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 Onset (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 Onset. While we don't have information that is specific to any given person or family, we intend to expand our understanding about where and how people lived.
Neighboring Counties ...
When searching for family records, we have frequently made the mistake of not checking the neighboring counties.
For example, we have great-grandparents who lived in the southeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors and hospitals were in the next county to the east. Almost all of the nearby churches and cemeteries were in the county to the south.
So when searching for records, we had our best success by looking in neighboring counties instead of the county in which they lived: their home county contained property and probate records; the county to the east contained birth and death records; the county to the south contained their burial records. If we hadn't included the neighboring counties, we would have missed many valuable sources of information.
If you're in a similar situation, we hope that the following information helps.
Onset 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 Onset. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Onset:
- Plymouth County (The home county of Onset)
- The following are listed by their distance from Onset, with the one closest to Onset listed first.
- East Wareham
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for East Wareham have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Wareham
- East Wareham is located in Plymouth County
- Wareham Center
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wareham Center have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wareham Center
- Wareham Center is located in Plymouth County
- Wareham
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest) - Weweantic
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west) - White Island Shores
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for White Island Shores have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Island Shores
- White Island Shores is located in Plymouth County
- Briarwood Beach
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Briarwood Beach
- Briarwood Beach is located in Plymouth County
- Pine Tree Village
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pine Tree Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Tree Village
- Pine Tree Village is located in Plymouth County
- West Wareham
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for West Wareham have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Wareham
- West Wareham is located in Plymouth County
- Marion
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marion
- Marion is located in Plymouth County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 5,189 people
- Cranberry Village
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cranberry Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cranberry Village
- Cranberry Village is located in Plymouth County
- South Carver
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Carver
- South Carver is located in Plymouth County
- Rochester
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rochester
- Rochester is located in Plymouth County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 5,740 people
- Barnstable County
- The following are listed by their distance from Onset, with the one closest to Onset listed first.
- Buzzards Bay
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)- 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
- Monument Beach
(2 miles [3.2 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
- Bourne
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east) - Pocasset
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pocasset
- Pocasset is located in Barnstable County
- Cataumet
(5 miles [8 km] to the south) - Sagamore
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east) - Sagamore Beach
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)- 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
- North Falmouth
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)- 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
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)- 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
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east) - Forestdale
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forestdale
- Forestdale is located in Barnstable County
- West Falmouth
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)- 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
- Bristol County
- The following are listed by their distance from Onset, with the one closest to Onset listed first.
- Long Plain
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Long Plain
- Long Plain is located in Bristol County
- Acushnet Center
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Acushnet Center
- Acushnet Center is located in Bristol County
- Acushnet
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west) - Fairhaven
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest) - Clifford
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west) - New Bedford
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Bedford
- New Bedford is located in Bristol County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 95,517 people
- Braleys
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Braleys
- Braleys is located in Bristol County
- East Freetown
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for East Freetown have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Freetown
- East Freetown is located in Bristol County
- Bliss Corner
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bliss Corner have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bliss Corner
- Bliss Corner is located in Bristol County
- North Dartmouth
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Dartmouth have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Dartmouth
- North Dartmouth is located in Bristol County
- South Dartmouth
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for South Dartmouth have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Dartmouth
- South Dartmouth is located in Bristol County
- Apponagansett
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Apponagansett
- Apponagansett is located in Bristol County
- Dukes County
- The following are listed by their distance from Onset, with the one closest to Onset listed first.
- West Chop
(18 miles [29 km] to the south) - Gosnold
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south) - Oak Bluffs
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Bluffs
- Oak Bluffs is located in Dukes County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 4,696 people
- Tisbury
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tisbury
- Tisbury is located in Dukes County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 4,128 people
- Vineyard Haven
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vineyard Haven
- Vineyard Haven is located in Dukes County
- Christian Town
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Christian Town have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Christian Town
- Christian Town is located in Dukes County
- North Tisbury
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Tisbury
- North Tisbury is located in Dukes County
- Edgartown
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edgartown
- Edgartown is located in Dukes County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 4,383 people
- West Tisbury
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Tisbury
- West Tisbury is located in Dukes County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,927 people
- Cuttyhunk
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest) - Chilmark
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south) - Menemsha
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Bristol County (RI)
- Coggeshall
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coggeshall
- Coggeshall is located in Bristol County (RI)
- Coggeshall
- Newport County (RI)
- The following are listed by their distance from Onset, with the one closest to Onset listed first.
- Bliss Corners
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bliss Corners
- Bliss Corners is located in Newport County (RI)
- Adamsville
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adamsville
- Adamsville is located in Newport County (RI)
- Tiverton
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west) - Tiverton Four Corners
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tiverton Four Corners have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tiverton Four Corners
- Tiverton Four Corners is located in Newport County (RI)
- Tiverton
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west) - Little Compton
(30 miles [48.3 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
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Onset, see our County-by-County Page for Onset.
Newspapers Published in Onset ...
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 53 newspapers that have been published in the area around Onset.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Onset, there are papers which were published within 14 miles [22.5 km]<2>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Onset.
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 Onset:
- 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 Plymouth County
- Jump to Cyndi's List
- Jump to Family Search
- Jump to Genealogy Trails
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Barnstable County
- Jump to Cyndi's List
- Jump to Family Search
- Jump to Genealogy Trails
- 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
- Bristol County
- Jump to Cyndi's List
- Jump to Family Search
- Jump to Genealogy Trails
- Newport County
- Jump to Cyndi's List
- Jump to Family Search
- Jump to Genealogy Trails
- Barnstable County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Massachusetts
- Cemetery Junction: Cemeteries of Massachusetts
- Cyndi's List
- Cemeteries of Massachusetts
- Cemeteries of Plymouth County
- FamilySearch.org: Cemeteries of Massachusetts
- Find-A-Grave: Home Page
- Interment.net
- Cemeteries of Massachusetts
- Cemeteries of Plymouth County
Cemeteries Near Onset ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Onset.
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 Onset covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Onset, with the one closest to Onset listed first.
- Long Neck Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Long Neck Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Long Neck Cemetery
- Agawam Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the west)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Agawam Cemetery
- Monument Neck Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Monument Neck Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #1987519 <3>
- Gray Gables Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Gray Gables Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Gray Gables Cemetery
- Oakland Grove Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Oakland Grove Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #91370 <3>
- Monument Beach Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Monument Beach Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #91233 <3>
- Old Bourne Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Old Bourne Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #91372 <3>
- St. Patricks Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Patricks Cemetery
- Centre Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Centre Cemetery
- Monument Beach Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Monument Beach Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Monument Beach Cemetery
- Cataumet Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Cataumet Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #90845 <3>
- Indian Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Indian Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Indian Cemetery
- Continue List (337 more) ...
- Old Landing Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Old Landing Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #91386 <3>
- Massachusetts National Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)- To give a relative sense of its location, the Massachusetts National Cemetery is a very large cemetery that is located less than 2 miles<2> to the northwest of Pocasset.
- The Massachusetts National Cemetery has also been known as:
- Bourne National Cemetery
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Massachusetts National Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #109426 <3>
- Sagamore Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Sagamore Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #1200274 <3>
- Old Landing 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.<4>
The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Onset had a population of 400 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Onset, with the one closest to Onset listed first.
- East Wareham
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for East Wareham have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Wareham
- East Wareham is located in Plymouth County
- Onset Station
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Onset Station have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Onset Station
- Onset Station is located in Plymouth County
- Monument Beach
(2 miles [3.2 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
- Buzzards Bay
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)- 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
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east) - Wareham
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest) - Pocasset
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pocasset
- Pocasset is located in Barnstable County
- South Wareham
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for South Wareham have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Wareham
- South Wareham is located in Plymouth County
- Cataumet
(5 miles [8 km] to the south) - Bournedale
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bournedale have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bournedale
- Bournedale is located in Barnstable County
- Marion
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marion
- Marion is located in Plymouth County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 5,189 people
- West Wareham
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for West Wareham have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Wareham
- West Wareham is located in Plymouth County
- Continue List (14 more) ...
- Tremont
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest) - North Falmouth
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)- 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
- Sagamore
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Tremont
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Onset. See our List of 1890's Communities around Onset.
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Onset. 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> | 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 drawn from Point A (ie- Onset) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Onset. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 41.7431, Longitude: -70.6608 |
| <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 Onset, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |