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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 South Norfolk (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 South Norfolk. 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 South Norfolk ...

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.

For example, a typical abbreviation for South Norfolk: S. Norfolk

You might be interested in other communities that are also named South Norfolk. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for South Norfolk.

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 southeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors and hospitals were in the next county to the east. Almost all of the nearby churches and cemeteries were in the county to the south.

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 south 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.

South Norfolk 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 South Norfolk. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to South Norfolk:

  • Litchfield County     (The home county of South Norfolk)
    • The following are listed by their distance from South Norfolk, with the one closest to South Norfolk listed first.
    • Grantville
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Grantville is located in Litchfield County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grantville
    • Lower City
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
      • Lower City is located in Litchfield County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lower City
    • Norfolk
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
      • Norfolk is located in Litchfield County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Norfolk
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,622 people
    • Norfolk
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Winchester Center
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Winchester
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
      • Winchester is located in Litchfield County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winchester
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 10,548 people
    • Canaan
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
      • Canaan is located in Litchfield County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Canaan
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,051 people
    • Goshen
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
      • Goshen is located in Litchfield County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goshen
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,856 people
    • Drakeville
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
      • Drakeville is located in Litchfield County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Drakeville
    • Goshen
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • West Goshen
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
      • West Goshen is located in Litchfield County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Goshen
    • Burrville
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Burrville is located in Litchfield County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burrville
  • Fairfield County
    • The following are listed by their distance from South Norfolk, with the one closest to South Norfolk listed first.
    • Sherman
      (27 miles [43.5 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
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
  • Hartford County
    • The following are listed by their distance from South Norfolk, with the one closest to South Norfolk listed first.
    • Hartland
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Hartland is located in Hartford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hartland
    • West Hartland
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Hartland
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Hartland is located in Hartford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hartland
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,113 people
    • Canton Center
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
    • Canton
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
      • Canton is located in Hartford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Canton
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 10,230 people
    • East Hartland
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
    • North Canton
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
      • North Canton is located in Hartford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Canton
    • Burlington
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Collinsville
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Canton Valley
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Canton Valley is located in Hartford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Canton Valley
    • Canton
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
    • Burlington
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Burlington is located in Hartford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burlington
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 9,748 people
  • New Haven County
    • The following are listed by their distance from South Norfolk, with the one closest to South Norfolk listed first.
    • Waterville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Waterville is located in New Haven County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waterville
    • Wolcott
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Wolcott
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Wolcott is located in New Haven County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wolcott
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 16,565 people
    • Waterbury
      (26 miles [41.8 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
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
    • Middlebury
      (27 miles [43.5 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
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
    • Heritage Village
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Heritage Village is located in New Haven County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Heritage Village
    • Naugatuck
      (30 miles [48.3 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
    • Southbury
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
    • Union City
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Union City is located in New Haven County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union City
  • Berkshire County (MA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from South Norfolk, with the one closest to South Norfolk listed first.
    • Clayton
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Clayton is located in Berkshire County (MA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clayton
    • Gomorrah
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Gomorrah is located in Berkshire County (MA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gomorrah
    • South Sandisfield
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
      • South Sandisfield is located in Berkshire County (MA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Sandisfield
    • Ashley Falls
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Ashley Falls is located in Berkshire County (MA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ashley Falls
    • Southfield
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Southfield is located in Berkshire County (MA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Southfield
    • Mill River
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
      • Mill River is located in Berkshire County (MA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mill River
    • New Marlborough
      (13 miles [20.9 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
    • Sandisfield
      (13 miles [20.9 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
    • Sheffield
      (14 miles [22.5 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
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
      • Hartsville is located in Berkshire County (MA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hartsville
    • Monterey
      (17 miles [27.4 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
    • Mount Washington
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
      • Mount Washington is located in Berkshire County (MA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Washington
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 156 people
  • Hampden County (MA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from South Norfolk, with the one closest to South Norfolk listed first.
    • Tolland
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Tolland is located in Hampden County (MA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tolland
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 506 people
    • West Granville
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
      • West Granville is located in Hampden County (MA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Granville
    • Granville
      (20 miles [32.2 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
    • Blandford
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Blandford is located in Hampden County (MA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blandford
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,249 people
    • North Blandford
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • North Blandford is located in Hampden County (MA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Blandford
    • Southwick
      (24 miles [38.6 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
    • Russell
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Russell is located in Hampden County (MA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Russell
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,787 people
    • Woronoco
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Woronoco is located in Hampden County (MA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woronoco
    • Hosmer Corner
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Hosmer Corner is located in Hampden County (MA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hosmer Corner
    • Chester
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Chester is located in Hampden County (MA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chester
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,365 people
    • Westfield
      (27 miles [43.5 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
    • Feeding Hills
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Feeding Hills is located in Hampden County (MA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Feeding Hills
  • Hampshire County (MA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from South Norfolk, with the one closest to South Norfolk listed first.
    • Huntington
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Huntington is located in Hampshire County (MA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Huntington
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,159 people
    • Middlefield
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Middlefield is located in Hampshire County (MA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Middlefield
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 538 people
  • Columbia County (NY)
    • The following are listed by their distance from South Norfolk, with the one closest to South Norfolk listed first.
    • Weed Mines
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Weed Mines is located in Columbia County (NY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weed Mines
    • Ancramdale
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
    • Copake Falls
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Copake
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Ancram
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
    • Copake Lake
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Copake Lake is located in Columbia County (NY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Copake Lake
    • Craryville
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Silvernails
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Silvernails is located in Columbia County (NY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Silvernails
    • Green River
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Green River is located in Columbia County (NY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green River
    • Suydam ‑ Historic
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Suydam is located in Columbia County (NY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Suydam
    • Taghkanic
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Austerlitz
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Dutchess County (NY)
    • The following are listed by their distance from South Norfolk, with the one closest to South Norfolk listed first.
    • Millerton
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
    • Spencer Corners
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
      • Spencer Corners is located in Dutchess County (NY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spencer Corners
    • Amenia Union
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Amenia Union is located in Dutchess County (NY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amenia Union
    • Irondale
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
      • Irondale is located in Dutchess County (NY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Irondale
    • Leedsville
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
      • Leedsville is located in Dutchess County (NY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leedsville
    • Amenia
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
    • Wassaic
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Smithfield
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
      • Smithfield is located in Dutchess County (NY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smithfield
    • Dover Plains
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Bethel
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Bethel is located in Dutchess County (NY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bethel
    • Lithgow
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Lithgow is located in Dutchess County (NY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lithgow
    • Dogtail Corners
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Dogtail Corners is located in Dutchess County (NY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dogtail Corners

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

Cemeteries Near South Norfolk ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of South Norfolk.

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 South Norfolk - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • South Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
  • Hall Meadow Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
  • Grantville Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
  • Danbury Quarter Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
  • Lower City Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
  • Sedgwick Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Winchester Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Hurlbut Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Root Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Munson Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
  • West Side Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • East Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • Continue List   (342 more) ...
    • Newfield Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Center Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Old St. Marys Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)

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>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that in 1895, South Norfolk had a post office and no railroad service.

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

  • Grantville
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Grantville is located in Litchfield County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grantville
  • Winchester Center
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Norfolk
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
  • Mill Brook
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Mill Brook is located in Litchfield County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mill Brook
  • Huntsville
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Huntsville is located in Litchfield County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Huntsville
  • West Norfolk
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • West Norfolk is located in Litchfield County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Norfolk
  • West Goshen
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • West Goshen is located in Litchfield County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Goshen
  • Goshen
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • West Torrington
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • West Torrington is located in Litchfield County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Torrington
  • Burrville
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Burrville is located in Litchfield County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burrville
  • Winsted
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
  • Colebrook
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • East Canaan
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • South Canaan
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
      • South Canaan is located in Litchfield County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Canaan
    • West Cornwall
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)

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

Newspapers Published in South Norfolk ...

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 South Norfolk.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of South Norfolk, there are papers which were published within 16 miles [25.7 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for South Norfolk.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first visit 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 South Norfolk:

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 South Norfolk, 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- South Norfolk) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.