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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 East Providence (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 East Providence. 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.

Name Variations for East Providence ...

When searching records, keep in mind that names and their spelling can change over time. Our sources include documents like maps, railroad schedules, Travel, Express and Shipping Guides. Many of these documents date from the 1800's and it's common to find spelling differences.

Although we can't give a definitive list, hopefully the following will give you a feel for the variations that might have occurred.

For example, a typical abbreviation for East Providence: E. Providence

If you have information about these names (such as the reason for the change, date of change, the origin of the name), please Contact Us.

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.

East Providence is located in Providence County.

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

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Providence County: Windham (CT), Bristol (MA), Norfolk (MA), Worcester (MA), Bristol & Kent.

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

  • Providence County     (The home county of East Providence)
  • Bristol County
    • The following are listed by their distance from East Providence, with the one closest to East Providence listed first.
    • Annawomscutt
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Barrington
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Barrington have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barrington
      • Barrington is located in Bristol County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 16,015 people
    • Barrington
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Warren
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Warren have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Warren
      • Warren is located in Bristol County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 10,469 people
    • Bristol
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bristol have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bristol
      • Bristol is located in Bristol County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 21,866 people
    • Coggeshall
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Bristol
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Kent County
  • Newport County
    • The following are listed by their distance from East Providence, with the one closest to East Providence listed first.
    • Tiverton
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tiverton have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tiverton
      • Tiverton is located in Newport County
    • Melville
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Melville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Melville
      • Melville is located in Newport County
    • Portsmouth
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Portsmouth have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Portsmouth
      • Portsmouth is located in Newport County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 17,108 people
    • Portsmouth
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Bliss Corners
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Lawtons
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
    • Tiverton
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tiverton have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tiverton
      • Tiverton is located in Newport County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 15,569 people
    • Jamestown
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Jamestown have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jamestown
      • Jamestown is located in Newport County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,482 people
    • Tiverton Four Corners
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Middletown
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • Jamestown
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
    • Adamsville
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
  • Washington County
    • The following are listed by their distance from East Providence, with the one closest to East Providence listed first.
    • Mount View
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • Wickford Junction
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
    • Wickford
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Wickford. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wickford
      • Wickford is located in Washington County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Wickford
      • From East Providence to Wickford
    • Belleville
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
    • North Kingstown
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Kingstown have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Kingstown
      • North Kingstown is located in Washington County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 26,278 people
    • North Kingstown
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
    • Exeter
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
    • Allenton
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
    • Exeter
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Exeter have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Exeter
      • Exeter is located in Washington County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 6,531 people
    • Saunderstown
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
    • Austin
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Liberty
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Liberty. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Liberty
      • Liberty is located in Washington County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Liberty
      • From East Providence to Liberty
  • New London County (CT)
    • The following are listed by their distance from East Providence, with the one closest to East Providence listed first.
    • Voluntown
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Voluntown have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Voluntown
      • Voluntown is located in New London County (CT)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,500 people
    • Voluntown
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Windham County (CT)
  • Bristol County (MA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from East Providence, with the one closest to East Providence listed first.
    • Seekonk
      (Less than 2 miles to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Seekonk have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seekonk
      • Seekonk is located in Bristol County (MA)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 15,851 people
    • South Rehoboth
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for South Rehoboth have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Rehoboth
      • South Rehoboth is located in Bristol County (MA)
    • North Seekonk
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Seekonk have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Seekonk
      • North Seekonk is located in Bristol County (MA)
    • Rehoboth
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rehoboth have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rehoboth
      • Rehoboth is located in Bristol County (MA)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 12,503 people
    • Attleborough City
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Attleborough City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Attleborough City
      • Attleborough City is located in Bristol County (MA)
    • Briggs Corner
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Hortonville
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Attleboro
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • West Dighton
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Ocean Grove
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ocean Grove have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ocean Grove
      • Ocean Grove is located in Bristol County (MA)
    • Swansea Center
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Swansea
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Swansea. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Swansea
      • Swansea is located in Bristol County (MA)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 17,000 people
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Swansea
      • From East Providence to Swansea
  • Middlesex County (MA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from East Providence, with the one closest to East Providence listed first.
    • Metcalf
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Holliston
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
    • East Holliston
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • Hayden Row
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • Hopkinton
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
    • Sherborn
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
    • Woodville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Woodville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodville
      • Woodville is located in Middlesex County (MA)
  • Norfolk County (MA)
  • Plymouth County (MA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from East Providence, with the one closest to East Providence listed first.
    • Lakeville
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lakeville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lakeville
      • Lakeville is located in Plymouth County (MA)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 11,698 people
    • North Lakeville
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
    • Cochesett
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Middleborough
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
    • Namasket Village
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Namasket Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Namasket Village
      • Namasket Village is located in Plymouth County (MA)
    • Bridgewater
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
    • West Bridgewater
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for West Bridgewater have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Bridgewater
      • West Bridgewater is located in Plymouth County (MA)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 7,310 people
    • Elmwood
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Elmwood have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elmwood
      • Elmwood is located in Plymouth County (MA)
    • Brockton
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
    • East Bridgewater
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Paper Mill Village
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Paper Mill Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paper Mill Village
      • Paper Mill Village is located in Plymouth County (MA)
    • Rock
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Rock. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock
      • Rock is located in Plymouth County (MA)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Rock
      • From East Providence to Rock
  • Worcester County (MA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from East Providence, with the one closest to East Providence listed first.
    • Millerville
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Blackstone
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Blackstone have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blackstone
      • Blackstone is located in Worcester County (MA)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 9,209 people
    • East Blackstone
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Millville
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Millville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millville
      • Millville is located in Worcester County (MA)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,236 people
    • South Milford
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
    • Mendon
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Uxbridge
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Uxbridge have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Uxbridge
      • Uxbridge is located in Worcester County (MA)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 14,352 people
    • White City
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for White City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White City
      • White City is located in Worcester County (MA)
    • Hopedale
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hopedale have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hopedale
      • Hopedale is located in Worcester County (MA)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,934 people
    • Milford
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
    • North Uxbridge
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
    • Linwood
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Linwood have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Linwood
      • Linwood is located in Worcester County (MA)

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

Cemeteries Near East Providence ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of East Providence.

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

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from East Providence, with the one closest to East Providence 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.<6>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that in 1895, East Providence had a post office and railroad service. In 2020, East Providence had a population of 47,337 people.

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

  • Silver Spring
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Silver Spring have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Silver Spring
    • Silver Spring is located in Providence County
  • Seekonk
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Seekonk have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seekonk
    • Seekonk is located in Bristol County (MA)
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 15,851 people
  • East Providence Center
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
  • Harris
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Harris have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harris
    • Harris is located in Bristol County (MA)
  • Rumford
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
  • Providence
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
  • Arlington
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Arlington have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arlington
    • Arlington is located in Providence County
  • Elmwood
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Elmwood have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elmwood
    • Elmwood is located in Providence County
  • Bellefonte
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bellefonte have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bellefonte
    • Bellefonte is located in Providence County
  • Riverside
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
  • Woodlawn
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
  • Cranston
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Auburn
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Auburn have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Auburn
      • Auburn is located in Providence County
    • Lakewood
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lakewood have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lakewood
      • Lakewood is located in Kent County
    • South Rehoboth
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for South Rehoboth have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Rehoboth
      • South Rehoboth is located in Bristol County (MA)

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of East Providence ...

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 88 newspapers that have been published in the area around East Providence.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of East Providence. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of East Providence and those printed in the larger area surrounding East Providence.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 9 miles [14.5 km]<7> of East Providence.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first turn to the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These websites offer the information directly or else point to where you can find it. Their information is open to everyone.

To help you get started, the following links will take you to the pages that are relevant to East Providence:

The official website for East Providence: www.eastprovidenceri.net/

The official website for State of Rhode Island: https://www.ri.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>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.
<3>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<4>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.
<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 East Providence, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<7>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or point-to-point) distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- East Providence) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in East Providence. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 41.8147, Longitude: -71.3699    









 

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This page was last modified/updated: 22 Apr 2025