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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 Buzzards Bay (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 Buzzards Bay. 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.

Name Variations for Buzzards Bay ...

When searching records, keep in mind that names and their spelling can change over time. Our sources include documents like maps, railroad schedules, Travel, Express and Shipping Guides. Many of these documents date from the 1800's and it's common to find spelling differences.

While the name of this community is Buzzards Bay, be aware that it's the common practice of mapmakers to remove the apostrophe from possessive names<1>. So Buzzards Bay may originally have been Buzzard's Bay.

Sometimes the trailing 's' might be dropped altogether, in which case Buzzards Bay might be written as Buzzard Bay.

If you have information about these names (such as the reason for the change, date of change, the origin of the name), please Contact Us.

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 hospitals 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.

Buzzards Bay is located in Barnstable County.

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

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

  • Barnstable County     (The home county of Buzzards Bay)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Buzzards Bay, with the one closest to Buzzards Bay listed first.
    • Bourne
      (Less than 2 miles to the east)
      • Bourne is located in Barnstable County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bourne
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 19,743 people
    • Monument Beach
      (Less than 2 miles to the south)
      • Monument Beach is located in Barnstable County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monument Beach
    • Sagamore
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
      • Sagamore is located in Barnstable County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sagamore
    • Pocasset
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
      • Pocasset is located in Barnstable County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pocasset
    • Sagamore Beach
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
      • Sagamore Beach is located in Barnstable County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sagamore Beach
    • Cataumet
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
      • Cataumet is located in Barnstable County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cataumet
    • Sandwich
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
      • Sandwich is located in Barnstable County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandwich
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 20,151 people
    • North Falmouth
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
      • North Falmouth is located in Barnstable County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Falmouth
    • Silver Beach
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
      • Silver Beach is located in Barnstable County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Silver Beach
    • Forestdale
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Forestdale is located in Barnstable County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forestdale
    • East Sandwich
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
      • East Sandwich is located in Barnstable County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Sandwich
    • Hatchville
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
      • Hatchville is located in Barnstable County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hatchville
  • Bristol County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Buzzards Bay, with the one closest to Buzzards Bay listed first.
    • Long Plain
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
      • Long Plain is located in Bristol County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Long Plain
    • Acushnet Center
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
      • Acushnet Center is located in Bristol County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Acushnet Center
    • Acushnet
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
      • Acushnet is located in Bristol County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Acushnet
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 10,673 people
    • Fairhaven
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Fairhaven is located in Bristol County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairhaven
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 16,103 people
    • Clifford
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
      • Clifford is located in Bristol County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clifford
    • New Bedford
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
      • New Bedford is located in Bristol County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Bedford
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 95,517 people
    • Acushnet Station ‑ Historic
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Acushnet Station is located in Bristol County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Acushnet Station
    • East Freetown
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • East Freetown is located in Bristol County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Freetown
    • Bliss Corner
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
      • Bliss Corner is located in Bristol County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bliss Corner
    • Braleys
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
      • Braleys is located in Bristol County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Braleys
    • South Dartmouth
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • South Dartmouth is located in Bristol County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Dartmouth
    • North Dartmouth
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • North Dartmouth is located in Bristol County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Dartmouth
  • Dukes County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Buzzards Bay, with the one closest to Buzzards Bay listed first.
    • West Chop
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • West Chop is located in Dukes County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Chop
    • Oak Bluffs
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
      • Oak Bluffs is located in Dukes County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Bluffs
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,696 people
    • Tisbury
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
      • Tisbury is located in Dukes County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tisbury
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,128 people
    • Vineyard Haven
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
      • Vineyard Haven is located in Dukes County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vineyard Haven
    • Gosnold
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Gosnold is located in Dukes County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gosnold
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 75 people
    • Christian Town
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Christian Town is located in Dukes County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Christian Town
    • North Tisbury
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • North Tisbury is located in Dukes County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Tisbury
    • Edgartown
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Edgartown is located in Dukes County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edgartown
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,383 people
    • West Tisbury
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • West Tisbury is located in Dukes County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Tisbury
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,927 people
    • Katama
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Katama is located in Dukes County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Katama
    • Cuttyhunk
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Cuttyhunk is located in Dukes County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cuttyhunk
    • Chilmark
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Chilmark is located in Dukes County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chilmark
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 930 people
  • Plymouth County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Buzzards Bay, with the one closest to Buzzards Bay listed first.
    • East Wareham
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
      • East Wareham is located in Plymouth County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Wareham
    • Onset
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
      • Onset is located in Plymouth County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Onset
    • White Island Shores
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
      • White Island Shores is located in Plymouth County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Island Shores
    • Onset Station
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
      • Onset Station is located in Plymouth County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Onset Station
    • Wareham Center
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
      • Wareham Center is located in Plymouth County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wareham Center
    • Wareham
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
      • Wareham is located in Plymouth County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wareham
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 22,778 people
    • Weweantic
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
      • Weweantic is located in Plymouth County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weweantic
    • Briarwood Beach
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
      • Briarwood Beach is located in Plymouth County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Briarwood Beach
    • West Wareham
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
      • West Wareham is located in Plymouth County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Wareham
    • Cranberry Village
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Cranberry Village is located in Plymouth County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cranberry Village
    • Pine Tree Village
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Pine Tree Village is located in Plymouth County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Tree Village
    • Marion
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Marion is located in Plymouth County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marion
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,189 people
  • Newport County (RI)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Buzzards Bay, with the one closest to Buzzards Bay listed first.
    • Bliss Corners
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Bliss Corners is located in Newport County (RI)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bliss Corners
    • Adamsville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Adamsville is located in Newport County (RI)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adamsville
    • Tiverton
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Tiverton is located in Newport County (RI)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tiverton
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 15,569 people

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

Cemeteries Near Buzzards Bay ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Buzzards Bay.

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 Buzzards Bay - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

Nearby Communities in 1895 ...

We've built the following list with information that came from an Atlas published by Rand McNally in 1895. The Atlas had details such as the population of the community (which appears to have come from the 1890 Census) and whether there was a post office and/or railroad service available. We also indicate if the community no longer exists and is now historic.<5>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Buzzards Bay had a population of 200 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service.

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

  • Monument Beach
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
    • Monument Beach is located in Barnstable County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monument Beach
  • Bourne
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
    • Bourne is located in Barnstable County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bourne
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 19,743 people
  • East Wareham
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
    • East Wareham is located in Plymouth County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Wareham
  • Onset
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
    • Onset is located in Plymouth County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Onset
  • Bournedale
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Bournedale is located in Barnstable County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bournedale
  • Onset Station
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Onset Station is located in Plymouth County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Onset Station
  • Pocasset
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Pocasset is located in Barnstable County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pocasset
  • Sagamore
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Sagamore is located in Barnstable County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sagamore
  • Cataumet
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Cataumet is located in Barnstable County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cataumet
  • Wareham
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Wareham is located in Plymouth County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wareham
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 22,778 people
  • North Falmouth
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • North Falmouth is located in Barnstable County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Falmouth
  • Sandwich
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Sandwich is located in Barnstable County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandwich
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 20,151 people
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Forestdale
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Forestdale is located in Barnstable County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forestdale
    • West Wareham
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
      • West Wareham is located in Plymouth County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Wareham
    • South Wareham
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
      • South Wareham is located in Plymouth County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Wareham

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

Newspapers Published in Buzzards Bay ...

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 48 newspapers that have been published in the area around Buzzards Bay.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Buzzards Bay, there are papers which were published within 14 miles [22.5 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Buzzards Bay.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first turn to 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 Buzzards Bay:

Footnotes ...

<1>It's generally believed that possessive apostrophes are removed to prevent confusion on maps where the apostrophe may be confused with a cartographic symbol. While this is generally true, it's not uncommon to find possessive apostrophes in administrative names (such as towns or counties).
<2>The Massachusetts Historical Commission (MHC) has created and maintains a database of historic properties that is called MACRIS (for the Massachusetts Cultural Resource Information System). More information about the MHC and MACRIS can be found on their website: mhc-macris.net.

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

<3>The Find-a-Grave website is an excellent research tool with information about a cemetery's location and interments. They also offer a forum for their members which can provide additional help. More information about Find-a-Grave can be found on their website: findagrave.com.
<4>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Buzzards Bay) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.
<5>We use the term 'Historic' broadly and it generally means that the community no longer exists. However, it can also mean that the community might still exist, but was significantly larger or had a more 'official' existence in the past than it does now. Unfortunately our sources of data have proven to be unreliable. If you can provide us with more specific information about Buzzards Bay, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.