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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 New Shoreham (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 New Shoreham. 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 New Shoreham ...

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 New Shoreham: New Shoreham

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 northeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most 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.

New Shoreham is located in Washington 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 Washington County: New London (CT), Windham (CT), Dukes (MA), Suffolk (NY), Bristol, Kent & Newport.

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

  • Washington County     (The home county of New Shoreham)
    • The following are listed by their distance from New Shoreham, with the one closest to New Shoreham listed first.
    • Jerusalem
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jerusalem
      • Jerusalem is located in Washington County
    • Point Judith
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Point Judith
      • Point Judith is located in Washington County
    • Weekapaug
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Weekapaug have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weekapaug
      • Weekapaug is located in Washington County
    • Charlestown
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Charlestown
      • Charlestown is located in Washington County
    • Perryville
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Perryville
      • Perryville is located in Washington County
    • Langworthy Corner
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Langworthy Corner
      • Langworthy Corner is located in Washington County
    • Charlestown
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Charlestown have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Charlestown
      • Charlestown is located in Washington County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 7,836 people
    • Avondale
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Avondale
      • Avondale is located in Washington County
    • Narragansett Pier
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Narragansett Pier have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Narragansett Pier
      • Narragansett Pier is located in Washington County
    • South Kingstown
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Kingstown
      • South Kingstown is located in Washington County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 30,454 people
    • Bradford
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bradford
      • Bradford is located in Washington County
    • Burdickville
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burdickville
      • Burdickville is located in Washington County
  • Newport County
    • The following are listed by their distance from New Shoreham, with the one closest to New Shoreham listed first.
    • Clarks Village
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Clarks Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clarks Village
      • Clarks Village is located in Newport County
    • Brenton Village
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Brenton Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brenton Village
      • Brenton Village is located in Newport County
    • Jamestown
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jamestown
      • Jamestown is located in Newport County
    • Newport
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newport
      • Newport is located in Newport County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 24,412 people
    • Jamestown
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Jamestown have been provided by the GNIS.<1> 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
    • Sakonnet
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sakonnet
      • Sakonnet is located in Newport County
    • Middletown
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Middletown have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Middletown
      • Middletown is located in Newport County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 15,803 people
    • Middletown
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Middletown
      • Middletown is located in Newport County
    • Lawtons
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lawtons
      • Lawtons is located in Newport County
  • New London County (CT)
    • The following are listed by their distance from New Shoreham, with the one closest to New Shoreham listed first.
    • Clarks Village
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Clarks Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clarks Village
      • Clarks Village is located in New London County (CT)
    • Pawcatuck
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pawcatuck have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pawcatuck
      • Pawcatuck is located in New London County (CT)
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Pawcatuck <2>
    • Wequetequock
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wequetequock have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wequetequock
      • Wequetequock is located in New London County (CT)
    • Stonington
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Stonington
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Stonington have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stonington
      • Stonington is located in New London County (CT)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 18,566 people
    • Mystic
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Noank
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
    • North Stonington
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
    • West Mystic
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for West Mystic have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Mystic
      • West Mystic is located in New London County (CT)
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for West Mystic <2>
    • North Stonington
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Stonington have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Stonington
      • North Stonington is located in New London County (CT)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,197 people
    • Old Mystic
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Old Mystic have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Old Mystic
      • Old Mystic is located in New London County (CT)
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Old Mystic <2>
    • Poquonock Bridge
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Poquonock Bridge have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Poquonock Bridge
      • Poquonock Bridge is located in New London County (CT)

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

Newspapers Published in New Shoreham ...

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 72 newspapers that have been published in the area around New Shoreham.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of New Shoreham, there are papers which were published within 28 miles [45.1 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for New Shoreham.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

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

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

Cemeteries Near New Shoreham ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of New Shoreham.

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

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

  • Dodge Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
  • Island Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
  • Sheffield Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Sheffield Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Sheffield Cemetery
  • Dea Wanton Allen Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
  • Dickens Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
  • Charlestown Indian Burying Ground
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Charlestown Indian Burying Ground have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Charlestown Indian Burying Ground
  • Aldrich Potter Lot
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Aldrich Potter Lot is located outside and to the west of Charlestown.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Aldrich Potter Lot
  • Royal Indian Burial Ground
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Royal Indian Burial Ground have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Royal Indian Burial Ground
  • Burdick Cemetery
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Burdick Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Burdick Cemetery
  • Hall - Geer Plot
    (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hall - Geer Plot have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hall - Geer Plot
  • Joseph Burdick Plot
    (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Joseph Burdick Plot have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Joseph Burdick Plot
  • Gardiner - Green Plot
    (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Gardiner - Green Plot have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Gardiner - Green Plot
  • Continue List   (313 more) ...
    • Robinson Cemetery
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Robinson Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Robinson Cemetery
    • Riverside Cemetery
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • To give a relative sense of its location, the Riverside Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located in South Kingstown.
      • The Riverside Cemetery has also been known as:
      • Riverside Cemetery - Wakefield
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Riverside Cemetery
      • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #104475 <4>
    • Brown Chapel Cemetery
      (18 miles [29 km] 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.<5>

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

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

  • Quonochontaug
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Quonochontaug have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Quonochontaug
    • Quonochontaug is located in Washington County
  • Green Hill
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Green Hill have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Hill
    • Green Hill is located in Washington County
  • Point Judith
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Point Judith
    • Point Judith is located in Washington County
  • Matunuck
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Matunuck have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Matunuck
    • Matunuck is located in Washington County
  • Charlestown
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Charlestown
    • Charlestown is located in Washington County
  • Perryville
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Perryville
    • Perryville is located in Washington County
  • Watch Hill
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Watch Hill have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Watch Hill
    • Watch Hill is located in Washington County
  • Wakefield
    (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wakefield have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wakefield
    • Wakefield is located in Washington County
  • Shannock
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shannock
    • Shannock is located in Washington County
  • Wood River Junction
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wood River Junction have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wood River Junction
    • Wood River Junction is located in Washington County
  • Narragansett
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Narragansett
    • Narragansett is located in Washington County
  • Peace Dale
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peace Dale
    • Peace Dale is located in Washington County
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Rocky Brook
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rocky Brook have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rocky Brook
      • Rocky Brook is located in Washington County
    • Gould
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gould have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gould
      • Gould is located in Washington County
    • Kenyon
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kenyon
      • Kenyon is located in Washington County

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

The official website for New Shoreham: www.town.new-shoreham.ri.us/

The official website for State of Rhode Island: https://www.ri.gov/

Footnotes ...

<1>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.
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<3>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- New Shoreham) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in New Shoreham. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 41.1738, Longitude: -71.5618    
<4>The Find-a-Grave website is an excellent research tool with information about a cemetery's location and interments. They also offer a forum for their members which can provide additional help. More information about Find-a-Grave can be found on their website: findagrave.com.
<5>We use the term 'Historic' broadly and it generally means that the community no longer exists. However, it can also mean that the community might still exist, but was significantly larger or had a more 'official' existence in the past than it does now. Unfortunately our sources of data have proven to be unreliable. If you can provide us with more specific information about New Shoreham, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024