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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 Middleborough (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 Middleborough. While we don't have information that is specific to any given person or family, we intend to expand our understanding about where and how people lived.

Name Variations for Middleborough ...

When searching records, keep in mind that names and their spelling can change over time. Our sources include documents like maps, railroad schedules, Travel, Express and Shipping Guides. Many of these documents date from the 1800's and it's common to find spelling differences.

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

Another variation: Middleboro.

If you have information about these names (such as the reason for the change, date of change, the origin of the name), please Contact Us.

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.

Middleborough is located in Plymouth 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 Plymouth County: Barnstable, Bristol & Norfolk.

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

  • Plymouth County     (The home county of Middleborough)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Middleborough, with the one closest to Middleborough listed first.
    • Namasket Village
      (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Namasket Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Namasket Village
      • Namasket Village is located in Plymouth County
    • North Lakeville
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Lakeville
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lakeville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lakeville
      • Lakeville is located in Plymouth County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 11,698 people
    • Rock
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Rock. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock
      • Rock is located in Plymouth County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Rock
      • From Middleborough to Rock
    • North Carver
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Water View Village
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Water View Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Water View Village
      • Water View Village is located in Plymouth County
    • South Middleboro
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Carver
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Carver have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carver
      • Carver is located in Plymouth County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 11,762 people
    • Halifax
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Halifax have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Halifax
      • Halifax is located in Plymouth County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 7,865 people
    • Paper Mill Village
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Paper Mill Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paper Mill Village
      • Paper Mill Village is located in Plymouth County
    • Plympton
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Plympton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plympton
      • Plympton is located in Plymouth County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,998 people
    • Bridgewater
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Elmwood
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Elmwood have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elmwood
      • Elmwood is located in Plymouth County
  • Barnstable County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Middleborough, with the one closest to Middleborough listed first.
    • Buzzards Bay
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Buzzards Bay have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buzzards Bay
      • Buzzards Bay is located in Barnstable County
    • Bourne
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bourne have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bourne
      • Bourne is located in Barnstable County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 19,743 people
    • Monument Beach
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Monument Beach have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monument Beach
      • Monument Beach is located in Barnstable County
    • Sagamore Beach
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sagamore Beach have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sagamore Beach
      • Sagamore Beach is located in Barnstable County
    • Pocasset
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Sagamore
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sagamore have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sagamore
      • Sagamore is located in Barnstable County
    • Cataumet
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cataumet have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cataumet
      • Cataumet is located in Barnstable County
    • North Falmouth
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • 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
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • 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
    • Sandwich
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sandwich have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandwich
      • Sandwich is located in Barnstable County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 20,151 people
    • West Falmouth
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • 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
    • Forestdale
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
    • East Sandwich
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
  • Bristol County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Middleborough, with the one closest to Middleborough listed first.
    • East Taunton
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Raynham Center
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Raynham Center have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Raynham Center
      • Raynham Center is located in Bristol County
    • East Freetown
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Berkley
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Berkley have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berkley
      • Berkley is located in Bristol County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 6,900 people
    • Weir Village
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Raynham
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Assonet ‑ Historic
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Assonet have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Assonet
      • Assonet is located in Bristol County
    • Freetown
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Taunton
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Braleys
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Long Plain
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • North Dighton
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Dighton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Dighton
      • North Dighton is located in Bristol County
    • Segreganset
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
  • Dukes County
    • Gosnold
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gosnold have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gosnold
      • Gosnold is located in Dukes County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 75 people
  • Norfolk County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Middleborough, with the one closest to Middleborough listed first.
    • Brookville
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
    • Avon
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Avon. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Avon
      • Avon is located in Norfolk County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,557 people
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Avon
      • From Middleborough to Avon
    • Holbrook
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
    • South Weymouth
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
    • Stoughton
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Randolph
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Randolph have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Randolph
      • Randolph is located in Norfolk County
      • Estimated population in 2019: 34,362 people
    • North Stoughton
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Foxborough
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
    • North Foxboro
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Sharon
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Beechwood
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
    • East Weymouth
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for East Weymouth have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Weymouth
      • East Weymouth is located in Norfolk County
    • Canton
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Suffolk County
  • Bristol County (RI)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Middleborough, with the one closest to Middleborough listed first.
    • Coggeshall
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Warren
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Warren have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Warren
      • Warren is located in Bristol County (RI)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 10,469 people
    • Barrington
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Bristol
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bristol have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bristol
      • Bristol is located in Bristol County (RI)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 21,866 people
    • Barrington
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Barrington have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barrington
      • Barrington is located in Bristol County (RI)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 16,015 people
    • Bristol
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
    • Annawomscutt
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
  • Kent County (RI)
  • Newport County (RI)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Middleborough, with the one closest to Middleborough listed first.
    • Bliss Corners
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Tiverton
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tiverton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tiverton
      • Tiverton is located in Newport County (RI)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 15,569 people
    • Tiverton
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tiverton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tiverton
      • Tiverton is located in Newport County (RI)
    • Adamsville
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Tiverton Four Corners
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Portsmouth
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Melville
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Melville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Melville
      • Melville is located in Newport County (RI)
    • Portsmouth
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Portsmouth have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Portsmouth
      • Portsmouth is located in Newport County (RI)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 17,108 people
    • Little Compton
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • 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
    • Lawtons
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Providence County (RI)
  • Washington County (RI)

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

Cemeteries Near Middleborough ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Middleborough.

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

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Middleborough, with the one closest to Middleborough listed first.

Nearby Communities in 1895 ...

We've built the following list with information that came from an Atlas published by Rand McNally in 1895. The Atlas had details such as the population of the community (which appears to have come from the 1890 Census) and whether there was a post office and/or railroad service available. We also indicate if the community no longer exists and is now historic.<7>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Middleborough had a population of 4,200 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Middleborough had a population of 25,722 people.

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

  • North Lakeville
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
  • Lakeville
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lakeville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lakeville
    • Lakeville is located in Plymouth County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 11,698 people
  • Rock
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Rock. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock
    • Rock is located in Plymouth County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Rock
    • From Middleborough to Rock
  • Eddyville
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Eddyville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eddyville
    • Eddyville is located in Plymouth County
  • North Middleboro
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Middleboro have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Middleboro
    • North Middleboro is located in Plymouth County
  • East Taunton
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
  • Myricks
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Myricks have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Myricks
    • Myricks is located in Bristol County
  • South Middleboro
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
  • North Carver
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
  • North Rochester
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Rochester have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Rochester
    • North Rochester is located in Plymouth County
  • Howlands
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Howlands have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Howlands
    • Howlands is located in Plymouth County
  • Bridgewater
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Continue List   (17 more) ...
    • Carver
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Carver have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carver
      • Carver is located in Plymouth County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 11,762 people
    • Plympton
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Plympton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plympton
      • Plympton is located in Plymouth County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,998 people
    • Halifax
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Halifax have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Halifax
      • Halifax is located in Plymouth County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 7,865 people

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Middleborough ...

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 42 newspapers that have been published in the area around Middleborough.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Middleborough. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Middleborough and those printed in the larger area surrounding Middleborough.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 10 miles [16.1 km]<6> of Middleborough.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we start with 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 Middleborough:

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Middleborough. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.

The official website for State of Massachusetts: https://www.mass.gov/

Footnotes ...

<1>The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required.
<2>An 'estimated' location is one where we have been given GPS coordinates, but are unable to verify the accuracy of those coordinates. That said, we have some confidence that we have placed the marker near the actual location. A typical reason for being unable to verify a location is that it might be on private property or maybe historic and gone without an obvious trace.
<3>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.

<4>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.
<5>To help visualize the location of the cemetery, we've drawn a straight line between the communities of Bridgewater and Middleborough. The cemetery can be found near that line and roughly halfway between the two communities. Remember that this is just an approximate location.
<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 drawn from Point A (ie- Middleborough) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Middleborough. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 41.8860, Longitude: -70.9172    
<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 Middleborough, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025