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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 East Brookfield (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 East Brookfield. 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 East Brookfield ...

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.

Although we can't give a definitive list, hopefully the following will give you a feel for the variations that might have occurred.

For example, a typical abbreviation for East Brookfield: E. Brookfield

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.

A Few Details for East Brookfield ...

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

  • East Brookfield was settled in 1664.
  • It was incorporated in 1920.

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 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.

East Brookfield is located in Worcester 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 Worcester County: Tolland (CT), Windham (CT), Franklin, Hampden, Hampshire, Middlesex, Norfolk, Cheshire (NH), Hillsborough (NH) & Providence (RI).

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

  • Worcester County     (The home county of East Brookfield)
    • The following are listed by their distance from East Brookfield, with the one closest to East Brookfield listed first.
    • Spencer
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Brookfield
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Brookfield have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brookfield
      • Brookfield is located in Worcester County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,439 people
    • Lower Wire Village
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lower Wire Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lower Wire Village
      • Lower Wire Village is located in Worcester County
    • North Brookfield
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Upper Wire Village
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Upper Wire Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Upper Wire Village
      • Upper Wire Village is located in Worcester County
    • West Brookfield
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Charlton Depot
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Charlton Depot have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Charlton Depot
      • Charlton Depot is located in Worcester County
    • Charlton City
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Leicester
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Leicester have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leicester
      • Leicester is located in Worcester County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 11,272 people
    • Rochdale
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • New Braintree
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for New Braintree have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Braintree
      • New Braintree is located in Worcester County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,020 people
    • Charlton
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Charlton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Charlton
      • Charlton is located in Worcester County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 13,698 people
  • Franklin County
    • The following are listed by their distance from East Brookfield, with the one closest to East Brookfield listed first.
    • Smiths ‑ Historic
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Smiths. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smiths
      • Smiths is located in Franklin County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Smiths
      • From East Brookfield to Smiths
    • Millington ‑ Historic
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Cooleyville
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
    • New Salem
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for New Salem have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Salem
      • New Salem is located in Franklin County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,034 people
    • Shutesbury
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Morse Village
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Morse Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morse Village
      • Morse Village is located in Franklin County
    • Leverett
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Locks Village
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Locks Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Locks Village
      • Locks Village is located in Franklin County
    • Moores Corner
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Orange
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Wendell
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wendell have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wendell
      • Wendell is located in Franklin County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 881 people
    • North Orange
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
  • Hampden County
    • The following are listed by their distance from East Brookfield, with the one closest to East Brookfield listed first.
    • Brimfield
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Brimfield have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brimfield
      • Brimfield is located in Hampden County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,679 people
    • Holland
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Wales
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Tenneyville
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
    • Palmer
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
    • Thorndike
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Thorndike have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thorndike
      • Thorndike is located in Hampden County
    • Monson
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Three Rivers
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
    • South Factory Village
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for South Factory Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Factory Village
      • South Factory Village is located in Hampden County
    • State Line
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
    • North Wilbraham
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
    • Wilbraham
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
  • Hampshire County
    • The following are listed by their distance from East Brookfield, with the one closest to East Brookfield listed first.
    • Ware
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Enfield ‑ Historic
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Enfield. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Enfield
      • Enfield is located in Hampshire County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Enfield
      • From East Brookfield to Enfield
    • Bondsville
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bondsville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bondsville
      • Bondsville is located in Hampshire County
    • Belchertown
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Belchertown. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belchertown
      • Belchertown is located in Hampshire County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 15,103 people
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Belchertown
      • From East Brookfield to Belchertown
    • Pelham
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
    • West Pelham
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Granby
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • 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 Hampshire County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 6,262 people
    • South Amherst
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for South Amherst have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Amherst
      • South Amherst is located in Hampshire County
    • East Village
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for East Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Village
      • East Village is located in Hampshire County
    • Amherst Center
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Amherst Center have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amherst Center
      • Amherst Center is located in Hampshire County
    • Amherst
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • North Amherst
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
  • Middlesex County
    • The following are listed by their distance from East Brookfield, with the one closest to East Brookfield listed first.
    • Woodville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Woodville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodville
      • Woodville is located in Middlesex County
    • Hopkinton
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
    • Marlborough Junction
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
    • Marlborough
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
    • Hayden Row
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
    • Hudson
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hudson have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hudson
      • Hudson is located in Middlesex County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 19,732 people
    • Ashland
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
    • Shaker Village
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • 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 Middlesex County
    • Shirley
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Metcalf
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
  • Norfolk County
  • Hartford County (CT)
  • Tolland County (CT)
    • The following are listed by their distance from East Brookfield, with the one closest to East Brookfield listed first.
    • Union
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Union have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union
      • Union is located in Tolland County (CT)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 844 people
    • Union
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
    • Staffordville
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
    • State Line
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Stafford
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Stafford have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stafford
      • Stafford is located in Tolland County (CT)
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Stafford <3>
    • Stafford
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Stafford have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stafford
      • Stafford is located in Tolland County (CT)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 11,834 people
    • Stafford Springs
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
    • East Willington
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
    • Crystal Lake
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Somers
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Somers have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Somers
      • Somers is located in Tolland County (CT)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 10,741 people
    • Somers
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Somers have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Somers
      • Somers is located in Tolland County (CT)
      • Somers has also been known as:
      • Central Somers
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Somers <3>
    • Willington
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Willington have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willington
      • Willington is located in Tolland County (CT)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,838 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Willington <3>
  • Windham County (CT)
  • Providence County (RI)

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

Cemeteries Near East Brookfield ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of East Brookfield.

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

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from East Brookfield, with the one closest to East Brookfield 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.<7>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that East Brookfield had a population of 1,200 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, East Brookfield had a population of 2,196 people.

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

  • South Spencer
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for South Spencer have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Spencer
    • South Spencer is located in Worcester County
  • Brookfield
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Brookfield have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brookfield
    • Brookfield is located in Worcester County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,439 people
  • Spencer
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
  • North Brookfield
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
  • West Brookfield
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
  • Charlton Depot
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Charlton Depot have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Charlton Depot
    • Charlton Depot is located in Worcester County
  • Charlton City
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Charlton
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Charlton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Charlton
    • Charlton is located in Worcester County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 13,698 people
  • Rochdale
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
  • Leicester
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Leicester have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leicester
    • Leicester is located in Worcester County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 11,272 people
  • New Braintree
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for New Braintree have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Braintree
    • New Braintree is located in Worcester County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,020 people
  • Warren
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Warren have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Warren
    • Warren is located in Worcester County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,203 people
  • Continue List   (21 more) ...
    • Fiskdale
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Fiskdale. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fiskdale
      • Fiskdale is located in Worcester County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Fiskdale
      • From East Brookfield to Fiskdale
    • Sturbridge
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sturbridge have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sturbridge
      • Sturbridge is located in Worcester County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 9,561 people
    • Texas
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Texas have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Texas
      • Texas is located in Worcester County

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

Newspapers Published in East Brookfield ...

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 191 newspapers that have been published in the area around East Brookfield.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of East Brookfield, there are papers which were published within 14 miles [22.5 km]<6>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for East Brookfield.

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 East Brookfield:

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for East Brookfield. 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>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or point-to-point) distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- East Brookfield) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in East Brookfield. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 42.2267, Longitude: -72.0464    
<7>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 East Brookfield, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025