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

A Few Details for Norwood ...

While it's still very early in our research, we found that:

  • Norwood was settled in 1678.
  • It was incorporated in 1872.

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 and doctors 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.

Norwood is located in Norfolk 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 Norfolk County: Bristol, Middlesex, Plymouth, Suffolk, Worcester & Providence (RI).

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

  • Norfolk County     (The home county of Norwood)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Norwood, with the one closest to Norwood listed first.
    • Westwood
      (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Westwood have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westwood
      • Westwood is located in Norfolk County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 16,384 people
    • East Walpole
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
    • Dedham
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dedham have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dedham
      • Dedham is located in Norfolk County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 25,345 people
    • Readville Manor
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Canton
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Ponkapoag
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Ponkapoag. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ponkapoag
      • Ponkapoag is located in Norfolk County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Ponkapoag
      • From Norwood to Ponkapoag
    • Walpole
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Charles River Village
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Dover
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Dover. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dover
      • Dover is located in Norfolk County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 6,119 people
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Dover
      • From Norwood to Dover
    • Sharon
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Medfield
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Medfield have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Medfield
      • Medfield is located in Norfolk County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 13,011 people
    • Needham
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Needham have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Needham
      • Needham is located in Norfolk County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 31,537 people
  • Bristol County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Norwood, with the one closest to Norwood listed first.
    • North Easton
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Easton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Easton
      • North Easton is located in Bristol County
    • East Mansfield
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Mansfield
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • South Easton
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for South Easton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Easton
      • South Easton is located in Bristol County
    • Furnace Village
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Furnace Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Furnace Village
      • Furnace Village is located in Bristol County
    • Easton Center
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Easton
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Easton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Easton
      • Easton is located in Bristol County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 25,116 people
    • Norton
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
    • Attleboro Falls
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Attleboro Falls have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Attleboro Falls
      • Attleboro Falls is located in Bristol County
    • North Attleboro
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Attleboro have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Attleboro
      • North Attleboro is located in Bristol County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 29,470 people
    • Attleboro
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
    • Chartley
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Chartley have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chartley
      • Chartley is located in Bristol County
  • Essex County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Norwood, with the one closest to Norwood listed first.
    • Nahant
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Saugus
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
    • West Lynn
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Lynn
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
    • East Lynn
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for East Lynn. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Lynn
      • East Lynn is located in Essex County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to East Lynn
      • From Norwood to East Lynn
    • Swampscott
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
    • Lynnfield
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Clifton
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Clifton. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clifton
      • Clifton is located in Essex County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Clifton
      • From Norwood to Clifton
    • Peabody
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Marblehead
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Marblehead have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marblehead
      • Marblehead is located in Essex County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 20,551 people
    • Salem
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
    • West Town Landing
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for West Town Landing have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Town Landing
      • West Town Landing is located in Essex County
  • Middlesex County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Norwood, with the one closest to Norwood listed first.
    • Eliot
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Newton Highlands
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Newton Upper Falls
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Newton Upper Falls have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newton Upper Falls
      • Newton Upper Falls is located in Middlesex County
    • Chestnut Hill
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Chestnut Hill have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chestnut Hill
      • Chestnut Hill is located in Middlesex County
    • Newton Centre
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Newton Lower Falls
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Newton Lower Falls have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newton Lower Falls
      • Newton Lower Falls is located in Middlesex County
    • Newton
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Waban
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Natick
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Sherborn
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Auburndale
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Newtonville
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Newtonville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newtonville
      • Newtonville is located in Middlesex County
  • Plymouth County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Norwood, with the one closest to Norwood listed first.
    • Montello
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Brockton
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • North Abington
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • Abington
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Cochesett
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Cochesett. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cochesett
      • Cochesett is located in Plymouth County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Cochesett
      • From Norwood to Cochesett
    • Rockland
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rockland have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rockland
      • Rockland is located in Plymouth County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 17,992 people
    • West Bridgewater
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for West Bridgewater have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Bridgewater
      • West Bridgewater is located in Plymouth County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 7,310 people
    • Whitman
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Whitman have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whitman
      • Whitman is located in Plymouth County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 15,295 people
    • Accord
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
    • Hingham
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
    • Hull
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
    • East Bridgewater
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Suffolk County
  • Worcester County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Norwood, with the one closest to Norwood listed first.
    • South Milford
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Milford
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
    • Fayville
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Cordaville
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
    • Hopedale
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hopedale have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hopedale
      • Hopedale is located in Worcester County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,934 people
    • Southville
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
    • Southborough
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Southborough. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Southborough
      • Southborough is located in Worcester County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 10,200 people
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Southborough
      • From Norwood to Southborough
    • White City
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for White City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White City
      • White City is located in Worcester County
    • East Blackstone
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Millerville
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Mendon
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
    • Upton
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Upton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Upton
      • Upton is located in Worcester County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 8,088 people
  • Providence County (RI)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Norwood, with the one closest to Norwood listed first.
    • Burnt Swamp Corner
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Arnold Mills
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Cumberland
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cumberland have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cumberland
      • Cumberland is located in Providence County (RI)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 35,207 people
    • Cumberland
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cumberland have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cumberland
      • Cumberland is located in Providence County (RI)
    • Cumberland Hill
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Hamlet
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Hamlet. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hamlet
      • Hamlet is located in Providence County (RI)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Hamlet
      • From Norwood to Hamlet
    • Woonsocket
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Albion
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Berkeley
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Darlington
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
    • Branch Village
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Lime Rock
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)

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

Cemeteries Near Norwood ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Norwood.

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

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Norwood, with the one closest to Norwood 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.<5>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Norwood had a population of 3,733 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Norwood had a population of 29,737 people.

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

  • Winslows
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Winslows have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winslows
    • Winslows is located in Norfolk County
  • Ellis
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ellis have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ellis
    • Ellis is located in Norfolk County
  • East Walpole
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
  • Canton Junction
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Canton Junction have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Canton Junction
    • Canton Junction is located in Norfolk County
  • Islington
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Islington have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Islington
    • Islington is located in Norfolk County
  • Canton
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
  • Ashcroft
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ashcroft have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ashcroft
    • Ashcroft is located in Norfolk County
  • Endicott
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Endicott have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Endicott
    • Endicott is located in Norfolk County
  • Dedham
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dedham have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dedham
    • Dedham is located in Norfolk County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 25,345 people
  • Walpole
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
  • East Sharon
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for East Sharon have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Sharon
    • East Sharon is located in Norfolk County
  • Springdale
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Springdale have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Springdale
    • Springdale is located in Norfolk County
  • Continue List   (16 more) ...
    • Ponkapoag
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Ponkapoag. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ponkapoag
      • Ponkapoag is located in Norfolk County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Ponkapoag
      • From Norwood to Ponkapoag
    • Sharon Heights
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sharon Heights have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sharon Heights
      • Sharon Heights is located in Norfolk County
    • Sharon
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Norwood ...

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 43 newspapers that have been published in the area around Norwood.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

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

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 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 Norwood:

The official website for Norwood: www.ci.norwood.ma.us/

The official website for Norfolk County: www.norfolkcounty.org/

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>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 Norwood, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<6>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or point-to-point) distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Norwood) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Norwood. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 42.1948, Longitude: -71.2004    









 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025