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Home >> State of Massachusetts >> Worcester County >> North Oxford >> Genealogy HelperIndex...

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 North Oxford (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 North Oxford. 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 North Oxford ...

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 occur.

For example, a typical abbreviation for North Oxford: N. Oxford

You might be interested in other communities that are also named North Oxford. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for North Oxford.

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 southeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most 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.

North Oxford is located in Worcester 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 Worcester County: Tolland (CT), Windham (CT), Franklin, Hampden, Hampshire, Middlesex, Norfolk, Cheshire (NH), Hillsborough (NH) & Providence (RI).

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

  • Worcester County     (The home county of North Oxford)
    • The following are listed by their distance from North Oxford, with the one closest to North Oxford listed first.
    • West Auburn
      (Less than 2 miles to the north)
      • West Auburn is located in Worcester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Auburn
    • Hodges Village
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
      • Hodges Village is located in Worcester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hodges Village
    • Oxford
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
      • Oxford is located in Worcester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oxford
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 13,941 people
    • Auburn
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Auburn is located in Worcester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Auburn
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 16,701 people
    • West Millbury
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
      • West Millbury is located in Worcester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Millbury
    • Rochdale
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Rochdale is located in Worcester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rochdale
    • West Oxford
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
      • West Oxford is located in Worcester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Oxford
    • Sutton
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
      • Sutton is located in Worcester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sutton
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 9,576 people
    • Charlton Depot
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
      • Charlton Depot is located in Worcester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Charlton Depot
    • Charlton
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
      • Charlton is located in Worcester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Charlton
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 13,698 people
    • Cherry Valley
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
      • Cherry Valley is located in Worcester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cherry Valley
    • Charlton City
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
      • Charlton City is located in Worcester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Charlton City
  • Bristol County
    • The following are listed by their distance from North Oxford, with the one closest to North Oxford listed first.
    • North Attleboro
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • North Attleboro is located in Bristol County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Attleboro
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 29,470 people
    • Attleboro Falls
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Attleboro Falls is located in Bristol County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Attleboro Falls
    • Attleborough City
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Attleborough City is located in Bristol County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Attleborough City
  • Franklin County
    • Smiths ‑ Historic
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Smiths is located in Franklin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smiths
  • Hampden County
    • The following are listed by their distance from North Oxford, with the one closest to North Oxford listed first.
    • Holland
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
      • Holland is located in Hampden County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holland
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,469 people
    • Brimfield
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Brimfield is located in Hampden County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brimfield
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,679 people
    • Wales
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
      • Wales is located in Hampden County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wales
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,862 people
    • West Brimfield
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
      • West Brimfield is located in Hampden County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Brimfield
    • Tenneyville
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Tenneyville is located in Hampden County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tenneyville
    • Monson
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Monson is located in Hampden County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monson
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 8,750 people
    • Palmer
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Palmer is located in Hampden County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Palmer
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 12,174 people
    • South Factory Village
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
    • State Line
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • State Line is located in Hampden County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for State Line
    • Thorndike
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Thorndike is located in Hampden County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thorndike
    • Three Rivers
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Three Rivers is located in Hampden County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Three Rivers
    • Hampden
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Hampden is located in Hampden County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hampden
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,154 people
  • Hampshire County
    • The following are listed by their distance from North Oxford, with the one closest to North Oxford listed first.
    • Ware
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
      • Ware is located in Hampshire County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ware
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 9,897 people
    • Bondsville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Bondsville is located in Hampshire County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bondsville
    • Enfield ‑ Historic
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Enfield is located in Hampshire County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Enfield
    • Belchertown
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Belchertown is located in Hampshire County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belchertown
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 15,103 people
  • Middlesex County
    • The following are listed by their distance from North Oxford, with the one closest to North Oxford listed first.
    • Woodville
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
      • Woodville is located in Middlesex County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodville
    • Hayden Row
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
      • Hayden Row is located in Middlesex County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hayden Row
    • Hopkinton
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
      • Hopkinton is located in Middlesex County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hopkinton
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 18,624 people
    • Metcalf
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • Metcalf is located in Middlesex County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Metcalf
    • Marlborough Junction
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Marlborough Junction is located in Middlesex County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marlborough Junction
    • Marlborough
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Marlborough is located in Middlesex County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marlborough
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 39,290 people
    • Ashland
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Ashland is located in Middlesex County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ashland
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 17,887 people
    • Holliston
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Holliston is located in Middlesex County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holliston
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 14,880 people
    • Hudson
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Hudson is located in Middlesex County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hudson
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 19,732 people
    • East Holliston
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • East Holliston is located in Middlesex County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Holliston
    • Framingham
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Framingham is located in Middlesex County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Framingham
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 73,892 people
    • Saxonville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Saxonville is located in Middlesex County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saxonville
  • Norfolk County
    • The following are listed by their distance from North Oxford, with the one closest to North Oxford listed first.
    • Bellingham
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • Bellingham is located in Norfolk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bellingham
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 17,336 people
    • Franklin
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Franklin is located in Norfolk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Franklin
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 34,711 people
    • Medway
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Medway is located in Norfolk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Medway
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 13,443 people
    • Acorn Terrace
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Acorn Terrace is located in Norfolk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Acorn Terrace
    • Sheldonville
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Sheldonville is located in Norfolk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sheldonville
    • Burnt Swamp Corner
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Burnt Swamp Corner is located in Norfolk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burnt Swamp Corner
    • Millis
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Millis is located in Norfolk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millis
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 8,519 people
    • Rockville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Rockville is located in Norfolk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rockville
    • Norfolk
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Norfolk is located in Norfolk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Norfolk
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 11,938 people
    • Medfield
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Medfield is located in Norfolk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Medfield
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 13,011 people
    • Wrentham
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Wrentham is located in Norfolk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wrentham
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 12,083 people
    • Plainville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Plainville is located in Norfolk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plainville
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 9,280 people
  • Tolland County (CT)
    • The following are listed by their distance from North Oxford, with the one closest to North Oxford listed first.
    • Union
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
      • Union is located in Tolland County (CT)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 844 people
    • Union
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
    • Staffordville
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Stafford
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
    • State Line
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • State Line is located in Tolland County (CT)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for State Line
    • Stafford
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Stafford is located in Tolland County (CT)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stafford
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 11,834 people
    • East Willington
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • East Willington is located in Tolland County (CT)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Willington
    • Stafford Springs
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Mount Hope
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Mount Hope is located in Tolland County (CT)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Hope
    • Willington
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Atwoodville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Atwoodville is located in Tolland County (CT)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Atwoodville
    • Gurleyville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Gurleyville is located in Tolland County (CT)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gurleyville
  • Windham County (CT)
    • The following are listed by their distance from North Oxford, with the one closest to North Oxford listed first.
    • Quinebaug
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • East Thompson
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
      • East Thompson is located in Windham County (CT)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Thompson
    • Fabyan
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • North Grosvenor Dale
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Thompson
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
      • Thompson is located in Windham County (CT)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thompson
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 9,371 people
    • Grosvenor Dale
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • East Woodstock
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Thompson
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • Mechanicsville
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
      • Mechanicsville is located in Windham County (CT)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mechanicsville
    • West Thompson
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
      • West Thompson is located in Windham County (CT)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Thompson
    • Woodstock
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
    • Woodstock
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Woodstock is located in Windham County (CT)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodstock
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 7,834 people
  • Kent County (RI)
    • Rice City
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Rice City is located in Kent County (RI)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rice City
  • Providence County (RI)
    • The following are listed by their distance from North Oxford, with the one closest to North Oxford listed first.
    • Pascoag
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Pascoag is located in Providence County (RI)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pascoag
    • West Glocester
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
      • West Glocester is located in Providence County (RI)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Glocester
    • Harrisville
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Harrisville is located in Providence County (RI)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harrisville
    • Whipple
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Whipple is located in Providence County (RI)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whipple
    • Burrillville
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Burrillville is located in Providence County (RI)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burrillville
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 16,810 people
    • Glendale
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Glendale is located in Providence County (RI)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glendale
    • Nasonville
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Nasonville is located in Providence County (RI)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nasonville
    • Slatersville
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
      • Slatersville is located in Providence County (RI)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Slatersville
    • Branch Village
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Branch Village is located in Providence County (RI)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Branch Village
    • Chepachet
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Chepachet is located in Providence County (RI)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chepachet
    • North Smithfield
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • North Smithfield is located in Providence County (RI)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Smithfield
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 12,576 people
    • North Smithfield
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • North Smithfield is located in Providence County (RI)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Smithfield

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

Cemeteries Near North Oxford ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of North Oxford.

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 North Oxford - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

Nearby Communities in 1895 ...

We've built the following list with information that came from an Atlas published by Rand McNally in 1895. The Atlas had details such as the population of the community (which appears to have come from the 1890 Census) and whether there was a post office and/or railroad service available. We also indicate if the community no longer exists and is now historic.<4>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that in 1895, North Oxford had a post office and railroad service.

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

  • Texas
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
    • Texas is located in Worcester County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Texas
  • West Auburn
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
    • West Auburn is located in Worcester County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Auburn
  • Oxford
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
    • Oxford is located in Worcester County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oxford
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 13,941 people
  • West Oxford
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • West Oxford is located in Worcester County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Oxford
  • West Millbury
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • West Millbury is located in Worcester County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Millbury
  • Auburn
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Auburn is located in Worcester County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Auburn
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 16,701 people
  • Rochdale
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Rochdale is located in Worcester County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rochdale
  • West Sutton
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • West Sutton is located in Worcester County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Sutton
  • Charlton
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Charlton is located in Worcester County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Charlton
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 13,698 people
  • Sutton
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Sutton is located in Worcester County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sutton
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 9,576 people
  • Jamesville ‑ Historic
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Jamesville is located in Worcester County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jamesville
  • Charlton Depot
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Charlton Depot is located in Worcester County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Charlton Depot
  • Continue List   (25 more) ...
    • Webster
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
      • Webster is located in Worcester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Webster
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 16,822 people
      • Webster has also been known as:
      • Lake Chargoggagoggmanchauggagoggchaubunagungamaugg
    • Leicester
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
      • Leicester is located in Worcester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leicester
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 11,272 people
    • Cherry Valley
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
      • Cherry Valley is located in Worcester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cherry Valley

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

Newspapers Published in North Oxford ...

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 182 newspapers that have been published in the area around North Oxford.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of North Oxford, there are papers which were published within 10 miles [16.1 km]<5>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for North Oxford.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we begin with the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These 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 North Oxford:

Footnotes ...

<1>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<2>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.

<3>The Find-a-Grave website is an excellent research tool with information about a cemetery's location and interments. They also offer a forum for their members which can provide additional help. More information about Find-a-Grave can be found on their website: findagrave.com.
<4>We use the term 'Historic' broadly and it generally means that the community no longer exists. However, it can also mean that the community might still exist, but was significantly larger or had a more 'official' existence in the past than it does now. Unfortunately our sources of data have proven to be unreliable. If you can provide us with more specific information about North Oxford, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<5>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or 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- North Oxford) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.