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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 Athol (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 Athol. 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.

A Few Details for Athol ...

While it's still very early in our research, we found that:

  • Athol was settled in 1735.
  • It was incorporated in 1762.

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 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.

Athol is located in Worcester County.

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

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Worcester County: Tolland (CT), Windham (CT), Franklin, Hampden, Hampshire, Middlesex, Norfolk, Cheshire (NH), Hillsborough (NH) & Providence (RI).

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

  • Worcester County     (The home county of Athol)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Athol, with the one closest to Athol listed first.
    • Phillipston
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Brooks Village
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
      • Brooks Village is located in Worcester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brooks Village
    • Royalston
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Goulding Village
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Goulding Village is located in Worcester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goulding Village
    • Baldwinville
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Petersham
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Templeton
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
      • Templeton is located in Worcester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Templeton
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 8,134 people
    • East Templeton
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
      • East Templeton is located in Worcester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Templeton
    • Waterville
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • North Dana ‑ Historic
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Gardner
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Olde English Village
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
      • Olde English Village is located in Worcester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Olde English Village
    • Dana ‑ Historic
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
  • Franklin County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Athol, with the one closest to Athol listed first.
    • Tully
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • North Orange
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Orange
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Morse Village
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Morse Village is located in Franklin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morse Village
    • Wendell Depot
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
      • Wendell Depot is located in Franklin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wendell Depot
    • Mayo Corners
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Warwick
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Millington ‑ Historic
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • New Salem
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
      • New Salem is located in Franklin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Salem
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,034 people
    • Erving
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Wendell
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
      • Wendell is located in Franklin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wendell
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 881 people
    • Cooleyville
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Locks Village
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Locks Village is located in Franklin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Locks Village
  • Hampden County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Athol, with the one closest to Athol listed first.
    • Thorndike
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Thorndike is located in Hampden County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thorndike
    • West Brimfield
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • West Brimfield is located in Hampden County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Brimfield
    • Three Rivers
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
    • Ludlow City
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Ludlow City is located in Hampden County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ludlow City
    • Palmer
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
    • Tenneyville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
  • Hampshire County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Athol, with the one closest to Athol listed first.
    • Pelham
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Enfield ‑ Historic
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
    • West Pelham
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
    • East Village
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • East Village is located in Hampshire County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Village
    • North Amherst
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Amherst Center
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Amherst Center is located in Hampshire County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amherst Center
    • Amherst
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
    • South Amherst
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • South Amherst is located in Hampshire County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Amherst
    • Belchertown
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
    • Ware
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
    • North Hadley
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
    • North Hatfield
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
    • Hatfield
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Hatfield is located in Hampshire County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hatfield
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,243 people
  • Middlesex County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Athol, with the one closest to Athol listed first.
    • Ashby
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
    • South Village
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • South Village is located in Middlesex County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Village
    • Old City
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Old City is located in Middlesex County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Old City
    • West Townsend
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • West Townsend is located in Middlesex County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Townsend
    • Townsend
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
    • Townsend Harbor
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
    • Shaker Village
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Shaker Village is located in Middlesex County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shaker Village
    • Shirley
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
    • West Groton
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • West Groton is located in Middlesex County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Groton
  • Cheshire County (NH)
  • Hillsborough County (NH)
  • Windham County (VT)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Athol, with the one closest to Athol listed first.
    • South Vernon
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Vernon
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Vernon is located in Windham County (VT)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vernon
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,190 people
    • Guilford
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
    • Brattleboro
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Fairview Village
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Fairview Village is located in Windham County (VT)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairview Village
    • Guilford
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Guilford is located in Windham County (VT)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Guilford
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,102 people
    • West Brattleboro
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Brattleboro
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Brattleboro is located in Windham County (VT)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brattleboro
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 11,257 people
    • East Dummerston
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Halifax
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Halifax is located in Windham County (VT)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Halifax
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 674 people
    • Halifax
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Ames Hill
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Dummerston
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Dummerston is located in Windham County (VT)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dummerston
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,739 people

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

Cemeteries Near Athol ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Athol.

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

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

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

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.<5>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Athol had a population of 5,669 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Athol had a population of 11,698 people.

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

  • Tully
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
  • North Orange
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
  • South Athol
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • South Athol is located in Worcester County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Athol
  • South Royalston
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • South Royalston is located in Worcester County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Royalston
  • Orange
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
  • North New Salem
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • North New Salem is located in Franklin County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North New Salem
  • Phillipston
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
  • Royalston
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
  • Wendell Depot
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Wendell Depot is located in Franklin County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wendell Depot
  • Petersham
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
  • Baldwinville
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
  • New Salem
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • New Salem is located in Franklin County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Salem
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,034 people
  • Continue List   (19 more) ...
    • Millington ‑ Historic
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Templeton
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
      • Templeton is located in Worcester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Templeton
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 8,134 people
    • Otter River
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
      • Otter River is located in Worcester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Otter River

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Athol ...

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 46 newspapers that have been published in the area around Athol.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Athol. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Athol and those printed in the larger area surrounding Athol.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 16 miles [25.7 km]<4> of Athol.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we start 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 Athol:

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 Massachusetts Historical Commission (MHC) has created and maintains a database of historic properties that is called MACRIS (for the Massachusetts Cultural Resource Information System). More information about the MHC and MACRIS can be found on their website: mhc-macris.net.

When visiting the MACRIS website, you might encounter their page requiring the 'Acceptance of Terms'. With your acceptance, you'll be transfered to the desired page.

<3>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.
<4>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Athol) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.
<5>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 Athol, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.