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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 Billerica (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 Billerica. 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 Billerica ...

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

  • Billerica was settled in 1637.
  • It was incorporated in 1655.

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 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.

Billerica is located in Middlesex County.

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

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Middlesex County: Essex, Norfolk, Suffolk, Worcester & Hillsborough (NH).

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

  • Middlesex County     (The home county of Billerica)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Billerica, with the one closest to Billerica listed first.
    • North Billerica
      (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
    • Nutting Lake
      (Less than 2 miles to the south)
    • Pinehurst
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pinehurst have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pinehurst
      • Pinehurst is located in Middlesex County
    • Wilmington
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Tewksbury
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Bedford
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Carlisle
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Ayres City
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ayres City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ayres City
      • Ayres City is located in Middlesex County
    • Chelmsford
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Lowell
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Burlington
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Burlington have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burlington
      • Burlington is located in Middlesex County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 28,432 people
    • Middlesex Village
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Middlesex Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Middlesex Village
      • Middlesex Village is located in Middlesex County
    • Carlisle Station
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
  • Essex County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Billerica, with the one closest to Billerica listed first.
    • Haggetts
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Haggetts. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Haggetts
      • Haggetts is located in Essex County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Haggetts
      • From Billerica to Haggetts
    • Lowell Junction
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Andover
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Shawsheen Village
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Shawsheen Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shawsheen Village
      • Shawsheen Village is located in Essex County
    • Lynnfield
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Lawrence
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
    • North Andover
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Andover have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Andover
      • North Andover is located in Essex County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 31,460 people
    • Brigadoon Village
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Brigadoon Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brigadoon Village
      • Brigadoon Village is located in Essex County
    • Middleton
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • Methuen
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Methuen have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Methuen
      • Methuen is located in Essex County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 50,910 people
    • Howe
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Howe. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Howe
      • Howe is located in Essex County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Howe
      • From Billerica to Howe
    • Tozier Corner
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Saugus
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
  • Norfolk County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Billerica, with the one closest to Billerica listed first.
    • Wellesley Hills
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wellesley Hills have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wellesley Hills
      • Wellesley Hills is located in Norfolk County
    • Brookline Village
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Brookline Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brookline Village
      • Brookline Village is located in Norfolk County
    • Brookline
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Babson Park
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Babson Park have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Babson Park
      • Babson Park is located in Norfolk County
    • Needham Heights
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Needham Heights have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Needham Heights
      • Needham Heights is located in Norfolk County
    • Wellesley
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wellesley have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wellesley
      • Wellesley is located in Norfolk County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 28,684 people
    • Westbrook Village
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Westbrook Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westbrook Village
      • Westbrook Village is located in Norfolk County
    • Needham
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Needham have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Needham
      • Needham is located in Norfolk County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 31,537 people
    • Charles River Village
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • Dover
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Dover. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dover
      • Dover is located in Norfolk County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 6,119 people
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Dover
      • From Billerica to Dover
    • Dedham
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dedham have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dedham
      • Dedham is located in Norfolk County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 25,345 people
    • Milton Village
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Milton Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milton Village
      • Milton Village is located in Norfolk County
    • Milton
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
  • Plymouth County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Billerica, with the one closest to Billerica listed first.
    • Hull
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Hingham
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Suffolk County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Billerica, with the one closest to Billerica listed first.
    • Brighton
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
    • Allston
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Allston have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Allston
      • Allston is located in Suffolk County
    • Charlestown
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Chelsea
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Revere
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Bay Village
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bay Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bay Village
      • Bay Village is located in Suffolk County
    • Boston
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
    • East Boston
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Jamaica Plain
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
    • South Boston
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
    • Roxbury
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Winthrop
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Dorchester
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
  • Worcester County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Billerica, with the one closest to Billerica listed first.
    • Shaker Village
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Shaker Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shaker Village
      • Shaker Village is located in Worcester County
    • Harvard
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
    • Still River
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
    • Bolton
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Fayville
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Seventh Day Adventist Village
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Seventh Day Adventist Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seventh Day Adventist Village
      • Seventh Day Adventist Village is located in Worcester County
    • Southborough
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Southborough. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Southborough
      • Southborough is located in Worcester County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 10,200 people
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Southborough
      • From Billerica to Southborough
    • Lancaster
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
    • North Village
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Village
      • North Village is located in Worcester County
    • Berlin
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Berlin have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berlin
      • Berlin is located in Worcester County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,731 people
    • Carterville
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
    • South Berlin
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
    • South Lancaster
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
  • Hillsborough County (NH)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Billerica, with the one closest to Billerica listed first.
    • Pelham
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pelham have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pelham
      • Pelham is located in Hillsborough County (NH)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 14,306 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Pelham <3>
    • Hudson
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Hollis Depot
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Nashua
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Hollis
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hollis have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hollis
      • Hollis is located in Hillsborough County (NH)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 8,123 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hollis <3>
    • Litchfield
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
    • South Merrimack
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Brookline
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
    • East Merrimack
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for East Merrimack have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Merrimack
      • East Merrimack is located in Hillsborough County (NH)
    • Merrimack
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Reeds Ferry
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
    • East Milford
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Amherst
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
  • Rockingham County (NH)

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

Cemeteries Near Billerica ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Billerica.

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.

If you need information about a burial or interment, photos, transcripts, how to contact the cemetery or local authorities, please visit our selection of Genealogy Websites (see below).

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

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Billerica, with the one closest to Billerica 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.<6>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Billerica had a population of 415 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Billerica had a population of 43,021 people.

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

  • North Billerica
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
  • Riverside
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Riverside have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riverside
    • Riverside is located in Middlesex County
  • South Billerica
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for South Billerica have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Billerica
    • South Billerica is located in Middlesex County
  • Bedford Springs
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bedford Springs have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bedford Springs
    • Bedford Springs is located in Middlesex County
  • East Billerica
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for East Billerica have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Billerica
    • East Billerica is located in Middlesex County
  • Carlisle
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Bedford
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
  • Wilmington
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
  • Silver Lake
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Silver Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Silver Lake
    • Silver Lake is located in Middlesex County
  • Tewksbury
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Wamesit ‑ Historic
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wamesit have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wamesit
    • Wamesit is located in Middlesex County
  • Bleachery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bleachery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bleachery
    • Bleachery is located in Middlesex County
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Burlington
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Burlington have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burlington
      • Burlington is located in Middlesex County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 28,432 people
    • Lowell
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • North Wilmington
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Wilmington have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Wilmington
      • North Wilmington is located in Middlesex County

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

Newspapers Published in Billerica ...

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 Billerica.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Billerica, there are papers which were published within 11 miles [17.7 km]<7>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Billerica.

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 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 Billerica:

The official website for Billerica: www.town.billerica.ma.us/

The official website for State of Massachusetts: https://www.mass.gov/

Footnotes ...

<1>The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required.
<2>An 'estimated' location is one where we have been given GPS coordinates, but are unable to verify the accuracy of those coordinates. That said, we have some confidence that we have placed the marker near the actual location. A typical reason for being unable to verify a location is that it might be on private property or maybe historic and gone without an obvious trace.
<3>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<4>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.

<5>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.
<6>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 Billerica, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<7>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 from Point A (ie- Billerica) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Billerica. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 42.5596, Longitude: -71.2691    









 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025