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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 Bardwell (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 Bardwell. 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 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.

Bardwell is located in Hampshire 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 Hampshire County: Berkshire, Franklin, Hampden & Worcester.

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

  • Hampshire County     (The home county of Bardwell)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bardwell, with the one closest to Bardwell listed first.
    • Bondsville
      (Less than 2 miles to the east)
      • Bondsville is located in Hampshire County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bondsville
    • Belchertown
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Belchertown is located in Hampshire County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belchertown
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 15,103 people
    • Enfield ‑ Historic
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
      • Enfield is located in Hampshire County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Enfield
    • Ware
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Ware is located in Hampshire County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ware
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 9,897 people
    • Granby
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
      • Granby is located in Hampshire County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Granby
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 6,262 people
    • South Amherst
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
      • South Amherst is located in Hampshire County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Amherst
    • South Hadley
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
      • South Hadley is located in Hampshire County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Hadley
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 17,539 people
    • Pelham
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Pelham is located in Hampshire County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pelham
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,305 people
    • East Village
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
      • East Village is located in Hampshire County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Village
    • West Pelham
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
      • West Pelham is located in Hampshire County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Pelham
    • Amherst Center
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Amherst Center is located in Hampshire County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amherst Center
    • Amherst
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Amherst is located in Hampshire County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amherst
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 40,643 people
    • Mount Tom
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
      • Mount Tom is located in Hampshire County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Tom
  • Franklin County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bardwell, with the one closest to Bardwell listed first.
    • Smiths ‑ Historic
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
      • Smiths is located in Franklin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smiths
    • Cooleyville
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
      • Cooleyville is located in Franklin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cooleyville
    • Shutesbury
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
      • Shutesbury is located in Franklin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shutesbury
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,753 people
    • Leverett
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Leverett is located in Franklin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leverett
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,836 people
    • Millington ‑ Historic
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Millington is located in Franklin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millington
    • Locks Village
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • Locks Village is located in Franklin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Locks Village
    • Moores Corner
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • Moores Corner is located in Franklin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moores Corner
    • New Salem
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • New Salem is located in Franklin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Salem
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,034 people
    • Sunderland
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Sunderland is located in Franklin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunderland
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,634 people
    • Whately
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Whately is located in Franklin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whately
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,583 people
    • South Deerfield
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • South Deerfield is located in Franklin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Deerfield
    • Morse Village
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Morse Village is located in Franklin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morse Village
    • Wendell
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Wendell is located in Franklin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wendell
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 881 people
  • Hampden County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bardwell, with the one closest to Bardwell listed first.
    • Three Rivers
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
      • Three Rivers is located in Hampden County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Three Rivers
    • Thorndike
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Thorndike is located in Hampden County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thorndike
    • Palmer
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Palmer is located in Hampden County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Palmer
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 12,174 people
    • Tenneyville
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
      • Tenneyville is located in Hampden County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tenneyville
    • North Wilbraham
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
      • North Wilbraham is located in Hampden County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Wilbraham
    • West Brimfield
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
      • West Brimfield is located in Hampden County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Brimfield
    • Ludlow
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Ludlow is located in Hampden County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ludlow
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 21,101 people
    • Ludlow City
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
      • Ludlow City is located in Hampden County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ludlow City
    • Wilbraham
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Wilbraham is located in Hampden County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilbraham
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 14,670 people
    • Monson
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
      • Monson is located in Hampden County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monson
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 8,750 people
    • Indian Orchard
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Indian Orchard is located in Hampden County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Indian Orchard
    • Hampden
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
      • Hampden is located in Hampden County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hampden
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,154 people
    • Brimfield
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Brimfield is located in Hampden County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brimfield
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,679 people
  • Worcester County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bardwell, with the one closest to Bardwell listed first.
    • West Warren
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
      • West Warren is located in Worcester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Warren
    • Warren
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
      • Warren is located in Worcester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Warren
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,203 people
    • Greenwich ‑ Historic
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
      • Greenwich is located in Worcester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenwich
    • Gilbertville
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Gilbertville is located in Worcester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gilbertville
    • West Brookfield
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
      • West Brookfield is located in Worcester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Brookfield
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,713 people
    • Greenwich Village ‑ Historic
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Greenwich Village is located in Worcester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenwich Village
    • Hardwick
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Hardwick is located in Worcester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hardwick
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,047 people
    • Brookfield
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
      • Brookfield is located in Worcester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brookfield
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,439 people
    • North Brookfield
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • North Brookfield is located in Worcester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Brookfield
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,789 people
    • New Braintree
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
      • New Braintree is located in Worcester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Braintree
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,020 people
    • Wheelwright
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Wheelwright is located in Worcester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wheelwright
    • Fiskdale
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Fiskdale is located in Worcester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fiskdale
    • Dana ‑ Historic
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
      • Dana is located in Worcester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dana
  • Hartford County (CT)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bardwell, with the one closest to Bardwell listed first.
    • Sherwood Manor
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Sherwood Manor is located in Hartford County (CT)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sherwood Manor
    • Enfield
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
    • Hazardville
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
      • Hazardville is located in Hartford County (CT)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hazardville
    • Enfield
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Enfield is located in Hartford County (CT)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Enfield
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 43,559 people
    • Thompsonville
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Thompsonville is located in Hartford County (CT)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thompsonville
    • Southwood Acres
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Southwood Acres is located in Hartford County (CT)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Southwood Acres
    • Rising Corner
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Rising Corner is located in Hartford County (CT)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rising Corner
    • Suffield Depot
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Suffield Depot is located in Hartford County (CT)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Suffield Depot
    • Suffield
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Broad Brook
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
    • East Windsor
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • East Windsor is located in Hartford County (CT)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Windsor
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 11,654 people
    • Mill Pond Village
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Mill Pond Village is located in Hartford County (CT)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mill Pond Village
    • West Suffield
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Tolland County (CT)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bardwell, with the one closest to Bardwell listed first.
    • State Line
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
      • State Line is located in Tolland County (CT)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for State Line
    • Somers
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
      • Somers is located in Tolland County (CT)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Somers
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 10,741 people
    • Somers
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
      • Somers is located in Tolland County (CT)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Somers
      • Somers has also been known as:
      • Central Somers
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Somers <1>
    • Stafford
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
      • Stafford is located in Tolland County (CT)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stafford
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 11,834 people
    • Stafford
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
    • Staffordville
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
    • Somersville
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
    • Stafford Springs
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
    • Crystal Lake
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
      • Crystal Lake is located in Tolland County (CT)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crystal Lake
    • Union
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Union is located in Tolland County (CT)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 844 people
    • Union
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Ellington
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Ellington is located in Tolland County (CT)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ellington
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 16,652 people
    • Ellington
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
  • Windham County (CT)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bardwell, with the one closest to Bardwell listed first.
    • Westford
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Westford is located in Windham County (CT)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westford
    • West Woodstock
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • West Woodstock is located in Windham County (CT)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Woodstock
    • Woodstock
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Woodstock is located in Windham County (CT)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodstock
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 7,834 people
    • Woodstock Valley
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Ashford
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Ashford is located in Windham County (CT)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ashford
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,246 people
    • East Woodstock
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Quinebaug
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
    • West Ashford
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • West Ashford is located in Windham County (CT)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Ashford
    • Eastford
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Eastford is located in Windham County (CT)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eastford
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,800 people
    • Eastford
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Fabyan
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Warrenville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Warrenville is located in Windham County (CT)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Warrenville
    • Ashford
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)

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

Cemeteries Near Bardwell ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Bardwell.

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

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

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Bardwell, with the one closest to Bardwell 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>

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

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

  • Bondsville
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
    • Bondsville is located in Hampshire County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bondsville
  • Three Rivers
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
    • Three Rivers is located in Hampden County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Three Rivers
  • Thorndike
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Thorndike is located in Hampden County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thorndike
  • Whipples
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
    • Whipples is located in Hampden County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whipples
  • Red Bridge
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Red Bridge is located in Hampden County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Bridge
  • Ludlow Center
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Ludlow Center is located in Hampden County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ludlow Center
  • Palmer
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Palmer is located in Hampden County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Palmer
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 12,174 people
  • Belchertown
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Belchertown is located in Hampshire County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belchertown
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 15,103 people
  • West Ware
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • West Ware is located in Hampshire County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Ware
  • North Wilbraham
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • North Wilbraham is located in Hampden County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Wilbraham
  • Ludlow
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Ludlow is located in Hampden County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ludlow
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 21,101 people
  • West Brimfield
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • West Brimfield is located in Hampden County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Brimfield
  • Continue List   (17 more) ...
    • West Warren
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
      • West Warren is located in Worcester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Warren
    • Wilbraham
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Wilbraham is located in Hampden County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilbraham
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 14,670 people
    • North Monson
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
      • North Monson is located in Hampden County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Monson

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

Newspapers Published in Bardwell ...

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 39 newspapers that have been published in the area around Bardwell.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Bardwell, there are papers which were published within 15 miles [24.1 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Bardwell.

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 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 Bardwell:

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>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- Bardwell) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.
<4>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.
<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 Bardwell, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.