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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 Palmer (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 Palmer. 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 Palmer ...

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

  • Palmer was settled in 1727.
  • It was incorporated in 1775.

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 northeast 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 north.

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 north 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.

Palmer is located in Hampden 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 Hampden County: Hartford (CT), Litchfield (CT), Tolland (CT), Berkshire, Hampshire & Worcester.

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

  • Hampden County     (The home county of Palmer)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Palmer, with the one closest to Palmer listed first.
    • Tenneyville
      (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
    • Thorndike
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
      • Thorndike is located in Hampden County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thorndike
    • Three Rivers
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
    • West Brimfield
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
      • West Brimfield is located in Hampden County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Brimfield
    • Monson
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • North Wilbraham
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • South Factory Village
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Wilbraham
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Brimfield
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
      • Brimfield is located in Hampden County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brimfield
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,679 people
    • Hampden
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Hampden is located in Hampden County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hampden
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,154 people
    • Ludlow
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
      • Ludlow is located in Hampden County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ludlow
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 21,101 people
    • Indian Orchard
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
  • Franklin County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Palmer, with the one closest to Palmer listed first.
    • Smiths ‑ Historic
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Shutesbury
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
    • Cooleyville
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
    • Millington ‑ Historic
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
    • Leverett
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
    • New Salem
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • New Salem is located in Franklin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Salem
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,034 people
    • Locks Village
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Locks Village is located in Franklin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Locks Village
    • Moores Corner
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
    • Sunderland
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Whately
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Morse Village
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Morse Village is located in Franklin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morse Village
    • South Deerfield
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • South Deerfield is located in Franklin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Deerfield
  • Hampshire County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Palmer, with the one closest to Palmer listed first.
    • Bondsville
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
      • Bondsville is located in Hampshire County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bondsville
    • Ware
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Belchertown
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Enfield ‑ Historic
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Granby
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Granby is located in Hampshire County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Granby
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 6,262 people
    • South Hadley
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
    • South Amherst
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
      • South Amherst is located in Hampshire County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Amherst
    • Pelham
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
    • West Pelham
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Amherst Center
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Amherst Center is located in Hampshire County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amherst Center
    • Amherst
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
    • East Village
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
      • East Village is located in Hampshire County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Village
  • Worcester County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Palmer, with the one closest to Palmer listed first.
    • West Warren
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Warren
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Warren is located in Worcester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Warren
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,203 people
    • West Brookfield
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Fiskdale
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Brookfield
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
      • Brookfield is located in Worcester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brookfield
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,439 people
    • Old Sturbridge Village
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
    • Gilbertville
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Sturbridge
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
      • Sturbridge is located in Worcester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sturbridge
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 9,561 people
    • Greenwich ‑ Historic
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
    • Hardwick
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Hardwick is located in Worcester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hardwick
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,047 people
    • North Brookfield
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
    • East Brookfield
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
  • Hartford County (CT)
  • Tolland County (CT)
  • Windham County (CT)

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

Cemeteries Near Palmer ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Palmer.

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

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

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Palmer, with the one closest to Palmer 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 Palmer had a population of 2,300 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Palmer had a population of 12,174 people.

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

  • North Monson
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
    • North Monson is located in Hampden County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Monson
  • Three Rivers
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
  • Thorndike
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
    • Thorndike is located in Hampden County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thorndike
  • Bondsville
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Bondsville is located in Hampshire County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bondsville
  • Monson
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
  • West Brimfield
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • West Brimfield is located in Hampden County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Brimfield
  • Whipples
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Whipples is located in Hampden County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whipples
  • South Monson
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • South Monson is located in Hampden County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Monson
  • Red Bridge
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Red Bridge is located in Hampden County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Bridge
  • North Wilbraham
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
  • Wilbraham
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • West Warren
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Continue List   (16 more) ...
    • West Ware
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
      • West Ware is located in Hampshire County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Ware
    • Hampden
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Hampden is located in Hampden County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hampden
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,154 people
    • Brimfield
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
      • Brimfield is located in Hampden County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brimfield
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,679 people

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

Newspapers Published in Palmer ...

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 171 newspapers that have been published in the area around Palmer.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Palmer, there are papers which were published within 15 miles [24.1 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Palmer.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we like to start 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 Palmer:

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 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>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>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 drawn from Point A (ie- Palmer) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.
<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 Palmer, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.