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 Brimfield (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 Brimfield. 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 Brimfield ...
While it's still very early in our research, we found that:
- Brimfield was settled in 1706.
- It was incorporated in 1731.
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.
Brimfield is located in Hampden 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 Hampden County: Hartford (CT), Litchfield (CT), Tolland (CT), Berkshire, Hampshire & Worcester.
Below are the counties that are near Brimfield. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Brimfield:
- Hampden County (The home county of Brimfield)
- The following are listed by their distance from Brimfield, with the one closest to Brimfield listed first.
- Wales
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Wales is located in Hampden County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wales
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,862 people
- West Brimfield
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- West Brimfield is located in Hampden County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Brimfield
- Holland
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Holland is located in Hampden County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holland
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,469 people
- Monson
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Monson is located in Hampden County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monson
- Population from the 2020 Census: 8,750 people
- Tenneyville
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Tenneyville is located in Hampden County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tenneyville
- South Factory Village
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Palmer
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Palmer is located in Hampden County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Palmer
- Population from the 2020 Census: 12,174 people
- Thorndike
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Thorndike is located in Hampden County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thorndike
- State Line
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- State Line is located in Hampden County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for State Line
- Three Rivers
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Three Rivers is located in Hampden County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Three Rivers
- Hampden
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Hampden is located in Hampden County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hampden
- Population from the 2020 Census: 5,154 people
- North Wilbraham
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- North Wilbraham is located in Hampden County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Wilbraham
- Franklin County
- The following are listed by their distance from Brimfield, with the one closest to Brimfield listed first.
- Smiths ‑ Historic
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Smiths is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smiths
- Millington ‑ Historic
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Millington is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millington
- Cooleyville
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Cooleyville is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cooleyville
- Shutesbury
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Shutesbury is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shutesbury
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,753 people
- New Salem
(27 miles [43.5 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
- Leverett
(27 miles [43.5 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
- Locks Village
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Locks Village is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Locks Village
- Morse Village
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Morse Village is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morse Village
- Moores Corner
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Moores Corner is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moores Corner
- Sunderland
(30 miles [48.3 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
- Hampshire County
- The following are listed by their distance from Brimfield, with the one closest to Brimfield listed first.
- Ware
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Ware is located in Hampshire County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ware
- Population from the 2020 Census: 9,897 people
- Bondsville
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Bondsville is located in Hampshire County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bondsville
- Belchertown
(14 miles [22.5 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
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Enfield is located in Hampshire County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Enfield
- Granby
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Granby is located in Hampshire County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Granby
- Population from the 2020 Census: 6,262 people
- Pelham
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Pelham is located in Hampshire County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pelham
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,305 people
- South Amherst
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- South Amherst is located in Hampshire County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Amherst
- South Hadley
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- South Hadley is located in Hampshire County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Hadley
- Population from the 2020 Census: 17,539 people
- West Pelham
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- West Pelham is located in Hampshire County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Pelham
- Amherst Center
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Amherst Center is located in Hampshire County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amherst Center
- Amherst
(23 miles [37 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
- East Village
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- East Village is located in Hampshire County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Village
- Worcester County
- The following are listed by their distance from Brimfield, with the one closest to Brimfield listed first.
- Fiskdale
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Fiskdale is located in Worcester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fiskdale
- Old Sturbridge Village
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Sturbridge
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Sturbridge is located in Worcester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sturbridge
- Population from the 2020 Census: 9,561 people
- Warren
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Warren is located in Worcester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Warren
- Population from the 2020 Census: 5,203 people
- West Warren
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- West Warren is located in Worcester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Warren
- Globe Village
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Globe Village is located in Worcester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Globe Village
- West Brookfield
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- West Brookfield is located in Worcester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Brookfield
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,713 people
- Brookfield
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Brookfield is located in Worcester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brookfield
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,439 people
- Southbridge
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Southbridge is located in Worcester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Southbridge
- Population from the 2020 Census: 16,788 people
- Charlton City
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Charlton City is located in Worcester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Charlton City
- East Brookfield
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- East Brookfield is located in Worcester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Brookfield
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,196 people
- Charlton Depot
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Charlton Depot is located in Worcester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Charlton Depot
- Hartford County (CT)
- The following are listed by their distance from Brimfield, with the one closest to Brimfield listed first.
- Hazardville
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Hazardville is located in Hartford County (CT)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hazardville
- Enfield
(20 miles [32.2 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
- Sherwood Manor
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Sherwood Manor is located in Hartford County (CT)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sherwood Manor
- Enfield
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Southwood Acres
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Southwood Acres is located in Hartford County (CT)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Southwood Acres
- Broad Brook
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- 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
- Thompsonville
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Thompsonville is located in Hartford County (CT)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thompsonville
- East Windsor
(23 miles [37 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
- Windsorville
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Windsorville is located in Hartford County (CT)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Windsorville
- Spring Village
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Spring Village is located in Hartford County (CT)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Village
- Suffield Depot
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Suffield Depot is located in Hartford County (CT)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Suffield Depot
- Tolland County (CT)
- The following are listed by their distance from Brimfield, with the one closest to Brimfield listed first.
- State Line
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- State Line is located in Tolland County (CT)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for State Line
- Staffordville
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Union
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Union is located in Tolland County (CT)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union
- Population from the 2020 Census: 844 people
- Union
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Stafford
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Stafford
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Stafford is located in Tolland County (CT)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stafford
- Population from the 2020 Census: 11,834 people
- Stafford Springs
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Crystal Lake
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Crystal Lake is located in Tolland County (CT)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crystal Lake
- Somers
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Somers is located in Tolland County (CT)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Somers
- Population from the 2020 Census: 10,741 people
- Somers
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Willington
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- East Willington
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- East Willington is located in Tolland County (CT)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Willington
- Windham County (CT)
- The following are listed by their distance from Brimfield, with the one closest to Brimfield listed first.
- Westford
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Westford is located in Windham County (CT)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westford
- East Woodstock
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- Quinebaug
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- West Woodstock
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- West Woodstock is located in Windham County (CT)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Woodstock
- Woodstock
(14 miles [22.5 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
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- Fabyan
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Ashford
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Ashford is located in Windham County (CT)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ashford
- Population from the 2020 Census: 4,246 people
- Eastford
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Eastford is located in Windham County (CT)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eastford
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,800 people
- Eastford
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Woodstock
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Ashford
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Providence County (RI)
- The following are listed by their distance from Brimfield, with the one closest to Brimfield listed first.
- West Glocester
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- West Glocester is located in Providence County (RI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Glocester
- Burrillville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Burrillville is located in Providence County (RI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burrillville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 16,810 people
- Pascoag
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Pascoag is located in Providence County (RI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pascoag
- Harrisville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Harrisville is located in Providence County (RI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harrisville
- Whipple
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Whipple is located in Providence County (RI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whipple
- Foster
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Foster is located in Providence County (RI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Foster
- Glendale
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Glendale is located in Providence County (RI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glendale
- Chepachet
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Chepachet is located in Providence County (RI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chepachet
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Brimfield, see our County-by-County Page for Brimfield.
Cemeteries Near Brimfield ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Brimfield.
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 Brimfield - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Brimfield covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Brimfield, with the one closest to Brimfield listed first.
- Brimfield Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Old Warren Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Grouts Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- St. Annes Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Moulton Hill Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Pine Grove Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- St. Pauls Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Bethany RC Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bethany RC Cemetery
- The Bethany RC Cemetery has also been known as:
- Bethany Cemetery
- Bethany Road Cemetery
- Pearl Street Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2394703 <3>
- North Main Street Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Main Street Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- North Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Oak Knoll Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Continue List (447 more) ...
- Hillside Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hillside Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Hillside Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located outside and to the north of Monson.
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #91098 <3>
- Hillside Elementary School Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Brookfield Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
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.<4>
The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Brimfield had a population of 500 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service. In 2020, Brimfield had a population of 3,679 people.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Brimfield, with the one closest to Brimfield listed first.
- East Brimfield
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- East Brimfield is located in Hampden County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Brimfield
- Wales
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Wales is located in Hampden County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wales
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,862 people
- Holland
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Holland is located in Hampden County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holland
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,469 people
- Fiskdale
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Fiskdale is located in Worcester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fiskdale
- West Brimfield
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- West Brimfield is located in Hampden County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Brimfield
- North Monson
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- North Monson is located in Hampden County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Monson
- Monson
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Monson is located in Hampden County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monson
- Population from the 2020 Census: 8,750 people
- South Monson
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- South Monson is located in Hampden County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Monson
- West Warren
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- West Warren is located in Worcester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Warren
- Sturbridge
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Sturbridge is located in Worcester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sturbridge
- Population from the 2020 Census: 9,561 people
- Warren
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Warren is located in Worcester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Warren
- Population from the 2020 Census: 5,203 people
- Mashapaug
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Mashapaug is located in Tolland County (CT)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mashapaug
- Continue List (14 more) ...
- Palmer
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Palmer is located in Hampden County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Palmer
- Population from the 2020 Census: 12,174 people
- State Line
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- State Line is located in Tolland County (CT)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for State Line
- Globe Village
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Globe Village is located in Worcester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Globe Village
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Brimfield. See our List of 1890's Communities around Brimfield.
Newspapers Published in Brimfield ...
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 41 newspapers that have been published in the area around Brimfield.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Brimfield, there are papers which were published within 17 miles [27.4 km]<5>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Brimfield.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we like to start with 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 Brimfield:
- Websites specific to Massachusetts
- Pages specific to Hampden County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Franklin County
- Hampshire County
- Worcester County
- Hartford County
- Tolland County
- Windham County
- Providence County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Massachusetts
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> | 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 Brimfield, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <5> | 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 drawn from Point A (ie- Brimfield) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |