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 White Rock (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 White Rock. 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 White Rock ...
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.
Another variation: Whiterock.
You might be interested in other communities that are also named White Rock. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for White Rock.
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 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.
White Rock 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 White Rock. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to White Rock:
- Washington County (The home county of White Rock)
- The following are listed by their distance from White Rock, with the one closest to White Rock listed first.
- Westerly
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Westerly is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westerly
- Westerly
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Westerly is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westerly
- Population from the 2020 Census: 22,328 people
- Ashaway
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Ashaway is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ashaway
- Bradford
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Bradford is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bradford
- Avondale
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Avondale is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Avondale
- Burdickville
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Burdickville is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burdickville
- Hopkinton
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Hopkinton is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hopkinton
- Population from the 2020 Census: 8,095 people
- Hopkinton
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Hopkinton is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hopkinton
- Langworthy Corner
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Langworthy Corner is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Langworthy Corner
- Alton
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Alton is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alton
- Weekapaug
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Weekapaug is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weekapaug
- Canonchet
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Canonchet is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Canonchet
- Charlestown
(9 miles [14.5 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
- Kent County
- The following are listed by their distance from White Rock, with the one closest to White Rock listed first.
- West Greenwich
(18 miles [29 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
- Greene
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Greene is located in Kent County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greene
- Kitts Corner
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Kitts Corner is located in Kent County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kitts Corner
- Gortons Corner
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Gortons Corner is located in Kent County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gortons Corner
- Coventry
(22 miles [35.4 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
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Rice City is located in Kent County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rice City
- East Greenwich
(23 miles [37 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
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Shippee Corner is located in Kent County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shippee Corner
- Spring Lake
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Spring Lake is located in Kent County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Lake
- Coventry
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Coventry is located in Kent County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coventry
- Quidnick
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Quidnick is located in Kent County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Quidnick
- East Greenwich
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- East Greenwich is located in Kent County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Greenwich
- West Warwick
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- West Warwick is located in Kent County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Warwick
- Newport County
- The following are listed by their distance from White Rock, with the one closest to White Rock listed first.
- Clarks Village
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Clarks Village is located in Newport County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clarks Village
- Jamestown
(25 miles [40.2 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
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Jamestown is located in Newport County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jamestown
- Brenton Village
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Brenton Village is located in Newport County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brenton Village
- Newport
(28 miles [45.1 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
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Lawtons is located in Newport County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lawtons
- Middletown
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Middletown is located in Newport County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Middletown
- Newport East
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Newport East is located in Newport County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newport East
- Middletown
(30 miles [48.3 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
- Prudence Island
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Prudence Island is located in Newport County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prudence Island
- Providence County
- The following are listed by their distance from White Rock, with the one closest to White Rock listed first.
- Clayville
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Clayville is located in Providence County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clayville
- Kent ‑ Historic
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Kent is located in Providence County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kent
- Richmond ‑ Historic
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Richmond is located in Providence County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Richmond
- Foster
(28 miles [45.1 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
- Rockland ‑ Historic
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Rockland is located in Providence County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rockland
- Simmons Corner
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Simmons Corner is located in Providence County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Simmons Corner
- Ashland ‑ Historic
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Ashland is located in Providence County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ashland
- Chopmist
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Chopmist is located in Providence County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chopmist
- Oaklawn
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Oaklawn is located in Providence County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oaklawn
- Middlesex County (CT)
- The following are listed by their distance from White Rock, with the one closest to White Rock listed first.
- Crowley Corner
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Crowley Corner is located in Middlesex County (CT)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crowley Corner
- Fenwick
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Fenwick is located in Middlesex County (CT)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fenwick
- Old Saybrook
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- East Haddam
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- East Haddam is located in Middlesex County (CT)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Haddam
- Population from the 2020 Census: 8,956 people
- Essex
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Old Saybrook
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Old Saybrook is located in Middlesex County (CT)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Old Saybrook
- Population from the 2020 Census: 10,028 people
- Centerbrook
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Deep River
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Essex
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Essex is located in Middlesex County (CT)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Essex
- Population from the 2020 Census: 6,634 people
- Plum Bank Beach
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Plum Bank Beach is located in Middlesex County (CT)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plum Bank Beach
- Saybrook Manor
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Saybrook Manor is located in Middlesex County (CT)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saybrook Manor
- New London County (CT)
- The following are listed by their distance from White Rock, with the one closest to White Rock listed first.
- Pawcatuck
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Clarks Village
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Clarks Village is located in New London County (CT)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clarks Village
- North Stonington
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Wequetequock
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Wequetequock is located in New London County (CT)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wequetequock
- Stonington
(4 miles [6.4 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
- North Stonington
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- 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
- Stonington
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Old Mystic
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Mystic
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Mashantucket
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- West Mystic
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Ledyard
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Ledyard is located in New London County (CT)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ledyard
- Population from the 2020 Census: 14,579 people
- Ledyard
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Tolland County (CT)
- The following are listed by their distance from White Rock, with the one closest to White Rock listed first.
- Conantville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Conantville is located in Tolland County (CT)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Conantville
- Amston
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Turnerville ‑ Historic
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Turnerville is located in Tolland County (CT)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Turnerville
- Windham County (CT)
- The following are listed by their distance from White Rock, with the one closest to White Rock listed first.
- Ekonk
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Ekonk is located in Windham County (CT)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ekonk
- Plainfield Village
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- 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)
- Oneco
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Plainfield
(20 miles [32.2 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
(20 miles [32.2 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
- Almyville
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Almyville is located in Windham County (CT)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Almyville
- Canterbury
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Moosup
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Sterling
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Central Village
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Canterbury
(22 miles [35.4 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
- Westminster
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Westminster is located in Windham County (CT)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westminster
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to White Rock, see our County-by-County Page for White Rock.
Cemeteries Near White Rock ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of White Rock.
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 White Rock - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for White Rock covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from White Rock, with the one closest to White Rock listed first.
- St. Michael Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Union Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- St. Sebastian Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Hopkinton Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Brown Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Brown - Randall Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Wequetoquock Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- River Bend Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Thomas Wilbur Plot
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Oak Grove Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Thompson Wells Plot
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Reynolds - Johnson Plot
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Continue List (603 more) ...
- Wells Plot
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Maine Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Hilliard Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
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>
The Rand McNally Atlas shows that White Rock had a population of 1,000 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service.
These communities are listed based on their distance from White Rock, with the one closest to White Rock listed first.
- Potter Hill
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Potter Hill is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Potter Hill
- Ashaway
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Ashaway is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ashaway
- North Stonington
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Clarks Falls
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Clarks Falls is located in New London County (CT)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clarks Falls
- Stonington
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Hopkinton
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Hopkinton is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hopkinton
- Laurel Glen
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Laurel Glen is located in New London County (CT)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laurel Glen
- Watch Hill
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Watch Hill is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Watch Hill
- Old Mystic
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Mystic
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Wood River Junction
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Wood River Junction is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wood River Junction
- Woodville
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Woodville is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodville
- Continue List (14 more) ...
- West Mystic
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Quonochontaug
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Quonochontaug is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Quonochontaug
- Canonchet
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Canonchet is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Canonchet
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around White Rock. See our List of 1890's Communities around White Rock.
Newspapers Published in White Rock ...
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 White Rock.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of White Rock, 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 White Rock.
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 either 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 White Rock:
- Websites specific to Rhode Island
- Pages specific to Washington County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Kent County
- Newport County
- Providence County
- Middlesex County
- New London County
- Tolland County
- Windham County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Rhode Island
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 White Rock, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <5> | 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- White Rock) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |