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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 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 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 may 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)
      • East Wareham is located in Plymouth County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Wareham
    • Onset Station
      (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
    • Wareham Center
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Wareham Center is located in Plymouth County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wareham Center
    • Wareham
      (3 miles [4.8 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
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
      • Weweantic is located in Plymouth County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weweantic
    • White Island Shores
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
      • White Island Shores is located in Plymouth County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Island Shores
    • Briarwood Beach
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Pine Tree Village
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Pine Tree Village is located in Plymouth County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Tree Village
    • West Wareham
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
      • West Wareham is located in Plymouth County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Wareham
    • Marion
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Cranberry Village
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Cranberry Village is located in Plymouth County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cranberry Village
    • South Carver
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Rochester
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
  • 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)
      • Buzzards Bay is located in Barnstable County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buzzards Bay
    • Monument Beach
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Monument Beach is located in Barnstable County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monument Beach
    • Bourne
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
      • Bourne is located in Barnstable County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bourne
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 19,743 people
    • Pocasset
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Cataumet
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
      • Cataumet is located in Barnstable County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cataumet
    • Sagamore
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
      • Sagamore is located in Barnstable County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sagamore
    • Sagamore Beach
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Sagamore Beach is located in Barnstable County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sagamore Beach
    • North Falmouth
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
      • North Falmouth is located in Barnstable County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Falmouth
    • Silver Beach
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
      • Silver Beach is located in Barnstable County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Silver Beach
    • Sandwich
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Forestdale
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • West Falmouth
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
      • West Falmouth is located in Barnstable County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Falmouth
    • Hatchville
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
  • 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)
    • Acushnet Center
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
    • Acushnet
      (13 miles [20.9 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
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Fairhaven is located in Bristol County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairhaven
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 16,103 people
    • Clifford
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
    • New Bedford
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Acushnet Station ‑ Historic
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
      • Acushnet Station is located in Bristol County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Acushnet Station
    • Braleys
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
    • East Freetown
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
    • Bliss Corner
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Bliss Corner is located in Bristol County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bliss Corner
    • North Dartmouth
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
      • North Dartmouth is located in Bristol County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Dartmouth
    • South Dartmouth
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
      • South Dartmouth is located in Bristol County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Dartmouth
    • Apponagansett
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
  • 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)
      • West Chop is located in Dukes County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Chop
    • Gosnold
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
      • Gosnold is located in Dukes County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gosnold
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 75 people
    • Oak Bluffs
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • Tisbury
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • Vineyard Haven
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • Christian Town
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Christian Town is located in Dukes County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Christian Town
    • North Tisbury
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
    • Edgartown
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
    • West Tisbury
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
    • Cuttyhunk
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Cuttyhunk is located in Dukes County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cuttyhunk
    • Chilmark
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
    • Katama
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
    • Menemsha
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Menemsha is located in Dukes County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Menemsha
  • Bristol County (RI)
  • 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)
    • Adamsville
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Tiverton
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Tiverton is located in Newport County (RI)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tiverton
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 15,569 people
    • Tiverton Four Corners
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Tiverton
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Tiverton is located in Newport County (RI)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tiverton
    • Little Compton
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Little Compton is located in Newport County (RI)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little Compton
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,462 people
    • Little Compton
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)

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

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.

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

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.

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)
    • East Wareham is located in Plymouth County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Wareham
  • Onset Station
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
  • Monument Beach
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Monument Beach is located in Barnstable County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monument Beach
  • Buzzards Bay
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
    • Buzzards Bay is located in Barnstable County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buzzards Bay
  • Bourne
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Bourne is located in Barnstable County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bourne
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 19,743 people
  • Wareham
    (3 miles [4.8 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
  • Pocasset
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • South Wareham
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • South Wareham is located in Plymouth County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Wareham
  • Cataumet
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Cataumet is located in Barnstable County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cataumet
  • Bournedale
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Bournedale is located in Barnstable County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bournedale
  • Marion
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
  • West Wareham
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • West Wareham is located in Plymouth County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Wareham
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Tremont
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Tremont is located in Plymouth County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tremont
    • North Falmouth
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
      • North Falmouth is located in Barnstable County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Falmouth
    • Sagamore
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
      • Sagamore is located in Barnstable County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sagamore

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.

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]<3>. 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 first visit 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 Onset:

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>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Onset) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.
<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.