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 Becket (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 Becket. 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 Becket ...
While it's still very early in our research, we found that:
Becket was settled in 1740.
It was incorporated in 1765.
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 hospitals and doctors 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.
Becket is located in Berkshire 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 Berkshire County : Litchfield (CT) , Franklin , Hampden , Hampshire , Columbia (NY) , Rensselaer (NY) & Bennington (VT) .
Below are the counties that are near Becket. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Becket:
Berkshire County (The home county of Becket)
The following are listed by their distance from Becket, with the one closest to Becket listed first.
Washington (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
Washington is also located in Berkshire County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Washington Population from the 2020 Census: 541 people
West Becket (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
West Becket is also located in Berkshire County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Becket Hinsdale (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
Hinsdale is also located in Berkshire County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hinsdale Population from the 2020 Census: 1,902 people
Peru (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
Peru is also located in Berkshire County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peru Population from the 2020 Census: 833 people
North Otis (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
North Otis is also located in Berkshire County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Otis East Lee (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
East Lee is also located in Berkshire County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Lee Tyringham (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
Tyringham is also located in Berkshire County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tyringham Population from the 2020 Census: 310 people
Lee (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
Lee is also located in Berkshire County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lee Population from the 2020 Census: 5,629 people
Lenox Dale (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
Lenox Dale is also located in Berkshire County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lenox Dale Lenox Station (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
Lenox Station is also located in Berkshire County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lenox Station Otis (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
Otis is also located in Berkshire County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Otis Population from the 2020 Census: 1,531 people
Dalton (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
Dalton is also located in Berkshire County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dalton Population from the 2020 Census: 6,479 people
Lenox (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
Lenox is also located in Berkshire County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lenox Population from the 2020 Census: 4,933 people
Franklin County
The following are listed by their distance from Becket, with the one closest to Becket listed first.
West Hawley (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
West Hawley is located in Franklin County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Hawley Hawley (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
Hawley is located in Franklin County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hawley Population from the 2020 Census: 335 people
South Ashfield (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
South Ashfield is located in Franklin County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Ashfield Ashfield (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
Ashfield is located in Franklin County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ashfield Population from the 2020 Census: 1,720 people
Buckland (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
Buckland is located in Franklin County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buckland Population from the 2020 Census: 1,851 people
Charlemont (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
Charlemont is located in Franklin County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Charlemont Population from the 2020 Census: 1,231 people
Conway (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
Conway is located in Franklin County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Conway Population from the 2020 Census: 1,875 people
Whately (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
Whately is located in Franklin County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whately Population from the 2020 Census: 1,583 people
Shelburne Falls (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
Shelburne Falls is located in Franklin County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shelburne Falls Rowe (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
Rowe is located in Franklin County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rowe Population from the 2020 Census: 389 people
Dell (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
Dell is located in Franklin County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dell Shelburne (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
Shelburne is located in Franklin County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shelburne Population from the 2020 Census: 1,840 people
South Deerfield (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
South Deerfield is located in Franklin County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Deerfield Hampden County
The following are listed by their distance from Becket, with the one closest to Becket listed first.
Chester (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
Chester is located in Hampden County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chester Population from the 2020 Census: 1,365 people
North Chester (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
North Chester is located in Hampden County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Chester Chester Center (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
Chester Center is located in Hampden County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chester Center Former name for Chester Center:
Chester Centre North Blandford (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
North Blandford is located in Hampden County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Blandford Blandford (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
Blandford is located in Hampden County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blandford Population from the 2020 Census: 1,249 people
Russell (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
Russell is located in Hampden County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Russell Population from the 2020 Census: 1,787 people
Montgomery (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
Montgomery is located in Hampden County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montgomery Population from the 2020 Census: 863 people
Tolland (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
Tolland is located in Hampden County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tolland Population from the 2020 Census: 506 people
Woronoco (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
Woronoco is located in Hampden County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woronoco West Granville (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
West Granville is located in Hampden County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Granville Hampton Village (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
Hampton Village is located in Hampden County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hampton Village Granville (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
Granville is located in Hampden County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Granville Population from the 2020 Census: 1,606 people
Westfield (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
Westfield is located in Hampden County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westfield Population from the 2020 Census: 41,063 people
Hampshire County
The following are listed by their distance from Becket, with the one closest to Becket listed first.
Middlefield (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
Middlefield is located in Hampshire County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Middlefield Population from the 2020 Census: 538 people
Worthington (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
Worthington is located in Hampshire County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Worthington Population from the 2020 Census: 1,176 people
Worthington Corners (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
Worthington Corners is located in Hampshire County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Worthington Corners West Chesterfield (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
West Chesterfield is located in Hampshire County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Chesterfield Huntington (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
Huntington is located in Hampshire County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Huntington Population from the 2020 Census: 2,159 people
Chesterfield (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
Chesterfield is located in Hampshire County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chesterfield Population from the 2020 Census: 1,250 people
Cummington (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
Cummington is located in Hampshire County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cummington Population from the 2020 Census: 873 people
Swift River (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
Swift River is located in Hampshire County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Swift River Westhampton (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
Westhampton is located in Hampshire County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westhampton Population from the 2020 Census: 1,630 people
Plainfield (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
Plainfield is located in Hampshire County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plainfield Population from the 2020 Census: 663 people
Goshen (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
Goshen is located in Hampshire County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goshen Population from the 2020 Census: 1,057 people
West Farms (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
West Farms is located in Hampshire County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Farms Williamsburg (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
Williamsburg is located in Hampshire County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Williamsburg Population from the 2020 Census: 2,462 people
Hartford County (CT)
The following are listed by their distance from Becket, with the one closest to Becket listed first.
Hartland (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
Hartland is located in Hartford County (CT) Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hartland Population from the 2020 Census: 2,113 people
Hartland (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
Hartland is located in Hartford County (CT) Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hartland West Hartland (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
East Hartland (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
North Granby (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
Rising Corner (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
Rising Corner is located in Hartford County (CT) Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rising Corner Granby (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
Granby is located in Hartford County (CT) Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Granby Population from the 2020 Census: 11,558 people
West Granby (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
Salmon Brook (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
Salmon Brook is located in Hartford County (CT) Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salmon Brook Chatsworth Village (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
Chatsworth Village is located in Hartford County (CT) Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chatsworth Village Granby (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
Litchfield County (CT)
The following are listed by their distance from Becket, with the one closest to Becket listed first.
North Colebrook (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
North Colebrook is located in Litchfield County (CT) Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Colebrook Colebrook (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
Colebrook is located in Litchfield County (CT) Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colebrook Population from the 2020 Census: 1,396 people
Clayton (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
Clayton is located in Litchfield County (CT) Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clayton Colebrook (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
Norfolk (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
Norfolk is located in Litchfield County (CT) Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Norfolk Population from the 2020 Census: 1,622 people
Norfolk (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
Canaan (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
East Canaan (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
North Canaan (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
North Canaan is located in Litchfield County (CT) Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Canaan Population from the 2020 Census: 3,235 people
Wangum Village (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
Wangum Village is located in Litchfield County (CT) Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wangum Village Riverton (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
Grantville (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
Grantville is located in Litchfield County (CT) Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grantville Taconic (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
Columbia County (NY)
The following are listed by their distance from Becket, with the one closest to Becket listed first.
Austerlitz (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
Canaan Center (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
Canaan Center is located in Columbia County (NY) Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Canaan Center Former name for Canaan Center:
Canaan Centre Canaan (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
Green River (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
Green River is located in Columbia County (NY) Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green River New Britain ‑ Historic(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
New Britain was located in Columbia County (NY) Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Britain Red Rock (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
Red Rock is located in Columbia County (NY) Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Rock New Concord (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
New Concord is located in Columbia County (NY) Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Concord Moorhouse Corner (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
Moorhouse Corner is located in Columbia County (NY) Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moorhouse Corner Rock City (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
Rock City is located in Columbia County (NY) Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock City Copake Falls (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
Chatham (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
Harlemville (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
Harlemville is located in Columbia County (NY) Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harlemville Riders Mills (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
Riders Mills is located in Columbia County (NY) Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riders Mills Rensselaer County (NY)
The following are listed by their distance from Becket, with the one closest to Becket listed first.
Wyomanock (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
Wyomanock is located in Rensselaer County (NY) Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wyomanock Stephentown (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
Brainard (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
East Nassau (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
East Nassau is located in Rensselaer County (NY) Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Nassau Population from the 2020 Census: 566 people
Hoag Corners (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
Hoag Corners is located in Rensselaer County (NY) Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hoag Corners West Stephentown (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
West Stephentown is located in Rensselaer County (NY) Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Stephentown Center Berlin (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
Center Berlin is located in Rensselaer County (NY) Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Center Berlin Berlin (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
Berlin is located in Rensselaer County (NY) Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berlin Nassau (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
Nassau is located in Rensselaer County (NY) Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nassau Population from the 2020 Census: 1,093 people
Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Nassau <1>
Bennington County (VT)
The following are listed by their distance from Becket, with the one closest to Becket listed first.
Stamford (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
Stamford (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
Stamford is located in Bennington County (VT) Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stamford Population from the 2020 Census: 809 people
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Becket, see our County-by-County Page for Becket .
Cemeteries Near Becket ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Becket.
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 Becket - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Becket covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Becket, with the one closest to Becket listed first.
Washington Cemetery (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
Diney Grove Cemetery (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
Middlefield Center Cemetery (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
Pine Hill Cemetery (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Hill Cemetery To give a relative sense of its location, the Pine Hill Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located less than 2 miles<2> Chester . The Pine Hill Cemetery has also been known as:
Pine Hill Cemetery Jump to the Massachusetts Cultural Resource Information System: MACRIS ID #CHT.813 <3>
Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2345310 <4>
Bell Cemetery (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
Wright Cemetery (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
West Center Cemetery (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
Peru Cemetery (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
Fairmount Cemetery (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairmount Cemetery The Fairmount Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located in Lee . The Fairmount Cemetery has also been known as:
Center Cemetery Jump to the Massachusetts Cultural Resource Information System: MACRIS ID #LEE.802 <3>
Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #726624 <4>
St. Patricks Cemetery (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
Chester Center Cemetery (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
Old Leonard Cemetery (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
Continue List (323 more) ...
New Lenox Cemetery (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
Mountain View Cemetery (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mountain View Cemetery The Mountain View Cemetery has also been known as:
Mountainview Cemetery South Lee Cemetery (9 miles [14.5 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.<5>
The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Becket had a population of 300 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service. In 2020, Becket had a population of 1,707 people.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Becket, with the one closest to Becket listed first.
Washington (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
Washington is also located in Berkshire County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Washington Population from the 2020 Census: 541 people
Becket Center (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
Becket Center is also located in Berkshire County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Becket Center Former name for Becket Center:
Becket Centre Middlefield (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
Middlefield is located in Hampshire County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Middlefield Population from the 2020 Census: 538 people
West Becket (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
West Becket is also located in Berkshire County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Becket Chester (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
Chester is located in Hampden County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chester Population from the 2020 Census: 1,365 people
East Lee (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
East Lee is also located in Berkshire County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Lee Hinsdale (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
Hinsdale is also located in Berkshire County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hinsdale Population from the 2020 Census: 1,902 people
North Chester (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
North Chester is located in Hampden County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Chester Worthington (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
Worthington is located in Hampshire County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Worthington Population from the 2020 Census: 1,176 people
West Worthington (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
West Worthington is located in Hampshire County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Worthington Peru (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
Peru is also located in Berkshire County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peru Population from the 2020 Census: 833 people
Lee (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
Lee is also located in Berkshire County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lee Population from the 2020 Census: 5,629 people
Continue List (15 more) ...
Tyringham (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
Tyringham is also located in Berkshire County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tyringham Population from the 2020 Census: 310 people
Chester Center (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
Chester Center is located in Hampden County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chester Center Former name for Chester Center:
Chester Centre Lenox Station (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
Lenox Station is also located in Berkshire County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lenox Station
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Becket. See our List of 1890's Communities around Becket .
Newspapers Published in Becket ...
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 59 newspapers that have been published in the area around Becket.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Becket, there are papers which were published within 17 miles [27.4 km]<2> Extended Newspaper List for Becket.
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 helpful 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 Becket:
Websites specific to Massachusetts Pages specific to Berkshire County Genealogy information for nearby counties
Franklin County Hampden County Hampshire County Hartford County Litchfield County Columbia County Rensselaer County Bennington County Cemetery Information and Directories for Massachusetts Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Becket. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page .
The official website for State of Massachusetts: https://www.mass.gov/
Footnotes ...
<1> While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or point-to-point) distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Becket) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. 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 . 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 . 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 Becket, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.