New Hampshire, one of the New England states, is bounded on the north by Canada (Quebec); on the east by Maine and the Atlantic Ocean; on the south by Massachusetts; and on the west by Vermont, from which it is separated in part by the Connecticut River. It lies between about 42º 40′ and 45º 18′ north latitude, and between 70º 37′ and 72º 37′ west longitude. The state measures about 180 miles from north to south and about 93 miles from east to west. It contains approximately 9,349 square miles, or 5,983,000 acres.
New Hampshire was first permanently settled by Europeans at Odiorne’s Point in present-day Rye in 1623 under a grant from the Council for New England, and it was organized as a separate royal province in 1679 after earlier jurisdiction under Massachusetts; it achieved statehood on 21 June 1788 as the ninth state to ratify the U.S. Constitution. The province and later state derived its name from the English county of Hampshire, and colonial and state records include town vital records beginning in the 1600s (notably Portsmouth and Dover), with statewide registration of births and deaths commencing in 1883 under the supervision of the Secretary of State. Major geographic features significant to settlement and migration include the Merrimack and Connecticut Rivers, the White Mountains in Coös, Grafton, and Carroll Counties, and Lake Winnipesaukee in Belknap and Carroll Counties, all of which influenced early transportation routes and town development. Historically, the region was inhabited by Abenaki tribes, including the Pennacook and Pequawket, whose presence preceded English settlement and whose lands were gradually incorporated into colonial townships that now form the state’s ten counties, established between 1769 and 1840.
This state project is part of the much larger American History & Genealogy Project or better known by the abbreviation of AHGP. It has been in existence online since 2000 and over the years has been spread out across the web. These pages are an attempt to consolidate it under one website of the larger project.
New Hampshire Information
New Hampshire History
- Collections of the New Hampshire Historical Society
The Collections of the New Hampshire Historical Society is a 15 publication series documenting the state’s history through various primary sources, including manuscripts, letters, and public records. It collates valuable narratives that were previously difficult to access, providing insight into events, individuals, and communities in New Hampshire. Each volume offers focused topics and historical analyses, and most volumes contain individual indexes. - Samuel Lane’s Journal, 1739-1803
Samuel Lane’s journal, covering 1739 to 1803, chronicles the life of a New Hampshire resident who experienced the colonial, Revolutionary, and early national periods. Lane transitioned from farming to various professions, including tanner and shoemaker, while actively participating in community roles. His meticulously kept journal captures local and national events, personal reflections, and societal changes. Edited by Charles Lane Hansen in 1937, it serves as a crucial primary source, offering insights into the daily life, hardships, and resilience of 18th-century New England.
New Hampshire Genealogy
Counties in New Hampshire
- Belknap
- Carroll
- Cheshire
- Coös
- Shelburne
- Stratford
- Grafton
- Hillsborough
- Amherst
- Antrim
- Bedford
- Francestown
- Goffstown
- New Boston
- Merrimack
- Rockingham*
- Exeter
- Hampton
- Stratham
- Windham
- Strafford*
- Dover
- Strafford Town*
- The Combination of the People of Dover, New Hampshire, in 1640
In October 1640 a group of inhabitants living along the Piscataqua River entered into a compact titled the “Combination of the People of Dover to Establish a Form of Government.” At the time no formal civil authority had been established for the settlement by the Crown. The signatories therefore agreed to constitute a body politic and to govern themselves according to the laws of England and such additional orders as their freemen should enact. Although the original record survived on the town books as late as 1665, as noted by Hubbard, it had disappeared by the time Jeremy Belknap wrote his history of New Hampshire. A contemporaneous copy made in 1682 by Governor Edward Cranfield was later located in the Public Record Office in London and provides the text reproduced here.
- Sullivan*
- Croydon*
- Newport
Cities and Towns in New Hampshire
The state of New Hampshire currently has a total of 234 cities and towns. Historically, it has had many more and you’ll find information about those historical communities and Indigenous villages throughout our website.
Acworth, Albany, Alexandria, Allenstown, Alstead, Alton, Amherst, Andover, Antrim, Ashland, Atkinson, Auburn, Barnstead, Barrington, Bartlett, Bath, Bedford, Belmont, Bennington, Benton, Berlin, Bethlehem, Boscawen, Bow, Bradford, Brentwood, Bridgewater, Bristol, Brookfield, Brookline, Campton, Canaan, Candia, Canterbury, Carroll, Center Harbor, Charlestown, Chatham, Chester, Chesterfield, Chichester, Claremont, Clarksville, Colebrook, Columbia, Concord, Conway, Cornish, Croydon, Dalton, Danbury, Danville, Deerfield, Deering, Derry, Dorchester, Dover, Dublin, Dummer, Dunbarton, Durham, East Kingston, Easton, Eaton, Effingham, Ellsworth, Enfield, Epping, Epsom, Errol, Exeter, Farmington, Fitzwilliam, Francestown, Franconia, Franklin, Freedom, Fremont, Gilford, Gilmanton, Gilsum, Goffstown, Gorham, Goshen, Grafton, Grantham, Greenfield, Greenland, Greenville, Groton, Hampstead, Hampton, Hampton Falls, Hancock, Hanover, Harrisville, Hart’s Location, Haverhill, Hebron, Henniker, Hill, Hillsborough, Hinsdale, Holderness, Hollis, Hooksett, Hopkinton, Hudson, Jackson, Jaffrey, Jefferson, Keene, Kensington, Kingston, Laconia, Lancaster, Landaff, Langdon, Lebanon, Lee, Lempster, Lincoln, Lisbon, Litchfield, Littleton, Londonderry, Loudon, Lyman, Lyme, Lyndeborough, Madbury, Madison, Manchester, Marlborough, Marlow, Mason, Meredith, Merrimack, Middleton, Milan, Milford, Milton, Monroe, Mont Vernon, Moultonborough, Nashua, Nelson, New Boston, New Castle, New Durham, New Hampton, New Ipswich, New London, Newbury, Newfields, Newington, Newmarket, Newport, Newton, North Hampton, Northfield, Northumberland, Northwood, Nottingham, Orange, Orford, Ossipee, Pelham, Pembroke, Peterborough, Piermont, Pittsburg, Pittsfield, Plainfield, Plaistow, Plymouth, Portsmouth, Randolph, Raymond, Richmond, Rindge, Rochester, Rollinsford, Roxbury, Rumney, Rye, Salem, Salisbury, Sanbornton, Sandown, Sandwich, Seabrook, Sharon, Shelburne, Somersworth, South Hampton, Springfield, Stark, Stewartstown, Stoddard, Strafford, Stratford, Stratham, Sugar Hill, Sullivan, Sunapee, Surry, Sutton, Swanzey, Tamworth, Temple, Thornton, Tilton, Troy, Tuftonboro, Unity, Wakefield, Walpole, Warner, Warren, Washington, Waterville Valley, Weare, Webster, Wentworth, Westmoreland, Whitefield, Wilmot, Wilton, Winchester, Windham, Windsor, Wolfeboro, and Woodstock.
Need the above list in a different format? Then view our text lists of current cities and towns in New Hampshire.
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