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 Newtown (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 Newtown. 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 southwest 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 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.

Newtown is located in Barnstable County.

To see how the shape of Massachusetts' counties may have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.

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

Barnstable County (The home county of Newtown)
- The following are listed by their distance from Newtown, with the one closest to Newtown listed first.
- Marstons Mills
  (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
  - Marstons Mills is located in Barnstable County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marstons Mills
- Mashpee
  (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
  - Mashpee is located in Barnstable County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mashpee
  - Population from the 2020 Census: 14,266 people
- Barnstable Town
  (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
  - Barnstable Town is located in Barnstable County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barnstable Town
  - Population from the 2020 Census: 44,535 people
- Forestdale
  (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
  - Forestdale is located in Barnstable County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forestdale
- Cotuit
  (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
  - Cotuit is located in Barnstable County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cotuit
- Centerville
  (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
  - Centerville is located in Barnstable County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Centerville
- East Sandwich
  (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
  - East Sandwich is located in Barnstable County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Sandwich
- West Barnstable
  (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
  - West Barnstable is located in Barnstable County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Barnstable
- Mashpee Neck
  (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
  - Mashpee Neck is located in Barnstable County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mashpee Neck
- Osterville
  (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  - Osterville is located in Barnstable County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Osterville
- Craigville
  (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
  - Craigville is located in Barnstable County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Craigville
- Plowed Neck
  (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  - Plowed Neck is located in Barnstable County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plowed Neck
- Popponesset Island
  (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  - Popponesset Island is located in Barnstable County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Popponesset Island
Bristol County
- The following are listed by their distance from Newtown, with the one closest to Newtown listed first.
- Long Plain
  (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
  - Long Plain is located in Bristol County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Long Plain
- Acushnet Center
  (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
  - Acushnet Center is located in Bristol County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Acushnet Center
- Acushnet
  (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
  - Acushnet is located in Bristol County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Acushnet
  - Population from the 2020 Census: 10,673 people
- Fairhaven
  (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
  - Fairhaven is located in Bristol County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairhaven
  - Population from the 2020 Census: 16,103 people
- Acushnet Station ‑ Historic
  (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
  - Acushnet Station is located in Bristol County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Acushnet Station
- New Bedford
  (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
  - New Bedford is located in Bristol County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Bedford
  - Population from the 2020 Census: 95,517 people
- Bliss Corner
  (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
  - Bliss Corner is located in Bristol County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bliss Corner
- Clifford
  (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
  - Clifford is located in Bristol County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clifford
- Nonquitt
  (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
  - Nonquitt is located in Bristol County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nonquitt
- South Dartmouth
  (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
  - South Dartmouth is located in Bristol County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Dartmouth
- Apponagansett
  (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
  - Apponagansett is located in Bristol County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Apponagansett
- Braleys
  (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
  - Braleys is located in Bristol County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Braleys
- East Freetown
  (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
  - East Freetown is located in Bristol County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Freetown
Dukes County
- The following are listed by their distance from Newtown, with the one closest to Newtown listed first.
- West Chop
  (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
  - West Chop is located in Dukes County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Chop
- Oak Bluffs
  (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
  - Oak Bluffs is located in Dukes County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Bluffs
  - Population from the 2020 Census: 4,696 people
- Tisbury
  (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
  - Tisbury is located in Dukes County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tisbury
  - Population from the 2020 Census: 4,128 people
- Vineyard Haven
  (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
  - Vineyard Haven is located in Dukes County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vineyard Haven
- Edgartown
  (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
  - Edgartown is located in Dukes County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edgartown
  - Population from the 2020 Census: 4,383 people
- Katama
  (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
  - Katama is located in Dukes County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Katama
- Christian Town
  (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
  - Christian Town is located in Dukes County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Christian Town
- Gosnold
  (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
  - Gosnold is located in Dukes County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gosnold
  - Population from the 2020 Census: 75 people
- North Tisbury
  (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
  - North Tisbury is located in Dukes County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Tisbury
- West Tisbury
  (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
  - West Tisbury is located in Dukes County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Tisbury
  - Population from the 2020 Census: 2,927 people
- Chilmark
  (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
  - Chilmark is located in Dukes County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chilmark
  - Population from the 2020 Census: 930 people
- Menemsha
  (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
  - Menemsha is located in Dukes County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Menemsha
- Aquinnah
  (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
  - Aquinnah is located in Dukes County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aquinnah
  - Population from the 2020 Census: 322 people
  - Former name for Aquinnah:
  - Gay Head
Plymouth County
- The following are listed by their distance from Newtown, with the one closest to Newtown listed first.
- Onset
  (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
  - Onset is located in Plymouth County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Onset
- East Wareham
  (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
  - East Wareham is located in Plymouth County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Wareham
- Onset Station
  (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
  - Onset Station is located in Plymouth County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Onset Station
- White Island Shores
  (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
  - White Island Shores is located in Plymouth County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Island Shores
- Wareham
  (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
  - Wareham is located in Plymouth County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wareham
  - Population from the 2020 Census: 22,778 people
- Weweantic
  (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
  - Weweantic is located in Plymouth County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weweantic
- Wareham Center
  (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
  - Wareham Center is located in Plymouth County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wareham Center
- Briarwood Beach
  (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
  - Briarwood Beach is located in Plymouth County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Briarwood Beach
- Marion
  (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
  - Marion is located in Plymouth County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marion
  - Population from the 2020 Census: 5,189 people
- Manomet
  (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
  - Manomet is located in Plymouth County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manomet
- Cranberry Village
  (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
  - Cranberry Village is located in Plymouth County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cranberry Village
- Pine Tree Village
  (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
  - Pine Tree Village is located in Plymouth County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Tree Village
- West Wareham
  (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
  - West Wareham is located in Plymouth County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Wareham

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

Cemeteries Near Newtown ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Newtown.

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 Newtown - one of the links might be able to help.

If not found below, our Cemetery List for Newtown covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

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

Marstons Mills Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marstons Mills Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Marstons Mills Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located in Marstons Mills.
- Jump to the Massachusetts Cultural Resource Information System: MACRIS ID #BRN.813 <1>
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #1019448 <2>
Boardley Road Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boardley Road Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #91426 <2>
Percival Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Percival Cemetery
- Jump to the Massachusetts Cultural Resource Information System: MACRIS ID #SDW.821 <1>
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2135022 <2>
Goodspeed Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goodspeed Cemetery
- The Goodspeed Cemetery has also been known as:
- Wakeby Cemetery
- Jump to the Massachusetts Cultural Resource Information System: MACRIS ID #SDW.815 <1>
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #91026 <2>
Attaquin Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Attaquin Cemetery
- The Attaquin Cemetery has also been known as:
- Attaquin Burial Ground
- Jump to the Massachusetts Cultural Resource Information System: MACRIS ID #MAS.801 <1>
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2129622 <2>
Coombs Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coombs Cemetery
- The Coombs Cemetery has also been known as:
- Avant - Coombs Burial Ground
- Coombs Burial Ground
- Jump to the Massachusetts Cultural Resource Information System: MACRIS ID #MAS.802 <1>
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2498867 <2>
Mosswood Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mosswood Cemetery
- The Mosswood Cemetery has also been known as:
- Cotuit Cemetery
- Jump to the Massachusetts Cultural Resource Information System: MACRIS ID #BRN.806 <1>
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #91238 <2>
Crocker Park Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crocker Park Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #1962226 <2>
Tobey Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tobey Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #91779 <2>
Forestdale Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forestdale Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Forestdale Cemetery is located in Forestdale.
- Jump to the Massachusetts Cultural Resource Information System: MACRIS ID #SDW.800 <1>
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #1992531 <2>
Hillside Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hillside Cemetery
- Jump to the Massachusetts Cultural Resource Information System: MACRIS ID #BRN.814 <1>
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #91097 <2>
Beechwood Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beechwood Cemetery
- Jump to the Massachusetts Cultural Resource Information System: MACRIS ID #BRN.808 <1>
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #90776 <2>
Continue List (212 more) ...
- Cedarville Cemetery
  (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedarville Cemetery
  - Jump to the Massachusetts Cultural Resource Information System: MACRIS ID #SDW.812 <1>
  - Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #90848 <2>
- Great Neck Woods Cemetery
  (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Great Neck Woods Cemetery
  - Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2248339 <2>
- Freeman Cemetery
  (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Freeman Cemetery

Nearby Communities in 1895 ...

We've built the following list with information that came from an Atlas published by Rand McNally in 1895. The Atlas had details such as the population of the community (which appears to have come from the 1890 Census) and whether there was a post office and/or railroad service available. We also indicate if the community no longer exists and is now historic.<3>

While we didn't find Newtown in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Newtown.

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

Marstons Mills
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Marstons Mills is located in Barnstable County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marstons Mills
Mashpee
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- Mashpee is located in Barnstable County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mashpee
- Population from the 2020 Census: 14,266 people
Forestdale
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Forestdale is located in Barnstable County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forestdale
Wianno
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Wianno is located in Barnstable County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wianno
Osterville
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Osterville is located in Barnstable County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Osterville
Centerville
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Centerville is located in Barnstable County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Centerville
West Barnstable
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- West Barnstable is located in Barnstable County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Barnstable
East Sandwich
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- East Sandwich is located in Barnstable County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Sandwich
Craigville
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Craigville is located in Barnstable County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Craigville
Sandwich
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Sandwich is located in Barnstable County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandwich
- Population from the 2020 Census: 20,151 people
Hatchville
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Hatchville is located in Barnstable County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hatchville
Hyannis Port
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Hyannis Port is located in Barnstable County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hyannis Port
Continue List (15 more) ...
- Hyannis
  (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
  - Hyannis is located in Barnstable County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hyannis
- Barnstable
  (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
  - Barnstable is located in Barnstable County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barnstable
  - Population from the 2010 Census: 45,193 people
  - Barnstable has also been known as:
  - Barnstable Village
- East Falmouth
  (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
  - East Falmouth is located in Barnstable County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Falmouth

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

Newspapers Published in Newtown ...

An ongoing effort between the Library of Congress and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) has resulted in the National Digital Newspaper Program (NDNP).

To share their results, the partnership has created the Chronicling America website. The goal of this partnership is to assemble a database about the current and historic newspapers of the United States. This includes a growing collection of scanned images from selected papers. All of it available to the public on their website.

Using information that we've taken from the Chronicling America website, we've identified 33 newspapers that have been published in the area around Newtown.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Newtown, there are papers which were published within 17 miles [27.4 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Newtown.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first turn to 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 Newtown:

Websites specific to Massachusetts
- Jump to Cyndi's List
- Jump to Family Search
- Jump to Genealogy Trails
- Website for the Massachusetts Archives Division

Pages specific to Barnstable County
- Jump to Cyndi's List
- Jump to Family Search
- Jump to Genealogy Trails

Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Bristol County
  - Jump to Cyndi's List
  - Jump to Family Search
  - Jump to Genealogy Trails
- Dukes County
  - Jump to Cyndi's List
  - Jump to Family Search
  - Jump to Genealogy Trails
- Plymouth County
  - Jump to Cyndi's List
  - Jump to Family Search
  - Jump to Genealogy Trails

Cemetery Information and Directories for Massachusetts
- Cyndi's List
- Cemeteries of Massachusetts
- Cemeteries of Barnstable County
- FamilySearch.org: Cemeteries of Massachusetts
- Find-A-Grave: Home Page
- Interment.net
- Cemeteries of Massachusetts
- Cemeteries of Barnstable County

Footnotes ...

<1>	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.
<2>	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.
<3>	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 Newtown, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<4>	Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Newtown) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.