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 Falmouth (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 Falmouth. 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 Falmouth ...
While it's still very early in our research, we found that:
- Falmouth was settled in 1660.
- It was incorporated in 1686.
Neighboring Counties ...
When searching for family records, we have frequently made the mistake of not checking the neighboring counties.
For example, we have great-grandparents who lived in the southeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals and doctors were in the next county to the east. Almost all of the nearby churches and cemeteries were in the county to the south.
So when searching for records, we had our best success by looking in neighboring counties instead of the county in which they lived: their home county contained property and probate records; the county to the east contained birth and death records; the county to the south contained their burial records. If we hadn't included the neighboring counties, we would have missed many valuable sources of information.
If you're in a similar situation, we hope that the following information helps.
Falmouth is located in Barnstable County.
To see how the shape of Massachusetts' counties have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.
Below are the counties that are near Falmouth. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Falmouth:
- Barnstable County (The home county of Falmouth)
- The following are listed by their distance from Falmouth, with the one closest to Falmouth listed first.
- Acapesket
(Less than 2 miles to the east)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Acapesket
- Acapesket is located in Barnstable County
- Teaticket
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast) - West Falmouth
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for West Falmouth have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Falmouth
- West Falmouth is located in Barnstable County
- East Falmouth
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Falmouth
- East Falmouth is located in Barnstable County
- Woods Hole
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woods Hole
- Woods Hole is located in Barnstable County
- Monomoscoy Island
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Monomoscoy Island have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monomoscoy Island
- Monomoscoy Island is located in Barnstable County
- Seconsett Island
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Seconsett Island have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seconsett Island
- Seconsett Island is located in Barnstable County
- Seabrook
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east) - North Falmouth
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Falmouth have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Falmouth
- North Falmouth is located in Barnstable County
- Silver Beach
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Silver Beach have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Silver Beach
- Silver Beach is located in Barnstable County
- Maushop Village
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Maushop Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maushop Village
- Maushop Village is located in Barnstable County
- Cataumet
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Bristol County
- The following are listed by their distance from Falmouth, with the one closest to Falmouth listed first.
- Fairhaven
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west) - Nonquitt
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nonquitt
- Nonquitt is located in Bristol County
- Acushnet Center
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Acushnet Center
- Acushnet Center is located in Bristol County
- Acushnet
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest) - Bliss Corner
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bliss Corner have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bliss Corner
- Bliss Corner is located in Bristol County
- New Bedford
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Bedford
- New Bedford is located in Bristol County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 95,517 people
- South Dartmouth
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for South Dartmouth have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Dartmouth
- South Dartmouth is located in Bristol County
- Apponagansett
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Apponagansett
- Apponagansett is located in Bristol County
- Long Plain
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Long Plain
- Long Plain is located in Bristol County
- Dartmouth
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west) - North Dartmouth
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Dartmouth have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Dartmouth
- North Dartmouth is located in Bristol County
- Clifford
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Dukes County
- The following are listed by their distance from Falmouth, with the one closest to Falmouth listed first.
- West Chop
(5 miles [8 km] to the south) - Tisbury
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tisbury
- Tisbury is located in Dukes County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 4,128 people
- Vineyard Haven
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vineyard Haven
- Vineyard Haven is located in Dukes County
- Oak Bluffs
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Bluffs
- Oak Bluffs is located in Dukes County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 4,696 people
- Christian Town
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Christian Town have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Christian Town
- Christian Town is located in Dukes County
- North Tisbury
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Tisbury
- North Tisbury is located in Dukes County
- Gosnold
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest) - West Tisbury
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Tisbury
- West Tisbury is located in Dukes County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,927 people
- Edgartown
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edgartown
- Edgartown is located in Dukes County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 4,383 people
- Chilmark
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest) - Menemsha
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest) - Aquinnah
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aquinnah
- Aquinnah is located in Dukes County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 322 people
- Former name for Aquinnah:
- Gay Head
- Plymouth County
- The following are listed by their distance from Falmouth, with the one closest to Falmouth listed first.
- Marion
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marion
- Marion is located in Plymouth County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 5,189 people
- Mattapoisett
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mattapoisett have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mattapoisett
- Mattapoisett is located in Plymouth County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 6,427 people
- Onset
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Onset
- Onset is located in Plymouth County
- East Wareham
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for East Wareham have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Wareham
- East Wareham is located in Plymouth County
- Briarwood Beach
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Briarwood Beach
- Briarwood Beach is located in Plymouth County
- Weweantic
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest) - Wareham Center
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wareham Center have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wareham Center
- Wareham Center is located in Plymouth County
- Wareham
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north) - Rochester
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rochester
- Rochester is located in Plymouth County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 5,740 people
- White Island Shores
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for White Island Shores have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Island Shores
- White Island Shores is located in Plymouth County
- West Wareham
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for West Wareham have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Wareham
- West Wareham is located in Plymouth County
- Pine Tree Village
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pine Tree Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Tree Village
- Pine Tree Village is located in Plymouth County
- Newport County (RI)
- The following are listed by their distance from Falmouth, with the one closest to Falmouth listed first.
- Adamsville
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adamsville
- Adamsville is located in Newport County (RI)
- Bliss Corners
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bliss Corners
- Bliss Corners is located in Newport County (RI)
- Little Compton
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Little Compton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little Compton
- Little Compton is located in Newport County (RI)
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,462 people
- Tiverton
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west) - Tiverton Four Corners
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tiverton Four Corners have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tiverton Four Corners
- Tiverton Four Corners is located in Newport County (RI)
- Sakonnet
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sakonnet
- Sakonnet is located in Newport County (RI)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Falmouth, see our County-by-County Page for Falmouth.
Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Falmouth ...
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 33 newspapers that have been published in the area around Falmouth.
We have organized these newspapers into two lists:
- A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Falmouth. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Falmouth and those printed in the larger area surrounding Falmouth.
- An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 16 miles [25.7 km]<2> of Falmouth.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we begin with the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These 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 Falmouth:
- Websites specific to Massachusetts
- Jump to Cyndi's List
- Jump to Family Search
- Jump to Genealogy Trails
- Website for the Massachusetts Archives Division
- Pages specific to Barnstable County
- Jump to Cyndi's List
- Jump to Family Search
- Jump to Genealogy Trails
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Bristol County
- Jump to Cyndi's List
- Jump to Family Search
- Jump to Genealogy Trails
- Dukes County
- Jump to Cyndi's List
- Jump to Family Search
- Jump to Genealogy Trails
- Plymouth County
- Jump to Cyndi's List
- Jump to Family Search
- Jump to Genealogy Trails
- Newport County
- Jump to Cyndi's List
- Jump to Family Search
- Jump to Genealogy Trails
- Bristol County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Massachusetts
- Cemetery Junction: Cemeteries of Massachusetts
- Cyndi's List
- Cemeteries of Massachusetts
- Cemeteries of Barnstable County
- FamilySearch.org: Cemeteries of Massachusetts
- Find-A-Grave: Home Page
- Interment.net
- Cemeteries of Massachusetts
- Cemeteries of Barnstable County
Cemeteries Near Falmouth ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Falmouth.
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 Falmouth covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Falmouth, with the one closest to Falmouth listed first.
- Old Town Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the west)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Old Town Cemetery
- Methodist Society Burying Ground
(Less than 2 miles to the east)- The Methodist Society Burying Ground has also been known as:
- Methodist Cemetery
- Old Methodist Cemetery
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Methodist Society Burying Ground
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2314290 <3>
- Oak Grove Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the north)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Oak Grove Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #644001 <3>
- St. Patricks Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the north)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Patricks Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #91652 <3>
- St. Anthonys Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)- To give a relative sense of its location, the St. Anthonys Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located in East Falmouth.
- The St. Anthonys Cemetery has also been known as:
- St. Anthonys Catholic Cemetery
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Anthonys Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #174183 <3>
- Bay View Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)- The Bay View Cemetery has also been known as:
- Waquoit Cemetery
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bay View Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #91817 <3>
- East End Burying Ground
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)- The East End Burying Ground has also been known as:
- East End Meetinghouse Cemetery
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the East End Burying Ground
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2281806 <3>
- Crowell Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Crowell Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Crowell Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #90903 <3>
- West Chop Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the West Chop Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the West Chop Cemetery
- Oak Grove Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Oak Grove Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Oak Grove Cemetery
- South End Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the South End Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the South End Cemetery
- Tisbury Village Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Tisbury Village Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Tisbury Village Cemetery
- Continue List (209 more) ...
- Lambert's Cove Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)- To give a relative sense of its location, the Lambert's Cove Cemetery is located 4 miles [6.4 km]<2> to the south of West Tisbury.
- The Lambert's Cove Cemetery has also been known as:
- Lamberts Cove Road Cemetery
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lambert's Cove Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #91158 <3>
- Sacred Heart Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Sacred Heart Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Sacred Heart Cemetery
- Oak Grove Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Oak Grove Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Oak Grove Cemetery
- Lambert's Cove Cemetery
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 Falmouth had a population of 2,500 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Falmouth had a population of 31,107 people.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Falmouth, with the one closest to Falmouth listed first.
- Falmouth Heights
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Falmouth Heights have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Falmouth Heights
- Falmouth Heights is located in Barnstable County
- Teaticket
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast) - West Falmouth
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for West Falmouth have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Falmouth
- West Falmouth is located in Barnstable County
- East Falmouth
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Falmouth
- East Falmouth is located in Barnstable County
- West Chop
(5 miles [8 km] to the south) - Hatchville
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hatchville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hatchville
- Hatchville is located in Barnstable County
- Vineyard Haven
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vineyard Haven
- Vineyard Haven is located in Dukes County
- Vineyard Highlands
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Vineyard Highlands have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vineyard Highlands
- Vineyard Highlands is located in Dukes County
- North Falmouth
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Falmouth have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Falmouth
- North Falmouth is located in Barnstable County
- Oak Bluffs
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Bluffs
- Oak Bluffs is located in Dukes County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 4,696 people
- Cataumet
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north) - Pocasset
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pocasset
- Pocasset is located in Barnstable County
- Continue List (15 more) ...
- Mashpee
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast) - North Tisbury
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Tisbury
- North Tisbury is located in Dukes County
- Forestdale
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forestdale
- Forestdale is located in Barnstable County
- Mashpee
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Falmouth. See our List of 1890's Communities around Falmouth.
Off-the-Road Links ...
The official website for Falmouth: www.town.falmouth.ma.us/
The official website for Barnstable County: www.barnstablecounty.org/
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> | 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- Falmouth) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Falmouth. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 41.5522, Longitude: -70.6129 |
| <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 Falmouth, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <5> | If we found a location and have questions about the accuracy of our information, we will simply say that the marker is 'in the vicinity'. We are not confident about the location and the position of our marker is only a rough guide. If we have too many doubts about the location, we will not include it in our database. |