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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 Harwinton (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 Harwinton. 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 northwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors and hospitals were in the next county to the west. 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 west 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.

Harwinton is located in Litchfield 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 Litchfield County: Fairfield, Hartford, New Haven, Berkshire (MA), Hampden (MA), Columbia (NY) & Dutchess (NY).

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

  • Litchfield County     (The home county of Harwinton)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Harwinton, with the one closest to Harwinton listed first.
    • Harwinton
      (Less than 2 miles to the north)
    • Litchfield
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Torringford
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
      • Torringford is located in Litchfield County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Torringford
    • Torrington
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Northfield
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Nepaug
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
      • Nepaug is located in Litchfield County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nepaug
    • Plymouth
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Thomaston
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
      • Thomaston is located in Litchfield County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thomaston
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 7,505 people
    • Thomaston
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Terryville
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Browns Corner
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Browns Corner is located in Litchfield County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Browns Corner
    • New Hartford
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
      • New Hartford is located in Litchfield County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Hartford
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 6,639 people
    • Pequabuck
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Fairfield County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Harwinton, with the one closest to Harwinton listed first.
    • Riverside
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Sandy Hook
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Sherman
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Sherman is located in Fairfield County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sherman
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,610 people
    • Sherman
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Stevenson
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
    • Brookfield Center
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Brookfield Center is located in Fairfield County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brookfield Center
    • Brookfield
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Brookfield is located in Fairfield County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brookfield
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 16,900 people
    • Brookfield
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Newtown
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Newtown is located in Fairfield County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newtown
    • Hawleyville
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Newtown
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Botsford
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
    • East Village
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • East Village is located in Fairfield County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Village
  • Hartford County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Harwinton, with the one closest to Harwinton listed first.
    • Burlington
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Burlington
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
      • Burlington is located in Hartford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burlington
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 9,748 people
    • Whigville
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
      • Whigville is located in Hartford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whigville
    • Bristol
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Bristol is located in Hartford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bristol
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 59,734 people
    • Bristol
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Unionville
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Collinsville
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Canton
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • East Bristol
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
      • East Bristol is located in Hartford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Bristol
    • Avon
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
      • Avon is located in Hartford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Avon
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 18,220 people
    • Canton Center
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Canton
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Canton is located in Hartford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Canton
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 10,230 people
    • Canton Valley
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Canton Valley is located in Hartford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Canton Valley
  • Middlesex County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Harwinton, with the one closest to Harwinton listed first.
    • Cromwell
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Cromwell is located in Middlesex County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cromwell
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 13,772 people
    • Cromwell
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
    • Middlefield
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Middlefield is located in Middlesex County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Middlefield
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,350 people
    • Middlefield
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Middletown
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Portland
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Gildersleeve
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Gildersleeve is located in Middlesex County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gildersleeve
    • Middletown
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Middletown is located in Middlesex County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Middletown
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 46,013 people
    • Durham
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Portland
      (26 miles [41.8 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
    • Durham
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Durham is located in Middlesex County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Durham
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 7,137 people
    • Cobalt
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Middle Haddam
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
  • New Haven County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Harwinton, with the one closest to Harwinton listed first.
    • Waterville
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
      • Waterville is located in New Haven County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waterville
    • Wolcott
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
      • Wolcott is located in New Haven County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wolcott
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 16,565 people
    • Wolcott
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Waterbury
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
      • Waterbury is located in New Haven County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waterbury
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 106,826 people
    • Waterbury
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • Middlebury
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
      • Middlebury is located in New Haven County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Middlebury
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 7,829 people
    • Middlebury
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
    • Prospect
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
    • Union City
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
      • Union City is located in New Haven County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union City
    • Borough of Naugatuck
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Borough of Naugatuck is located in New Haven County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Borough of Naugatuck
      • Estimated population in 2014: 31,659 people
    • Naugatuck
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Naugatuck is located in New Haven County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Naugatuck
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 30,905 people
    • Autumn HIll
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
      • Autumn HIll is located in New Haven County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Autumn HIll
    • Cheshire
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
      • Cheshire is located in New Haven County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cheshire
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 28,806 people
  • Tolland County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Harwinton, with the one closest to Harwinton listed first.
    • Vernon
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
    • Windermere
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Windermere is located in Tolland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Windermere
  • Berkshire County (MA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Harwinton, with the one closest to Harwinton listed first.
    • South Sandisfield
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • South Sandisfield is located in Berkshire County (MA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Sandisfield
    • Clayton
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Clayton is located in Berkshire County (MA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clayton
    • Gomorrah
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Gomorrah is located in Berkshire County (MA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gomorrah
    • Sandisfield
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Sandisfield is located in Berkshire County (MA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandisfield
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 887 people
    • Southfield
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Southfield is located in Berkshire County (MA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Southfield
    • Ashley Falls
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Ashley Falls is located in Berkshire County (MA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ashley Falls
    • New Marlborough
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • New Marlborough is located in Berkshire County (MA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Marlborough
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,450 people
    • Mill River
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Mill River is located in Berkshire County (MA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mill River
    • East Otis
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • East Otis is located in Berkshire County (MA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Otis
    • Sheffield
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Sheffield is located in Berkshire County (MA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sheffield
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,112 people
    • Hartsville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Hartsville is located in Berkshire County (MA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hartsville
    • Monterey
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Monterey is located in Berkshire County (MA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monterey
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 918 people
    • Otis
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Otis is located in Berkshire County (MA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Otis
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,531 people
  • Hampden County (MA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Harwinton, with the one closest to Harwinton listed first.
    • Tolland
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Tolland is located in Hampden County (MA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tolland
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 506 people
    • West Granville
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • West Granville is located in Hampden County (MA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Granville
    • Granville
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Granville is located in Hampden County (MA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Granville
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,606 people
    • Southwick
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Southwick is located in Hampden County (MA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Southwick
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 9,715 people
    • Hosmer Corner
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Hosmer Corner is located in Hampden County (MA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hosmer Corner
    • Feeding Hills
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Feeding Hills is located in Hampden County (MA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Feeding Hills
    • Blandford
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Blandford is located in Hampden County (MA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blandford
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,249 people
    • Woronoco
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Woronoco is located in Hampden County (MA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woronoco
    • Westfield
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Westfield is located in Hampden County (MA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westfield
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 41,063 people
  • Dutchess County (NY)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Harwinton, with the one closest to Harwinton listed first.
    • Amenia Union
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Amenia Union is located in Dutchess County (NY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amenia Union
    • Dogtail Corners
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Dogtail Corners is located in Dutchess County (NY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dogtail Corners
    • Leedsville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Leedsville is located in Dutchess County (NY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leedsville
    • Amenia
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
    • Dover Plains
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
    • Wassaic
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
    • Millerton
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Spencer Corners
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Spencer Corners is located in Dutchess County (NY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spencer Corners
    • Irondale
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Irondale is located in Dutchess County (NY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Irondale
    • Lithgow
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Lithgow is located in Dutchess County (NY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lithgow
    • Smithfield
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Smithfield is located in Dutchess County (NY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smithfield

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

Cemeteries Near Harwinton ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Harwinton.

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

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

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

  • South Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
  • West Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
  • North Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
  • Scoville Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
  • East Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
  • St. Francis Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for St. Francis Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the St. Francis Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located outside and to the south of Torrington.
    • The St. Francis Cemetery has also been known as:
    • New St. Francis Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #103503 <2>
  • Northfield Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Lamson Corner Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
  • South Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
  • Edgewood Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Center Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Hillside Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Continue List   (450 more) ...

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 Harwinton in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Harwinton.

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

  • Harwinton
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
  • Campville
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Campville is located in Litchfield County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Campville
  • Litchfield
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
  • East Litchfield
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • East Litchfield is located in Litchfield County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Litchfield
  • Northfield
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Torringford
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Torringford is located in Litchfield County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Torringford
  • Burlington
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
  • Torrington
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Thomaston
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • Plymouth
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • Terryville
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
  • Nepaug
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Nepaug is located in Litchfield County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nepaug
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Bakersville
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
      • Bakersville is located in Litchfield County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bakersville
    • Reynolds Bridge
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
      • Reynolds Bridge is located in Litchfield County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reynolds Bridge
    • Pequabuck
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)

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

Newspapers Published in Harwinton ...

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 37 newspapers that have been published in the area around Harwinton.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Harwinton, there are papers which were published within 15 miles [24.1 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Harwinton.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we begin with 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 Harwinton:

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