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 Hinsdale (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 Hinsdale. 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 Hinsdale ...
While it's still very early in our research, we found that:
Hinsdale was settled in 1763.
It was incorporated in 1804.
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 doctors 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.
Hinsdale is located in Berkshire County .
To see how the shape of Massachusetts' counties may 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 Hinsdale. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Hinsdale:
Berkshire County (The home county of Hinsdale)
The following are listed by their distance from Hinsdale, with the one closest to Hinsdale listed first.
Dalton (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
Dalton is located in Berkshire County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dalton Population from the 2020 Census: 6,479 people
Peru (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
Peru is located in Berkshire County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peru Population from the 2020 Census: 833 people
Coltsville (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
Coltsville is located in Berkshire County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coltsville Washington (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
Washington is located in Berkshire County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Washington Population from the 2020 Census: 541 people
Windsor (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
Windsor is located in Berkshire County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Windsor Population from the 2020 Census: 860 people
Berkshire (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
Berkshire is located in Berkshire County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berkshire Pittsfield (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
Pittsfield is located in Berkshire County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pittsfield Population from the 2020 Census: 41,834 people
East Windsor (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
East Windsor is located in Berkshire County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Windsor Farnams (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
Farnams is located in Berkshire County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Farnams Lanesborough (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
Lanesborough is located in Berkshire County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lanesborough Population from the 2020 Census: 2,925 people
Becket (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
Becket is located in Berkshire County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Becket Population from the 2020 Census: 1,707 people
Cheshire (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
Cheshire is located in Berkshire County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cheshire Population from the 2020 Census: 3,105 people
Lenox Station (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
Lenox Station is located in Berkshire County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lenox Station Franklin County
The following are listed by their distance from Hinsdale, with the one closest to Hinsdale listed first.
West Hawley (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
West Hawley is located in Franklin County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Hawley Hawley (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
Hawley is located in Franklin County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hawley Population from the 2020 Census: 335 people
Ashfield (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
Ashfield is located in Franklin County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ashfield Population from the 2020 Census: 1,720 people
South Ashfield (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
South Ashfield is located in Franklin County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Ashfield Charlemont (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
Charlemont is located in Franklin County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Charlemont Population from the 2020 Census: 1,231 people
Monroe (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
Monroe is located in Franklin County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monroe Population from the 2020 Census: 115 people
Buckland (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
Buckland is located in Franklin County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buckland Population from the 2020 Census: 1,851 people
Rowe (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
Rowe is located in Franklin County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rowe Population from the 2020 Census: 389 people
Dell (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
Dell is located in Franklin County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dell Monroe Bridge (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
Monroe Bridge is located in Franklin County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monroe Bridge Conway (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
Conway is located in Franklin County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Conway Population from the 2020 Census: 1,875 people
Heath (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
Heath is located in Franklin County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Heath Population from the 2020 Census: 691 people
Shelburne Falls (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
Shelburne Falls is located in Franklin County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shelburne Falls Hampden County
The following are listed by their distance from Hinsdale, with the one closest to Hinsdale listed first.
North Chester (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
North Chester is located in Hampden County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Chester Chester (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
Chester is located in Hampden County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chester Population from the 2020 Census: 1,365 people
Chester Center (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
Chester Center is located in Hampden County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chester Center North Blandford (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
North Blandford is located in Hampden County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Blandford Blandford (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
Blandford is located in Hampden County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blandford Population from the 2020 Census: 1,249 people
Russell (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
Russell is located in Hampden County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Russell Population from the 2020 Census: 1,787 people
Montgomery (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
Montgomery is located in Hampden County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montgomery Population from the 2020 Census: 863 people
Woronoco (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
Woronoco is located in Hampden County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woronoco Tolland (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
Tolland is located in Hampden County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tolland Population from the 2020 Census: 506 people
West Granville (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
West Granville is located in Hampden County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Granville Hampton Village (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
Hampton Village is located in Hampden County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hampton Village Granville (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
Granville is located in Hampden County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Granville Population from the 2020 Census: 1,606 people
Westfield (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
Westfield is located in Hampden County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westfield Population from the 2020 Census: 41,063 people
Hampshire County
The following are listed by their distance from Hinsdale, with the one closest to Hinsdale listed first.
Middlefield (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
Middlefield is located in Hampshire County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Middlefield Population from the 2020 Census: 538 people
Worthington Corners (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
Worthington Corners is located in Hampshire County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Worthington Corners Worthington (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
Worthington is located in Hampshire County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Worthington Population from the 2020 Census: 1,176 people
Cummington (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
Cummington is located in Hampshire County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cummington Population from the 2020 Census: 873 people
Plainfield (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
Plainfield is located in Hampshire County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plainfield Population from the 2020 Census: 663 people
West Chesterfield (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
West Chesterfield is located in Hampshire County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Chesterfield Swift River (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
Swift River is located in Hampshire County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Swift River Chesterfield (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
Chesterfield is located in Hampshire County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chesterfield Population from the 2020 Census: 1,250 people
Goshen (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
Goshen is located in Hampshire County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goshen Population from the 2020 Census: 1,057 people
Huntington (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
Huntington is located in Hampshire County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Huntington Population from the 2020 Census: 2,159 people
Williamsburg (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
Williamsburg is located in Hampshire County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Williamsburg Population from the 2020 Census: 2,462 people
Westhampton (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
Westhampton is located in Hampshire County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westhampton Population from the 2020 Census: 1,630 people
Haydenville (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
Haydenville is located in Hampshire County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Haydenville Hartford County (CT)
West Hartland (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
Litchfield County (CT)
The following are listed by their distance from Hinsdale, with the one closest to Hinsdale listed first.
Clayton (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
Clayton is located in Litchfield County (CT) Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clayton North Colebrook (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
North Colebrook is located in Litchfield County (CT) Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Colebrook Canaan (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
Colebrook (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
Colebrook is located in Litchfield County (CT) Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colebrook Population from the 2020 Census: 1,396 people
East Canaan (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
Norfolk (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
North Canaan (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
North Canaan is located in Litchfield County (CT) Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Canaan Population from the 2020 Census: 3,235 people
Wangum Village (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
Wangum Village is located in Litchfield County (CT) Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wangum Village Columbia County (NY)
The following are listed by their distance from Hinsdale, with the one closest to Hinsdale listed first.
Canaan (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
Canaan Center (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
Canaan Center is located in Columbia County (NY) Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Canaan Center New Britain ‑ Historic(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
New Britain is located in Columbia County (NY) Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Britain Austerlitz (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
New Concord (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
New Concord is located in Columbia County (NY) Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Concord Red Rock (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
Red Rock is located in Columbia County (NY) Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Rock Green River (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
Green River is located in Columbia County (NY) Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green River Riders Mills (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
Riders Mills is located in Columbia County (NY) Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riders Mills Moorhouse Corner (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
Moorhouse Corner is located in Columbia County (NY) Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moorhouse Corner Rock City (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
Rock City is located in Columbia County (NY) Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock City Chatham Center (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
Chatham Center is located in Columbia County (NY) Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chatham Center Chatham (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
North Chatham (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
North Chatham is located in Columbia County (NY) Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Chatham Rensselaer County (NY)
The following are listed by their distance from Hinsdale, with the one closest to Hinsdale listed first.
Wyomanock (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
Wyomanock is located in Rensselaer County (NY) Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wyomanock Stephentown (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
Center Berlin (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
Center Berlin is located in Rensselaer County (NY) Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Center Berlin West Stephentown (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
West Stephentown is located in Rensselaer County (NY) Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Stephentown Brainard (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
East Nassau (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
East Nassau is located in Rensselaer County (NY) Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Nassau Population from the 2020 Census: 566 people
Berlin (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
Berlin is located in Rensselaer County (NY) Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berlin Hoag Corners (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
Hoag Corners is located in Rensselaer County (NY) Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hoag Corners Averill Park (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
Sand Lake (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
Nassau (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
Nassau is located in Rensselaer County (NY) Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nassau Population from the 2020 Census: 1,093 people
Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Nassau <1>
Sliters (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
Sliters is located in Rensselaer County (NY) Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sliters East Schodack (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
Bennington County (VT)
The following are listed by their distance from Hinsdale, with the one closest to Hinsdale listed first.
Stamford (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
Stamford (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
Stamford is located in Bennington County (VT) Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stamford Population from the 2020 Census: 809 people
Pownal (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
Pownal is located in Bennington County (VT) Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pownal Population from the 2020 Census: 3,386 people
Readsboro (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
Pownal Center (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
Pownal Center is located in Bennington County (VT) Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pownal Center Readsboro (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
Readsboro is located in Bennington County (VT) Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Readsboro Population from the 2020 Census: 720 people
Bennington (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
Woodford (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
Woodford is located in Bennington County (VT) Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodford Population from the 2020 Census: 398 people
Woodford (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
Windham County (VT)
The following are listed by their distance from Hinsdale, with the one closest to Hinsdale listed first.
Whitingham (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
Whitingham is located in Windham County (VT) Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whitingham Population from the 2020 Census: 1,271 people
Halifax (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
Halifax is located in Windham County (VT) Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Halifax Jacksonville (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
Whitingham (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
Halifax (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
Halifax is located in Windham County (VT) Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Halifax Population from the 2020 Census: 674 people
West Halifax (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Hinsdale, see our County-by-County Page for Hinsdale .
Cemeteries Near Hinsdale ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Hinsdale.
This is a new section and is likely to have errors. If you find an error, such as a missing cemetery or we have the wrong name, please let us know . If you know of them, we would also appreciate learning about previous or alternate names.
Although we don't have the information ourselves, if you need information about a burial or interment, photos, transcripts, how to contact the cemetery or local authorities, please visit our list of websites on our Genealogy Helper Page for Hinsdale - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Hinsdale covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Hinsdale, with the one closest to Hinsdale listed first.
St. Patricks Cemetery (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
East Main Street Cemetery (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
Peru Cemetery (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
Fairview Cemetery (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
Ashuelot Cemetery (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
East Part Cemetery (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
Washington Cemetery (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
New Lenox Cemetery (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
North Cemetery (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
Hill Cemetery (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
East Windsor Cemetery (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
Shaw Cemetery (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
Continue List (321 more) ...
Mountainview Cemetery (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mountainview Cemetery The Mountainview Cemetery has also been known as:
Mountain View Cemetery Center Cemetery (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
Lanesborough Center Cemetery (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
Nearby Communities in 1895 ...
We've built the following list with information that came from an Atlas published by Rand McNally in 1895. The Atlas had details such as the population of the community (which appears to have come from the 1890 Census) and whether there was a post office and/or railroad service available. We also indicate if the community no longer exists and is now historic.<5>
The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Hinsdale had a population of 750 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Hinsdale had a population of 1,902 people.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Hinsdale, with the one closest to Hinsdale listed first.
Dalton (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
Dalton is located in Berkshire County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dalton Population from the 2020 Census: 6,479 people
Peru (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
Peru is located in Berkshire County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peru Population from the 2020 Census: 833 people
Coltsville (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
Coltsville is located in Berkshire County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coltsville Washington (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
Washington is located in Berkshire County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Washington Population from the 2020 Census: 541 people
New Lenox (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
New Lenox is located in Berkshire County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Lenox Windsor (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
Windsor is located in Berkshire County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Windsor Population from the 2020 Census: 860 people
Berkshire (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
Berkshire is located in Berkshire County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berkshire Pontoosuc (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
Pontoosuc is located in Berkshire County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pontoosuc Pittsfield (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
Pittsfield is located in Berkshire County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pittsfield Population from the 2020 Census: 41,834 people
Becket (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
Becket is located in Berkshire County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Becket Population from the 2020 Census: 1,707 people
Farnams (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
Farnams is located in Berkshire County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Farnams West Worthington (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
West Worthington is located in Hampshire County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Worthington Continue List (14 more) ...
East Windsor (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
East Windsor is located in Berkshire County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Windsor Lenox Station (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
Lenox Station is located in Berkshire County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lenox Station Cheshire (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
Cheshire is located in Berkshire County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cheshire Population from the 2020 Census: 3,105 people
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Hinsdale. See our List of 1890's Communities around Hinsdale .
Newspapers Published in Hinsdale ...
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 64 newspapers that have been published in the area around Hinsdale.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Hinsdale, there are papers which were published within 16 miles [25.7 km]<3> Extended Newspaper List for Hinsdale.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we first visit 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 Hinsdale:
Websites specific to Massachusetts Pages specific to Berkshire County Genealogy information for nearby counties
Franklin County Hampden County Hampshire County Hartford County Litchfield County Columbia County Rensselaer County Bennington County Windham County Cemetery Information and Directories for Massachusetts Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Hinsdale. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page .
The official website for State of Massachusetts: https://www.mass.gov/
Footnotes ...
<1> While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. 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 . 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 drawn from Point A (ie- Hinsdale) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. 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 . 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 Hinsdale, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.