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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 Hartford (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 Hartford. 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 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.

Hartford is located in Hartford 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 Hartford County: Litchfield, Middlesex, New Haven, New London, Tolland & Hampden (MA).

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

  • Hartford County     (The home county of Hartford)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Hartford, with the one closest to Hartford listed first.
    • Hartford
      (Less than 2 miles to the north)
    • Parkville
      (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
      • Parkville is located in Hartford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parkville
    • Saybrooke Village
      (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
      • Saybrooke Village is located in Hartford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saybrooke Village
    • Stowe Village Housing Project
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
    • Childrens Village of the Hartford Orphan Asylum
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Elmwood
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Elmwood is located in Hartford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elmwood
    • Coachlight Village
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
      • Coachlight Village is located in Hartford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coachlight Village
    • East Hartford
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
      • East Hartford is located in Hartford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Hartford
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 49,630 people
    • East Hartford
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Tudor Village
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
      • Tudor Village is located in Hartford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tudor Village
    • Blue Hills
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
      • Blue Hills is located in Hartford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blue Hills
    • West Hartford
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
      • West Hartford is located in Hartford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Hartford
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 62,868 people
  • Litchfield County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Hartford, with the one closest to Hartford listed first.
    • Puddle Town
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Puddle Town is located in Litchfield County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Puddle Town
    • Browns Corner
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
      • Browns Corner is located in Litchfield County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Browns Corner
    • Barkhamsted
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Hampsted
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Hampsted is located in Litchfield County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hampsted
    • Pine Meadow
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Nepaug
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
      • Nepaug is located in Litchfield County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nepaug
    • New Hartford
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Terryville Station
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Terryville Station is located in Litchfield County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Terryville Station
    • New Hartford
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • New Hartford is located in Litchfield County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Hartford
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 6,639 people
    • Pequabuck
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
    • Terryville
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
    • Torrington
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Torrington is located in Litchfield County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Torrington
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 33,870 people
  • Middlesex County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Hartford, with the one closest to Hartford listed first.
    • Cromwell
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
      • Cromwell is located in Middlesex County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cromwell
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 13,772 people
    • Cromwell
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Gildersleeve
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
      • Gildersleeve is located in Middlesex County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gildersleeve
    • Portland
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Portland is located in Middlesex County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Portland
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 9,213 people
    • Portland
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • Middletown
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
    • Lake Pocotopaug
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Lake Pocotopaug is located in Middlesex County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Pocotopaug
    • Middletown
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
      • Middletown is located in Middlesex County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Middletown
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 46,013 people
    • Cobalt
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
    • East Hampton
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
      • East Hampton is located in Middlesex County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Hampton
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 12,747 people
    • East Hampton
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Middle Haddam
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
  • New Haven County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Hartford, with the one closest to Hartford listed first.
    • Meriden
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
      • Meriden is located in New Haven County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meriden
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 58,981 people
    • Meriden
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
    • South Meriden
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
      • South Meriden is located in New Haven County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Meriden
    • Wolcott
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
      • Wolcott is located in New Haven County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wolcott
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 16,565 people
    • Autumn HIll
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Autumn HIll is located in New Haven County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Autumn HIll
    • Wolcott
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Yalesville
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • Cheshire
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Cheshire is located in New Haven County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cheshire
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 28,806 people
    • Cheshire
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
    • West Cheshire
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • West Cheshire is located in New Haven County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Cheshire
    • Wallingford
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Wallingford is located in New Haven County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wallingford
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 44,076 people
    • Wallingford
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
  • New London County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Hartford, with the one closest to Hartford listed first.
    • North Westchester
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Westchester
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Westchester is located in New London County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westchester
    • Colchester
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Liberty Hill
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Liberty Hill is located in New London County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Liberty Hill
    • Lebanon
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Lebanon is located in New London County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lebanon
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 7,112 people
    • Lebanon
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
    • Hadlyme
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
    • North Franklin
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
    • Williams Crossing
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Williams Crossing is located in New London County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Williams Crossing
    • Gilman
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Salem
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Franklin
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Franklin is located in New London County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Franklin
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,914 people
  • Tolland County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Hartford, with the one closest to Hartford listed first.
    • Vernon
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Bolton
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
      • Bolton is located in Tolland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bolton
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,855 people
    • Bolton
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
    • Gay City ‑ Historic
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
      • Gay City is located in Tolland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gay City
    • Vernon
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Vernon is located in Tolland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vernon
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 29,400 people
    • Windermere
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Windermere is located in Tolland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Windermere
    • Rockville
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Ellington
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Ellington
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Ellington is located in Tolland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ellington
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 16,652 people
    • Quarryville
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Quarryville is located in Tolland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Quarryville
    • Gilead
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Gilead is located in Tolland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gilead
    • Andover
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
      • Andover is located in Tolland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Andover
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,228 people
  • Windham County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Hartford, with the one closest to Hartford listed first.
    • Willimantic
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
    • West Ashford
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • West Ashford is located in Windham County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Ashford
    • Windham
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Windham is located in Windham County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Windham
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 24,463 people
    • Ashford
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Ashford is located in Windham County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ashford
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,246 people
    • North Windham
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
    • South Windham
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
    • Warrenville
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Warrenville is located in Windham County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Warrenville
    • Windham
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
    • Chaplin
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Chaplin is located in Windham County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chaplin
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,232 people
    • Chaplin
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
    • Westford
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Westford is located in Windham County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westford
    • Ashford
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
  • Hampden County (MA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Hartford, with the one closest to Hartford listed first.
    • Feeding Hills
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Feeding Hills is located in Hampden County (MA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Feeding Hills
    • Hosmer Corner
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Hosmer Corner is located in Hampden County (MA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hosmer Corner
    • Longmeadow
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Longmeadow is located in Hampden County (MA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Longmeadow
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 15,624 people
    • Southwick
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Southwick is located in Hampden County (MA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Southwick
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 9,715 people
    • Agawam
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Agawam is located in Hampden County (MA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Agawam
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 28,467 people
    • Baptist Village
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Baptist Village is located in Hampden County (MA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baptist Village
    • East Longmeadow
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • East Longmeadow is located in Hampden County (MA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Longmeadow
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 16,093 people
    • Granville
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Granville is located in Hampden County (MA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Granville
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,606 people
    • West Springfield
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • West Springfield is located in Hampden County (MA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Springfield
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 28,397 people
    • Merrick
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Merrick is located in Hampden County (MA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Merrick
    • Springfield
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Springfield is located in Hampden County (MA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Springfield
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 152,646 people
    • Hampden
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Hampden is located in Hampden County (MA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hampden
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,154 people

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

Cemeteries Near Hartford ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Hartford.

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

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

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

  • Zion Hill Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
  • Ancient Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
  • Sisters of St. Joseph Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
  • Old South Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
  • Old North Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
  • Spring Grove Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
  • St. Patricks Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
  • Working Circle Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
  • Hockanum Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
  • Center Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
  • Hartford Circus Fire Memorial
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
  • Congregation Ados Israel Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
  • Continue List   (525 more) ...
    • St. Mary Cemetery
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for St. Mary Cemetery
      • To give a relative sense of its location, the St. Mary Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located in West Hartford.
    • North Cemetery
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
    • Teferes Israel Cemetery
      (3 miles [4.8 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.<3>

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

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

  • Hartford
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
  • Parkville
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
    • Parkville is located in Hartford County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parkville
  • Elmwood
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Elmwood is located in Hartford County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elmwood
  • Hockanum
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Hockanum is located in Hartford County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hockanum
  • East Hartford
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
  • Wilson
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Wilson is located in Hartford County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilson
  • West Hartford
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
  • Cottage Grove
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Cottage Grove is located in Hartford County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cottage Grove
  • Newington Junction
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Newington Junction is located in Hartford County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newington Junction
  • Wethersfield
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
  • Naubuc ‑ Historic
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Naubuc is located in Hartford County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Naubuc
  • Burnside
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Burnside is located in Hartford County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burnside
  • Continue List   (19 more) ...
    • Burnham
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Burnham is located in Hartford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burnham
    • Newington
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • South Wethersfield
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
      • South Wethersfield is located in Hartford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Wethersfield

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

Newspapers Published in Hartford ...

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 60 newspapers that have been published in the area around Hartford.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Hartford, there are papers which were published within 12 miles [19.3 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Hartford.

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 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 Hartford:

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 Hartford, 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 obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Hartford) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.