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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 Harwich (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 Harwich. 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 Harwich ...

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

  • Harwich was settled in 1670.
  • It was incorporated in 1694.

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 hospitals 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.

Harwich 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 Harwich. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Harwich:

  • Barnstable County     (The home county of Harwich)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Harwich, with the one closest to Harwich listed first.
    • Harwich Port
      (Less than 2 miles to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harwich Port
      • Harwich Port is located in Barnstable County
    • South Harwich
      (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for South Harwich have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Harwich
      • South Harwich is located in Barnstable County
    • East Harwich
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for East Harwich have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Harwich
      • East Harwich is located in Barnstable County
    • South Chatham
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for South Chatham have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Chatham
      • South Chatham is located in Barnstable County
    • West Harwich
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for West Harwich have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Harwich
      • West Harwich is located in Barnstable County
    • North Harwich
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Harwich have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Harwich
      • North Harwich is located in Barnstable County
    • Dennis Port
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dennis Port have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dennis Port
      • Dennis Port is located in Barnstable County
    • West Chatham
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for West Chatham have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Chatham
      • West Chatham is located in Barnstable County
    • West Brewster
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for West Brewster have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Brewster
      • West Brewster is located in Barnstable County
    • South Dennis
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for South Dennis have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Dennis
      • South Dennis is located in Barnstable County
    • Chatham
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Chatham have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chatham
      • Chatham is located in Barnstable County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,994 people
    • Brewster
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brewster
      • Brewster is located in Barnstable County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 9,772 people
    • East Dennis
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Dennis
      • East Dennis is located in Barnstable County
  • Dukes County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Harwich, with the one closest to Harwich listed first.
    • Oak Bluffs
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Bluffs
      • Oak Bluffs is located in Dukes County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,696 people
    • Edgartown
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edgartown
      • Edgartown is located in Dukes County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,383 people
    • West Chop
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for West Chop have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Chop
      • West Chop is located in Dukes County
  • Nantucket County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Harwich, with the one closest to Harwich listed first.
    • Pocomo
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pocomo
      • Pocomo is located in Nantucket County
    • Nantucket
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nantucket
      • Nantucket is located in Nantucket County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 11,376 people
    • Siasconset
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Siasconset have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Siasconset
      • Siasconset is located in Nantucket County
  • Plymouth County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Harwich, with the one closest to Harwich listed first.
    • Manomet
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Manomet have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manomet
      • Manomet is located in Plymouth County
    • White Island Shores
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • 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
    • White Horse Beach
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for White Horse Beach have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Horse Beach
      • White Horse Beach is located in Plymouth County
    • Onset
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Onset
      • Onset is located in Plymouth County

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Harwich ...

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 32 newspapers that have been published in the area around Harwich.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Harwich. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Harwich and those printed in the larger area surrounding Harwich.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 27 miles [43.5 km]<2> of Harwich.

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 Harwich:

Cemeteries Near Harwich ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Harwich.

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

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Harwich, with the one closest to Harwich 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.<4>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Harwich had a population of 2,734 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Harwich had a population of 12,144 people.

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

  • Harwich Port
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harwich Port
    • Harwich Port is located in Barnstable County
  • South Harwich
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for South Harwich have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Harwich
    • South Harwich is located in Barnstable County
  • Pleasant Lake
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pleasant Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Lake
    • Pleasant Lake is located in Barnstable County
  • West Harwich
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for West Harwich have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Harwich
    • West Harwich is located in Barnstable County
  • South Chatham
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for South Chatham have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Chatham
    • South Chatham is located in Barnstable County
  • East Harwich
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for East Harwich have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Harwich
    • East Harwich is located in Barnstable County
  • North Harwich
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Harwich have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Harwich
    • North Harwich is located in Barnstable County
  • Dennis Port
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dennis Port have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dennis Port
    • Dennis Port is located in Barnstable County
  • West Brewster
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for West Brewster have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Brewster
    • West Brewster is located in Barnstable County
  • West Chatham
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for West Chatham have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Chatham
    • West Chatham is located in Barnstable County
  • South Brewster
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for South Brewster have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Brewster
    • South Brewster is located in Barnstable County
  • South Dennis
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for South Dennis have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Dennis
    • South Dennis is located in Barnstable County
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • South Yarmouth
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for South Yarmouth have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Yarmouth
      • South Yarmouth is located in Barnstable County
    • West Dennis
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for West Dennis have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Dennis
      • West Dennis is located in Barnstable County
    • Chatham
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Chatham have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chatham
      • Chatham is located in Barnstable County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,994 people

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

The official website for Harwich: www.town.harwich.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 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Harwich) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Harwich. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 41.6862, Longitude: -70.0759       In this case, the coordinates for Harwich have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<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 Harwich, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024