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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 Danbury (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 Danbury. 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 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.

Danbury is located in Fairfield County.

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

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Fairfield County: Litchfield, New Haven, Dutchess (NY), Putnam (NY) & Westchester (NY).

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

  • Fairfield County     (The home county of Danbury)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Danbury, with the one closest to Danbury listed first.
    • Danbury
      (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
    • Bethel
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • New Fairfield
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Ball Pond
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Ball Pond is located in Fairfield County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ball Pond
    • Bethel
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Bethel is located in Fairfield County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bethel
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 19,941 people
    • New Fairfield
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
      • New Fairfield is located in Fairfield County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Fairfield
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 13,792 people
    • West Redding
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Dodgingtown
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
      • Dodgingtown is located in Fairfield County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dodgingtown
    • Hawleyville
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Brookfield Center
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Brookfield Center is located in Fairfield County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brookfield Center
    • Brookfield
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Brookfield is located in Fairfield County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brookfield
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 16,900 people
    • Brookfield
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Ridgefield
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
      • Ridgefield is located in Fairfield County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ridgefield
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 24,898 people
  • Hartford County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Danbury, with the one closest to Danbury listed first.
    • Bloomfield
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Marion
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
  • Litchfield County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Danbury, with the one closest to Danbury listed first.
    • Candlewood Lake Club
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
      • Candlewood Lake Club is located in Litchfield County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Candlewood Lake Club
    • Chimney Point
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
      • Chimney Point is located in Litchfield County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chimney Point
    • Lanesville
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
      • Lanesville is located in Litchfield County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lanesville
    • Bridgewater
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Bridgewater is located in Litchfield County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bridgewater
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,632 people
    • Bridgewater
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Russian Village
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
      • Russian Village is located in Litchfield County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Russian Village
    • New Milford
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • Roxbury Station
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Roxbury Station is located in Litchfield County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roxbury Station
    • Roxbury
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Roxbury is located in Litchfield County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roxbury
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,150 people
    • Roxbury
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Gaylordsville
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
    • Merwinsville
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
      • Merwinsville is located in Litchfield County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Merwinsville
    • Northville
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
      • Northville is located in Litchfield County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Northville
  • New Haven County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Danbury, with the one closest to Danbury listed first.
    • South Britain
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Southbury
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
      • Southbury is located in New Haven County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Southbury
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 19,496 people
    • Heritage Village
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Heritage Village is located in New Haven County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Heritage Village
    • Southbury
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
    • Bowers Hill
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
      • Bowers Hill is located in New Haven County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bowers Hill
    • Southford
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
      • Southford is located in New Haven County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Southford
    • Oxford
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Oxford is located in New Haven County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oxford
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 13,250 people
    • Oxford
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
    • Seymour
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
      • Seymour is located in New Haven County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seymour
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 16,326 people
    • Middlebury
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Middlebury is located in New Haven County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Middlebury
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 7,829 people
    • Middlebury
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Ansonia
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • Ansonia is located in New Haven County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ansonia
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 18,525 people
    • Derby
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • Derby is located in New Haven County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Derby
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 12,257 people
  • Dutchess County (NY)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Danbury, with the one closest to Danbury listed first.
    • Pawling
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Pawling is located in Dutchess County (NY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pawling
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,248 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Pawling <1>
    • West Pawling
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
      • West Pawling is located in Dutchess County (NY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Pawling
    • Green Haven
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Green Haven is located in Dutchess County (NY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Haven
    • Poughquag
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Dogtail Corners
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Dogtail Corners is located in Dutchess County (NY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dogtail Corners
    • Shenandoah
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
      • Shenandoah is located in Dutchess County (NY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shenandoah
    • Stormville
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
    • Beekman
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Beekman is located in Dutchess County (NY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beekman
    • East Fishkill
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • East Fishkill is located in Dutchess County (NY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Fishkill
    • Sylvan Lake
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Sylvan Lake is located in Dutchess County (NY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sylvan Lake
    • Clove
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Clove is located in Dutchess County (NY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clove
    • Hopewell Junction
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Wiccopee
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Wiccopee is located in Dutchess County (NY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wiccopee
  • Greene County (NY)
    • Cornwall-on-Hudson
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Cornwall-on-Hudson is located in Greene County (NY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cornwall-on-Hudson
  • Orange County (NY)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Danbury, with the one closest to Danbury listed first.
    • Highland Falls
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
    • West Point
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
    • Cornwall Landing
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Cornwall Landing is located in Orange County (NY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cornwall Landing
    • Fort Montgomery
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
    • Cornwall-on-Hudson
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
    • Newburgh
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Newburgh is located in Orange County (NY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newburgh
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 27,902 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Newburgh <1>
    • Balmville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Balmville is located in Orange County (NY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Balmville
    • Firthcliffe
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Firthcliffe is located in Orange County (NY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Firthcliffe
    • New Windsor
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
    • Orrs Mill
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Orrs Mill is located in Orange County (NY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orrs Mill
    • Vails Gate
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
    • West Cornwall
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • West Cornwall is located in Orange County (NY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Cornwall
  • Putnam County (NY)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Danbury, with the one closest to Danbury listed first.
    • Deforest Corners
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
      • Deforest Corners is located in Putnam County (NY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Deforest Corners
    • Putnam Lake
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
      • Putnam Lake is located in Putnam County (NY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Putnam Lake
    • Peach Lake
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Peach Lake is located in Putnam County (NY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peach Lake
    • Brewster Hill
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
      • Brewster Hill is located in Putnam County (NY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brewster Hill
    • Brewster
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Dykemans
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
      • Dykemans is located in Putnam County (NY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dykemans
    • Towners
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Towners is located in Putnam County (NY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Towners
    • Patterson
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Crafts
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
      • Crafts is located in Putnam County (NY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crafts
    • Lake Carmel
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
      • Lake Carmel is located in Putnam County (NY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Carmel
    • Mahopac
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
    • Mahopac Mines
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
      • Mahopac Mines is located in Putnam County (NY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mahopac Mines
    • Farmers Mills
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Farmers Mills is located in Putnam County (NY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Farmers Mills
  • Rockland County (NY)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Danbury, with the one closest to Danbury listed first.
    • Doodletown ‑ Historic
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Doodletown is located in Rockland County (NY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Doodletown
    • Haverstraw
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Stony Point
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Congers
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Upper Nyack
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Upper Nyack is located in Rockland County (NY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Upper Nyack
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,177 people
    • West Haverstraw
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • West Haverstraw is located in Rockland County (NY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Haverstraw
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 10,167 people
  • Ulster County (NY)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Danbury, with the one closest to Danbury listed first.
    • Marlboro
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Milton
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Westchester County (NY)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Danbury, with the one closest to Danbury listed first.
    • Twin Lakes Village
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Twin Lakes Village is located in Westchester County (NY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Twin Lakes Village
    • Lewisboro
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Boutonville
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Boutonville is located in Westchester County (NY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boutonville
    • Cross River
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Goldens Bridge
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Somers
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Heritage Hills
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
      • Heritage Hills is located in Westchester County (NY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Heritage Hills
    • Lincolndale
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Pound Ridge
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
    • Shenorock
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
    • Scotts Corners
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
      • Scotts Corners is located in Westchester County (NY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scotts Corners
    • Bedford
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Granite Springs
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)

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

Cemeteries Near Danbury ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Danbury.

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 Danbury - one of the links might be able to help.

If not found below, our Cemetery List for Danbury covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

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

  • Old Main Street Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
  • Kenosia Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
  • Mill Plain Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
  • St. Peter Cemetery (New)
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
  • Old Town Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
  • Wooster Street Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
  • Wooster Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
  • Immanuel Lutheran Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
  • Miry Brook Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
  • Great Plain Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
  • Pembroke Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
  • Center Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
  • Continue List   (452 more) ...
    • First Congregational Church Cemetery
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • New Fairfield Cemetery
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • St. Marys Cemetery
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for St. Marys Cemetery
      • To give a relative sense of its location, the St. Marys Cemetery is located outside and to the south of Bethel.

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>

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

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

  • Danbury
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
  • Mill Plain
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
    • Mill Plain is located in Fairfield County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mill Plain
  • Ridgebury
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Ridgebury is located in Fairfield County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ridgebury
  • Bethel
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
  • Ball Pond
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Ball Pond is located in Fairfield County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ball Pond
  • New Fairfield
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
  • West Redding
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • North Salem
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • North Salem is located in Westchester County (NY)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Salem
  • Hawleyville
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
  • Brookfield Center
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Brookfield Center is located in Fairfield County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brookfield Center
  • Titicus
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Titicus is located in Fairfield County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Titicus
  • Ridgefield
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
  • Continue List   (18 more) ...
    • Dykemans
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
      • Dykemans is located in Putnam County (NY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dykemans
    • Brewster
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Salem Center
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Salem Center is located in Westchester County (NY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salem Center

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

Newspapers Published in Danbury ...

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 129 newspapers that have been published in the area around Danbury.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Danbury, there are papers which were published within 13 miles [20.9 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Danbury.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we like to start with the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These helpful 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 Danbury:

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 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.
<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 Danbury, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<4>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a '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- Danbury) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.