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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 Pembroke (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 Pembroke. 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 Pembroke ...

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.

Other variations include: Pembrook and Pembrooke.

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

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.

A Few Details for Pembroke ...

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

  • Pembroke was settled in 1650.
  • It was incorporated in 1712.

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.

Pembroke 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 Pembroke. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Pembroke:

  • Plymouth County     (The home county of Pembroke)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Pembroke, with the one closest to Pembroke listed first.
    • North Pembroke
      (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
      • North Pembroke is located in Plymouth County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Pembroke
    • Oldham Village
      (Less than 2 miles to the west)
      • Oldham Village is located in Plymouth County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oldham Village
    • Ashdod
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
    • Curtis Crossing
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
    • South Hanover
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Bryantville
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Bryantville is located in Plymouth County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bryantville
    • Hanover
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Hanson
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Monponsett
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Monponsett is located in Plymouth County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monponsett
    • Marshfield
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • North Marshfield
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
      • North Marshfield is located in Plymouth County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Marshfield
    • Halifax
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • Barnstable County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Pembroke, with the one closest to Pembroke listed first.
    • Sagamore Beach
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • Sagamore Beach is located in Barnstable County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sagamore Beach
    • Buzzards Bay
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Buzzards Bay is located in Barnstable County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buzzards Bay
    • Bourne
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Bourne is located in Barnstable County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bourne
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 19,743 people
    • Sagamore
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Sagamore is located in Barnstable County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sagamore
    • Monument Beach
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Monument Beach is located in Barnstable County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monument Beach
    • Sandwich
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Pocasset
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
    • Cataumet
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Cataumet is located in Barnstable County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cataumet
    • East Sandwich
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Plowed Neck
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Forestdale
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Bristol County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Pembroke, with the one closest to Pembroke listed first.
    • Easton Center
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
    • Easton
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
      • Easton is located in Bristol County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Easton
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 25,116 people
    • South Easton
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
      • South Easton is located in Bristol County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Easton
    • Raynham
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
    • North Easton
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
      • North Easton is located in Bristol County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Easton
    • Raynham Center
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Raynham Center is located in Bristol County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Raynham Center
    • Furnace Village
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
      • Furnace Village is located in Bristol County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Furnace Village
    • East Taunton
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Taunton
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
    • Weir Village
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
    • East Mansfield
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
    • Berkley
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Berkley is located in Bristol County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berkley
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 6,900 people
  • Essex County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Pembroke, with the one closest to Pembroke listed first.
    • Nahant
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Cliftondale
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • Clifton
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
    • East Lynn
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
    • Lynn
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
    • Pleasant Hills
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Pleasant Hills is located in Essex County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Hills
    • Swampscott
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
    • West Lynn
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
    • Marblehead
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Marblehead is located in Essex County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marblehead
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 20,551 people
    • Saugus
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
    • West Town Landing
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • West Town Landing is located in Essex County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Town Landing
  • Middlesex County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Pembroke, with the one closest to Pembroke listed first.
    • Cambridgeport
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Cambridgeport is located in Middlesex County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cambridgeport
    • Chestnut Hill
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Chestnut Hill is located in Middlesex County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chestnut Hill
    • Cambridge
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Eliot
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Everett
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Newton Centre
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Newton Highlands
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Newton Upper Falls
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Newton Upper Falls is located in Middlesex County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newton Upper Falls
    • Somerville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Edgeworth
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Edgeworth is located in Middlesex County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edgeworth
    • Huron Village
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Huron Village is located in Middlesex County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Huron Village
    • Malden
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
  • Norfolk County
  • Suffolk County
  • Providence County (RI)

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

Cemeteries Near Pembroke ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Pembroke.

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

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

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Pembroke, with the one closest to Pembroke 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, Pembroke had a post office and no railroad service. In 2020, Pembroke had a population of 18,553 people.

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

  • North Pembroke
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
    • North Pembroke is located in Plymouth County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Pembroke
  • Bryantville
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Bryantville is located in Plymouth County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bryantville
  • Curtis Crossing
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
  • West Duxbury
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
    • West Duxbury is located in Plymouth County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Duxbury
  • East Pembroke
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
    • East Pembroke is located in Plymouth County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Pembroke
  • South Hanover
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
  • Hanover
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
  • Hanson
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
  • North Hanson
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • North Hanson is located in Plymouth County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Hanson
  • South Hanson
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • South Hanson is located in Plymouth County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Hanson
  • Silver Lake
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Silver Lake is located in Plymouth County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Silver Lake
  • North Duxbury
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • North Duxbury is located in Plymouth County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Duxbury
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • West Hanover
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
      • West Hanover is located in Plymouth County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Hanover
    • Halifax
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Marshfield
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Pembroke ...

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 63 newspapers that have been published in the area around Pembroke.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Pembroke. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Pembroke and those printed in the larger area surrounding Pembroke.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 10 miles [16.1 km]<3> of Pembroke.

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 helpful 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 Pembroke:

Footnotes ...

<1>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.
<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>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- Pembroke) 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 Pembroke, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.