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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 Clayton (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 Clayton. While we don't have information that is specific to any given person or family, we intend to expand our understanding about where and how people lived.

Neighboring Counties ...

When searching for family records, we have frequently made the mistake of not checking the neighboring counties.

For example, we have great-grandparents who lived in the southwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors were in the next county to the west. 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 west 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.

Clayton is located in Berkshire 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 Berkshire County: Litchfield (CT), Franklin, Hampden, Hampshire, Columbia (NY), Rensselaer (NY) & Bennington (VT).

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

  • Berkshire County     (The home county of Clayton)
  • Hampden County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Clayton, with the one closest to Clayton listed first.
    • Tolland
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tolland have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tolland
      • Tolland is located in Hampden County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 506 people
    • West Granville
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
    • North Blandford
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Blandford
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Blandford have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blandford
      • Blandford is located in Hampden County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,249 people
    • Granville
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Granville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Granville
      • Granville is located in Hampden County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,606 people
    • Chester
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Chester have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chester
      • Chester is located in Hampden County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,365 people
    • Woronoco
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
    • Russell
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Chester Center
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Southwick
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Southwick have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Southwick
      • Southwick is located in Hampden County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 9,715 people
    • North Chester
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Montgomery
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Montgomery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montgomery
      • Montgomery is located in Hampden County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 863 people
  • Hampshire County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Clayton, with the one closest to Clayton listed first.
    • Huntington
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Huntington have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Huntington
      • Huntington is located in Hampshire County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,159 people
    • Middlefield
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Middlefield have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Middlefield
      • Middlefield is located in Hampshire County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 538 people
    • Worthington
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Worthington have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Worthington
      • Worthington is located in Hampshire County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,176 people
    • Worthington Corners
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Hartford County (CT)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Clayton, with the one closest to Clayton listed first.
    • Hartland
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hartland have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hartland
      • Hartland is located in Hartford County (CT)
    • West Hartland
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
    • Hartland
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hartland have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hartland
      • Hartland is located in Hartford County (CT)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,113 people
    • East Hartland
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for East Hartland have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Hartland
      • East Hartland is located in Hartford County (CT)
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for East Hartland <3>
    • North Canton
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Canton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Canton
      • North Canton is located in Hartford County (CT)
    • Granby
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Granby have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Granby
      • Granby is located in Hartford County (CT)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 11,558 people
    • North Granby
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Granby have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Granby
      • North Granby is located in Hartford County (CT)
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for North Granby <3>
    • West Granby
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
    • Canton Center
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
    • Canton
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Canton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Canton
      • Canton is located in Hartford County (CT)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 10,230 people
    • Collinsville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Burlington
      (25 miles [40.2 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 Hartford County (CT)
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Burlington <3>
  • Litchfield County (CT)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Clayton, with the one closest to Clayton listed first.
    • Clayton
      (Less than 2 miles to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Clayton. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clayton
      • Clayton is located in Litchfield County (CT)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Clayton
      • From Clayton to Clayton
    • North Canaan
      (Less than 2 miles to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Canaan have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Canaan
      • North Canaan is located in Litchfield County (CT)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,235 people
    • East Canaan
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for East Canaan have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Canaan
      • East Canaan is located in Litchfield County (CT)
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for East Canaan <3>
    • Canaan
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Wangum Village
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wangum Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wangum Village
      • Wangum Village is located in Litchfield County (CT)
    • Canaan
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Canaan have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Canaan
      • Canaan is located in Litchfield County (CT)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,051 people
    • Norfolk
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Twin Lakes
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • South Canaan
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Norfolk
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Norfolk have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Norfolk
      • Norfolk is located in Litchfield County (CT)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,622 people
    • Taconic
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Amesville
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Columbia County (NY)
  • Dutchess County (NY)
  • Greene County (NY)

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

Cemeteries Near Clayton ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Clayton.

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 Clayton covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

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

  • Canaan Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Canaan Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Canaan Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Mountain View Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mountain View Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mountain View Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Huxley Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
  • Hewins Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hewins Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hewins Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • The Hewins Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Hewins Street Cemetery
    • Jump to the Massachusetts Cultural Resource Information System: MACRIS ID #SHE.808 <4>
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #91068 <5>
  • Dutcher Bridge Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Dutcher Bridge Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Dutcher Bridge Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Palmer Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Palmer Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Palmer Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Carroll Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Carroll Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Carroll Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Barnard Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Barnard Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Barnard Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to the Massachusetts Cultural Resource Information System: MACRIS ID #SHE.807 <4>
  • Under Mtn. Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Under Mtn. Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Under Mtn. Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Root Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Root Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Root Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Munson Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Munson Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Munson Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Center Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
  • Continue List   (277 more) ...

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 Clayton had a population of 48 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service.

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

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

Newspapers Published in Clayton ...

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 70 newspapers that have been published in the area around Clayton.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Clayton, there are papers which were published within 17 miles [27.4 km]<7>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Clayton.

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 professional and volunteer 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 Clayton:

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Clayton. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.

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 Clayton, 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 drawn from Point A (ie- Clayton) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Clayton. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 42.0473, Longitude: -73.2882       In this case, the coordinates for Clayton have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025