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 Leominster (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 Leominster. While we don't have information that is specific to any given person or family, we intend to expand our understanding about where and how people lived.
Neighboring Counties ...
When searching for family records, we have frequently made the mistake of not checking the neighboring counties.
For example, we have great-grandparents who lived in the southeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors and hospitals 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.
Leominster 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 Leominster. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Leominster:
- Worcester County (The home county of Leominster)
- The following are listed by their distance from Leominster, with the one closest to Leominster listed first.
- South Fitchburg
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Fitchburg
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Pratts Junction
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Lunenburg
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- North Village
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Village
- North Village is located in Worcester County
- East Princeton
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- West Sterling
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Sterling
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Lancaster
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- South Lancaster
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Still River
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Westminster
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Essex County
- Haggetts
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Haggetts. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Haggetts
- Haggetts is located in Essex County
- Google driving directions:
- From your current location to Haggetts
- From Leominster to Haggetts
- Franklin County
- The following are listed by their distance from Leominster, with the one closest to Leominster listed first.
- Tully
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Tully. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tully
- Tully is located in Franklin County
- Google driving directions:
- From your current location to Tully
- From Leominster to Tully
- North Orange
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Millington ‑ Historic
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Orange
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Morse Village
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Morse Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morse Village
- Morse Village is located in Franklin County
- New Salem
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for New Salem have been provided by the GNIS.<2> 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
- Mayo Corners
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Wendell Depot
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wendell Depot have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wendell Depot
- Wendell Depot is located in Franklin County
- Hampshire County
- Ware
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Middlesex County
- The following are listed by their distance from Leominster, with the one closest to Leominster listed first.
- Shaker Village
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Shaker Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shaker Village
- Shaker Village is located in Middlesex County
- Shirley
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Old City
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Old City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Old City
- Old City is located in Middlesex County
- Ayer
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- West Groton
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for West Groton have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Groton
- West Groton is located in Middlesex County
- Townsend Harbor
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Ashby
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- South Village
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for South Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Village
- South Village is located in Middlesex County
- Townsend
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- West Townsend
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for West Townsend have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Townsend
- West Townsend is located in Middlesex County
- Paper Mill Village
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Paper Mill Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paper Mill Village
- Paper Mill Village is located in Middlesex County
- Groton
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Norfolk County
- The following are listed by their distance from Leominster, with the one closest to Leominster listed first.
- Wellesley Hills
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wellesley Hills have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wellesley Hills
- Wellesley Hills is located in Norfolk County
- Wellesley
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wellesley have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wellesley
- Wellesley is located in Norfolk County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 28,684 people
- Babson Park
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Babson Park have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Babson Park
- Babson Park is located in Norfolk County
- Cheshire County (NH)
- The following are listed by their distance from Leominster, with the one closest to Leominster listed first.
- Rindge
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- West Rindge
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Jaffrey
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Jaffrey have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jaffrey
- Jaffrey is located in Cheshire County (NH)
- Population from the 2020 Census: 5,287 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Jaffrey <3>
- Fitzwilliam Depot
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Fitzwilliam
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Bonds Corner
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Dublin
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dublin have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dublin
- Dublin is located in Cheshire County (NH)
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,555 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Dublin <3>
- Richmond
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Troy
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Troy have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Troy
- Troy is located in Cheshire County (NH)
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,117 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Troy <3>
- Hillsborough County (NH)
- The following are listed by their distance from Leominster, with the one closest to Leominster listed first.
- Brookline
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Mason
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mason have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mason
- Mason is located in Hillsborough County (NH)
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,433 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mason <3>
- Greenville
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- New Ipswich
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for New Ipswich have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Ipswich
- New Ipswich is located in Hillsborough County (NH)
- Population from the 2020 Census: 5,429 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for New Ipswich <3>
- Hollis Depot
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Hollis
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hollis have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hollis
- Hollis is located in Hillsborough County (NH)
- Population from the 2020 Census: 8,123 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hollis <3>
- Temple
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Temple have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Temple
- Temple is located in Hillsborough County (NH)
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,434 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Temple <3>
- East Milford
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Sharon
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- West Wilton
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Wilton
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wilton have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilton
- Wilton is located in Hillsborough County (NH)
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,838 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Wilton <3>
- South Merrimack
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Rockingham County (NH)
- The following are listed by their distance from Leominster, with the one closest to Leominster listed first.
- Windham
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Londonderry
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Londonderry have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Londonderry
- Londonderry is located in Rockingham County (NH)
- Population from the 2020 Census: 26,646 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Londonderry <3>
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Leominster, see our County-by-County Page for Leominster.
Cemeteries Near Leominster ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Leominster.
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 Leominster covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Leominster, with the one closest to Leominster listed first.
- Evergreen Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- Pine Grove Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- St. Leo Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- St. Cecilias Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Evergreen Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Evergreen Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Evergreen Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- St. Bernards Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Bernards Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Bernards Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Forest Hill Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Laurel Hill Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- South Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- St. Joseph Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- West Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the West Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the West Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Oak Hill Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Oak Hill Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Oak Hill Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Continue List (469 more) ...
- Hillside Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Hillside Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hillside Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hillside Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Oak Hill Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Oak Hill Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Oak Hill Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
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 Leominster had a population of 7,269 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service. In 2020, Leominster had a population of 41,548 people.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Leominster, with the one closest to Leominster listed first.
- North Leominster
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Leominster have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Leominster
- North Leominster is located in Worcester County
- West Leominster
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for West Leominster have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Leominster
- West Leominster is located in Worcester County
- Gates Crossing
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gates Crossing have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gates Crossing
- Gates Crossing is located in Worcester County
- South Fitchburg
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Lunenburg Station
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lunenburg Station have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lunenburg Station
- Lunenburg Station is located in Worcester County
- Fitchburg
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- East Princeton
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- West Sterling
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- North Village
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Village
- North Village is located in Worcester County
- Shirley
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Lunenburg
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- West Fitchburg
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for West Fitchburg have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Fitchburg
- West Fitchburg is located in Worcester County
- Continue List (18 more) ...
- Wachusett
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wachusett have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wachusett
- Wachusett is located in Worcester County
- Sterling
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- South Lancaster
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Leominster. See our List of 1890's Communities around Leominster.
Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Leominster ...
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 95 newspapers that have been published in the area around Leominster.
We have organized these newspapers into two lists:
- A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Leominster. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Leominster and those printed in the larger area surrounding Leominster.
- An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 15 miles [24.1 km]<6> of Leominster.
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 professional and volunteer websites offer the information directly or else point to where you can find it. Their information is open to everyone.
To help you get started, the following links will take you to the pages that are relevant to Leominster:
- Websites specific to Massachusetts
- Pages specific to Worcester County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Essex County
- Franklin County
- Hampshire County
- Middlesex County
- Norfolk County
- Cheshire County
- Hillsborough County
- Rockingham County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Massachusetts
Off-the-Road Links ...
The official website for Leominster: www.ci.leominster.ma.us/
The official website for State of Massachusetts: https://www.mass.gov/
Footnotes ...
<1> | 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. |
<2> | 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. |
<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 '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- Leominster) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Leominster. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 42.5259, Longitude: -71.7600 |
<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 Leominster, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |