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 Tiverton (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 Tiverton. 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 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.
Tiverton is located in Newport 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 Newport County : Bristol (MA) , Bristol , Kent & Washington .
Below are the counties that are near Tiverton. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Tiverton:
Newport County (The home county of Tiverton)
The following are listed by their distance from Tiverton, with the one closest to Tiverton listed first.
Portsmouth (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
Portsmouth is located in Newport County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Portsmouth Bliss Corners (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
Bliss Corners is located in Newport County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bliss Corners Tiverton (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
Tiverton is located in Newport County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tiverton Population from the 2020 Census: 15,569 people
Tiverton Four Corners (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
Melville (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
Melville is located in Newport County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Melville Portsmouth (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
Portsmouth is located in Newport County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Portsmouth Population from the 2020 Census: 17,108 people
Prudence Island (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
Prudence Island is located in Newport County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prudence Island Adamsville (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
Adamsville is located in Newport County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adamsville Lawtons (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
Lawtons is located in Newport County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lawtons Little Compton (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
Little Compton is located in Newport County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little Compton Population from the 2020 Census: 3,462 people
Little Compton (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
Little Compton is located in Newport County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little Compton Middletown (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
Middletown is located in Newport County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Middletown Population from the 2020 Census: 15,803 people
Middletown (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
Middletown is located in Newport County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Middletown
Bristol County
The following are listed by their distance from Tiverton, with the one closest to Tiverton listed first.
Bristol (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
Bristol is located in Bristol County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bristol Coggeshall (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
Coggeshall is located in Bristol County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coggeshall Bristol (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
Bristol is located in Bristol County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bristol Population from the 2020 Census: 21,866 people
Warren (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
Warren is located in Bristol County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Warren Population from the 2020 Census: 10,469 people
Warren (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
Warren is located in Bristol County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Warren Barrington (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
Barrington is located in Bristol County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barrington Population from the 2020 Census: 16,015 people
Barrington (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
Barrington is located in Bristol County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barrington Annawomscutt (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
Annawomscutt is located in Bristol County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Annawomscutt
Kent County
The following are listed by their distance from Tiverton, with the one closest to Tiverton listed first.
Oakland Beach (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
Oakland Beach is located in Kent County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakland Beach Shawomet (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
Shawomet is located in Kent County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shawomet Kettle Corner (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
Kettle Corner is located in Kent County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kettle Corner Warwick (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
Warwick is located in Kent County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Warwick Population from the 2020 Census: 81,189 people
Buttonwoods (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
Buttonwoods is located in Kent County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buttonwoods East Greenwich (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
East Greenwich is located in Kent County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Greenwich Hillsgrove (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
Hillsgrove is located in Kent County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hillsgrove Apponaug (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
Apponaug is located in Kent County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Apponaug Cowesett (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
Cowesett is located in Kent County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cowesett Norwood (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
Norwood is located in Kent County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Norwood East Greenwich (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
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 (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
Shippee Corner is located in Kent County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shippee Corner West Warwick (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
West Warwick is located in Kent County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Warwick Population from the 2020 Census: 28,967 people
Providence County
The following are listed by their distance from Tiverton, with the one closest to Tiverton listed first.
Kent Corner (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
Kent Corner is located in Providence County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kent Corner Riverside (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
Riverside is located in Providence County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riverside Armington Corner (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
Armington Corner is located in Providence County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Armington Corner Bellefonte (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
Bellefonte is located in Providence County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bellefonte Leonard Corner (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
Leonard Corner is located in Providence County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leonard Corner Luthers Corners (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
Luthers Corners is located in Providence County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Luthers Corners Carpenters Corner (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
Carpenters Corner is located in Providence County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carpenters Corner Cranston (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
Cranston is located in Providence County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cranston Population from the 2020 Census: 81,142 people
East Providence Center (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
East Providence (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
East Providence is located in Providence County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Providence Population from the 2020 Census: 47,337 people
Garden City (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
Garden City is located in Providence County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garden City Six Corners (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
Six Corners is located in Providence County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Six Corners Sockanosset (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
Sockanosset is located in Providence County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sockanosset
Washington County
The following are listed by their distance from Tiverton, with the one closest to Tiverton listed first.
Mount View (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
Mount View is located in Washington County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount View Saunderstown (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
Saunderstown is located in Washington County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saunderstown North Kingstown (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
North Kingstown is located in Washington County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Kingstown Wickford (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
Wickford is located in Washington County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wickford Allenton (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
Allenton is located in Washington County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Allenton Belleville (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
Belleville is located in Washington County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belleville North Kingstown (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
North Kingstown is located in Washington County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Kingstown Population from the 2020 Census: 26,278 people
Wickford Junction (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
Wickford Junction is located in Washington County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wickford Junction Bridgetown (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
Bridgetown is located in Washington County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bridgetown Slocum (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
Slocum is located in Washington County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Slocum Exeter (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
Exeter is located in Washington County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Exeter Narragansett (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
Narragansett is located in Washington County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Narragansett Population from the 2020 Census: 15,309 people
Narragansett (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
Narragansett is located in Washington County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Narragansett
Barnstable County (MA)
The following are listed by their distance from Tiverton, with the one closest to Tiverton listed first.
Woods Hole (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
Woods Hole is located in Barnstable County (MA) Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woods Hole Silver Beach (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
Silver Beach is located in Barnstable County (MA) Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Silver Beach West Falmouth (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
West Falmouth is located in Barnstable County (MA) Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Falmouth Cataumet (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
Cataumet is located in Barnstable County (MA) Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cataumet North Falmouth (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
North Falmouth is located in Barnstable County (MA) Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Falmouth
Bristol County (MA)
The following are listed by their distance from Tiverton, with the one closest to Tiverton listed first.
Globe Village (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
Globe Village is located in Bristol County (MA) Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Globe Village Fall River (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
Fall River is located in Bristol County (MA) Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fall River Population from the 2020 Census: 89,792 people
North Westport (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
North Westport is located in Bristol County (MA) Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Westport Flint Village (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
Flint Village is located in Bristol County (MA) Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flint Village Oak Grove Village (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
Oak Grove Village is located in Bristol County (MA) Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Grove Village Ocean Grove (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
Ocean Grove is located in Bristol County (MA) Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ocean Grove Bowenville (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
Bowenville is located in Bristol County (MA) Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bowenville Central Village (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
Central Village is located in Bristol County (MA) Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Central Village Westport (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
Westport is located in Bristol County (MA) Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westport Population from the 2020 Census: 16,097 people
Westport Factory (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
Westport Factory is located in Bristol County (MA) Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westport Factory Swansea Center (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
Swansea Center is located in Bristol County (MA) Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Swansea Center Swansea (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
Swansea is located in Bristol County (MA) Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Swansea Population from the 2020 Census: 17,000 people
Gidleys Corner (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
Gidleys Corner is located in Bristol County (MA) Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gidleys Corner
Dukes County (MA)
The following are listed by their distance from Tiverton, with the one closest to Tiverton listed first.
Cuttyhunk (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
Cuttyhunk is located in Dukes County (MA) Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cuttyhunk Gosnold (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
Gosnold is located in Dukes County (MA) Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gosnold Population from the 2020 Census: 75 people
Aquinnah (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
Aquinnah is located in Dukes County (MA) Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aquinnah Population from the 2020 Census: 322 people
Former name for Aquinnah:
Gay Head
Menemsha (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
Menemsha is located in Dukes County (MA) Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Menemsha Christian Town (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
Christian Town is located in Dukes County (MA) Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Christian Town
Norfolk County (MA)
The following are listed by their distance from Tiverton, with the one closest to Tiverton listed first.
Plainville (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
Plainville is located in Norfolk County (MA) Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plainville Population from the 2020 Census: 9,280 people
Burnt Swamp Corner (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
Burnt Swamp Corner is located in Norfolk County (MA) Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burnt Swamp Corner Sheldonville (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
Sheldonville is located in Norfolk County (MA) Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sheldonville Foxborough (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
Foxborough is located in Norfolk County (MA) Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Foxborough Population from the 2020 Census: 18,398 people
Plymouth County (MA)
The following are listed by their distance from Tiverton, with the one closest to Tiverton listed first.
Mattapoisett (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
Mattapoisett is located in Plymouth County (MA) Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mattapoisett Population from the 2020 Census: 6,427 people
Lakeville (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
Lakeville is located in Plymouth County (MA) Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lakeville Population from the 2020 Census: 11,698 people
Rochester (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
Rochester is located in Plymouth County (MA) Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rochester Population from the 2020 Census: 5,740 people
North Lakeville (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
North Lakeville is located in Plymouth County (MA) Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Lakeville Marion (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
Marion is located in Plymouth County (MA) Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marion Population from the 2020 Census: 5,189 people
Middleborough (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
Middleborough is located in Plymouth County (MA) Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Middleborough Population from the 2020 Census: 25,722 people
Rock (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
Rock is located in Plymouth County (MA) Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock Namasket Village (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
Namasket Village is located in Plymouth County (MA) Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Namasket Village South Middleboro (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
South Middleboro is located in Plymouth County (MA) Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Middleboro Briarwood Beach (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
Briarwood Beach is located in Plymouth County (MA) Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Briarwood Beach Weweantic (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
Weweantic is located in Plymouth County (MA) Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weweantic West Wareham (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
West Wareham is located in Plymouth County (MA) Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Wareham Wareham Center (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
Wareham Center is located in Plymouth County (MA) Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wareham Center
Worcester County (MA)
Millerville (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
Millerville is located in Worcester County (MA) Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millerville
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Tiverton, see our County-by-County Page for Tiverton .
Cemeteries Near Tiverton ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Tiverton.
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 Tiverton - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Tiverton covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Tiverton, with the one closest to Tiverton listed first.
Pocasset Hill Cemetery (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
Portsmouth Friends Cemetery (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
Polish Cemetery (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
De Wolf Lot (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
Jump to our Gazetteer entry for De Wolf Lot To give a relative sense of its location, the De Wolf Lot is located in Bristol . The De Wolf Lot has also been known as:
DeWolf Cemetery
Wolf Cemetery
Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #1907776 <1>
Walker Lot (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
Notre Dame Cemetery (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
Hebrew Cemetery (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
Jewish Cemetery (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
St. Marys Cemetery (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
Mt. Hope Cemetery (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
Juniper Hill Cemetery (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
East Burial Ground (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
Continue List (678 more) ...
Congregational Churchyard Cemetery (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
St. Michaels Churchyard Cemetery (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
St. Michaels Memorial Garden (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
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.<3>
The Rand McNally Atlas shows that in 1895, Tiverton had a post office and no railroad service.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Tiverton, with the one closest to Tiverton listed first.
Portsmouth (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
Portsmouth is located in Newport County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Portsmouth North Tiverton (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
North Tiverton is located in Newport County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Tiverton Bristol Ferry (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
Bristol Ferry is located in Newport County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bristol Ferry Tiverton Four Corners (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
Bristol (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
Bristol is located in Bristol County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bristol Fall River (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
Fall River is located in Bristol County (MA) Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fall River Population from the 2020 Census: 89,792 people
South Portsmouth (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
South Portsmouth is located in Newport County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Portsmouth Adamsville (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
Adamsville is located in Newport County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adamsville North Westport (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
North Westport is located in Bristol County (MA) Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Westport Flint Village (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
Flint Village is located in Bristol County (MA) Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flint Village Brayton Point (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
Brayton Point is located in Bristol County (MA) Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brayton Point South Swansea (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
South Swansea is located in Bristol County (MA) Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Swansea Continue List (17 more) ...
Central Village (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
Central Village is located in Bristol County (MA) Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Central Village Westport (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
Westport is located in Bristol County (MA) Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westport Population from the 2020 Census: 16,097 people
Bowenville (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
Bowenville is located in Bristol County (MA) Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bowenville
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Tiverton. See our List of 1890's Communities around Tiverton .
Newspapers Published in Tiverton ...
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 61 newspapers that have been published in the area around Tiverton.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Tiverton, there are papers which were published within 11 miles [17.7 km]<4> . A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Tiverton.
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 Tiverton:
Websites specific to Rhode Island
Pages specific to Newport County
Genealogy information for nearby counties
Bristol County
Kent County
Providence County
Washington County
Barnstable County
Bristol County
Dukes County
Norfolk County
Plymouth County
Worcester County
Cemetery Information and Directories for Rhode Island
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Tiverton. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page .
The official website for State of Rhode Island: https://www.ri.gov/
Footnotes ...
<1> 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 .
<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>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 Tiverton, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<4>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or point-to-point) distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Tiverton) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.