    • Coventry
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • Coventry is located in Kent County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coventry
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 34,931 people
    • Rice City
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • Rice City is located in Kent County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rice City
    • East Greenwich
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • East Greenwich is located in Kent County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Greenwich
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 13,141 people
    • Shippee Corner
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Shippee Corner is located in Kent County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shippee Corner
    • Spring Lake
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Spring Lake is located in Kent County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Lake
    • Coventry
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Coventry is located in Kent County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coventry
    • Quidnick
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Quidnick is located in Kent County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Quidnick
    • East Greenwich
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • East Greenwich is located in Kent County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Greenwich
  • Newport County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bethel, with the one closest to Bethel listed first.
    • Clarks Village
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • Clarks Village is located in Newport County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clarks Village
    • Jamestown
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Jamestown is located in Newport County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jamestown
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,482 people
    • Jamestown
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Jamestown is located in Newport County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jamestown
    • Brenton Village
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Brenton Village is located in Newport County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brenton Village
    • Newport
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Newport is located in Newport County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newport
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 24,412 people
    • Lawtons
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Lawtons is located in Newport County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lawtons
    • Newport East
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Newport East is located in Newport County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newport East
    • Middletown
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Middletown is located in Newport County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Middletown
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 15,803 people
    • Middletown
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Middletown is located in Newport County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Middletown
    • Prudence Island
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Prudence Island is located in Newport County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prudence Island
    • Melville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Melville is located in Newport County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Melville
    • Portsmouth
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Portsmouth is located in Newport County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Portsmouth
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 17,108 people
  • Providence County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bethel, with the one closest to Bethel listed first.
    • Clayville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Clayville is located in Providence County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clayville
    • Foster
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Foster is located in Providence County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Foster
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,747 people
    • Richmond ‑ Historic
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Richmond is located in Providence County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Richmond
    • Kent ‑ Historic
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Kent is located in Providence County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kent
    • Ashland ‑ Historic
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Ashland is located in Providence County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ashland
    • Rockland ‑ Historic
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Rockland is located in Providence County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rockland
    • Simmons Corner
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Simmons Corner is located in Providence County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Simmons Corner
    • Oaklawn
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Oaklawn is located in Providence County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oaklawn
    • Chopmist
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Chopmist is located in Providence County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chopmist
    • Garden City
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Garden City is located in Providence County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garden City
    • Meshanticut
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Meshanticut is located in Providence County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meshanticut
    • Sockanosset
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Sockanosset is located in Providence County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sockanosset
  • Middlesex County (CT)
    • Crowley Corner
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Crowley Corner is located in Middlesex County (CT)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crowley Corner
  • New London County (CT)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bethel, with the one closest to Bethel listed first.
    • Pawcatuck
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • North Stonington
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • North Stonington
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
      • North Stonington is located in New London County (CT)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Stonington
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,197 people
    • Clarks Village
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
      • Clarks Village is located in New London County (CT)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clarks Village
    • Wequetequock
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Wequetequock is located in New London County (CT)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wequetequock
    • Stonington
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Stonington is located in New London County (CT)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stonington
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 18,566 people
    • Stonington
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Mashantucket
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Old Mystic
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Voluntown
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
      • Voluntown is located in New London County (CT)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Voluntown
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,500 people
    • Glasgo
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Mystic
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
  • Tolland County (CT)
    • Conantville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Conantville is located in Tolland County (CT)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Conantville
  • Windham County (CT)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bethel, with the one closest to Bethel listed first.
    • Ekonk
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
      • Ekonk is located in Windham County (CT)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ekonk
    • Oneco
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
    • Plainfield
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
    • Sterling
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Sterling is located in Windham County (CT)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sterling
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,764 people
    • Plainfield Village
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
      • Plainfield Village is located in Windham County (CT)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plainfield Village
    • Plainfield
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • Plainfield is located in Windham County (CT)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plainfield
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 15,084 people
    • Sterling
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
    • Almyville
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Almyville is located in Windham County (CT)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Almyville
    • Moosup
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
    • Canterbury
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Central Village
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
    • Canterbury
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Canterbury is located in Windham County (CT)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Canterbury
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,088 people

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

Cemeteries Near Bethel ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Bethel.

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.

Although we don't have the information ourselves, if you need information about a burial or interment, photos, transcripts, how to contact the cemetery or local authorities, please visit our list of websites on our Genealogy Helper Page for Bethel - one of the links might be able to help.

If not found below, our Cemetery List for Bethel covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

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

  • Oak Grove Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
  • Thomas Wilbur Plot
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
  • Daniel Peckham Plot
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
  • Thompson Wells Plot
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
  • Wells Plot
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
  • Reynolds - Johnson Plot
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
  • Hopkinton Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
  • Nathaniel Cook Plot
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
  • Noyes - Wells Plot
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
  • Babcock Family Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
  • Elias Lewis Plot
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
  • Daniel Lewis Plot
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
  • Continue List   (624 more) ...
    • Peter Davis Plot
      (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
    • Mary Lewis Plot
      (Less than 2 miles to the north)
    • General George Thurston Plot
      (Less than 2 miles to the north)

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.<4>

While we didn't find Bethel in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Bethel.

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

  • Ashaway
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
    • Ashaway is located in Washington County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ashaway
  • Potter Hill
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
    • Potter Hill is located in Washington County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Potter Hill
  • Clarks Falls
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Clarks Falls is located in New London County (CT)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clarks Falls
  • Hopkinton
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
    • Hopkinton is located in Washington County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hopkinton
  • White Rock
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • White Rock is located in Washington County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Rock
  • Laurel Glen
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Laurel Glen is located in New London County (CT)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laurel Glen
  • Woodville
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Woodville is located in Washington County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodville
  • North Stonington
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
  • Wood River Junction
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Wood River Junction is located in Washington County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wood River Junction
  • Canonchet
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Canonchet is located in Washington County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Canonchet
  • Hope Valley
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Hope Valley is located in Washington County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hope Valley
  • Rockville
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Rockville is located in Washington County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rockville
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Quonochontaug
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Quonochontaug is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Quonochontaug
    • Carolina
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
      • Carolina is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carolina
    • Wyoming
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Wyoming is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wyoming

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

Newspapers Published in Bethel ...

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 89 newspapers that have been published in the area around Bethel.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Bethel, there are papers which were published within 16 miles [25.7 km]<5>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Bethel.

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 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 Bethel:

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>The Rhode Island Historical Cemetery Commission (RIHCC) has created and maintains a database of cemeteries. More information about the RIHCC can be found on their website: rihistoriccemeteries.org.
<3>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.
<4>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 Bethel, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<5>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Bethel) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.