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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 Petersham (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 Petersham. 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 Petersham ...

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

  • Petersham was settled in 1733.
  • It was incorporated in 1754.

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 southwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals were in the next county to the west. 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 west 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.

Petersham is located in Worcester 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 Worcester County: Tolland (CT), Windham (CT), Franklin, Hampden, Hampshire, Middlesex, Norfolk, Cheshire (NH), Hillsborough (NH) & Providence (RI).

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

  • Worcester County     (The home county of Petersham)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Petersham, with the one closest to Petersham listed first.
    • Goulding Village
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
      • Goulding Village is located in Worcester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goulding Village
    • Phillipston
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Mill Village
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
      • Mill Village is located in Worcester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mill Village
    • Dana ‑ Historic
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • North Dana ‑ Historic
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Brooks Village
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Brooks Village is located in Worcester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brooks Village
    • Barre
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Heald Village
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Heald Village is located in Worcester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Heald Village
    • Athol
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Templeton
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Templeton is located in Worcester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Templeton
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 8,134 people
    • Barre Plains
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • South Barre
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
      • South Barre is located in Worcester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Barre
    • Greenwich Village ‑ Historic
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
  • Franklin County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Petersham, with the one closest to Petersham listed first.
    • Millington ‑ Historic
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • New Salem
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
      • New Salem is located in Franklin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Salem
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,034 people
    • Morse Village
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Morse Village is located in Franklin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morse Village
    • Orange
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Cooleyville
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • North Orange
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Tully
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Wendell Depot
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Wendell Depot is located in Franklin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wendell Depot
    • Shutesbury
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
    • Wendell
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
      • Wendell is located in Franklin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wendell
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 881 people
    • Locks Village
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
      • Locks Village is located in Franklin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Locks Village
    • Erving
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Smiths ‑ Historic
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
  • Hampden County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Petersham, with the one closest to Petersham listed first.
    • West Brimfield
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • West Brimfield is located in Hampden County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Brimfield
    • Thorndike
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Thorndike is located in Hampden County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thorndike
    • Palmer
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
    • Three Rivers
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
    • Tenneyville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
    • Ludlow City
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Ludlow City is located in Hampden County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ludlow City
    • Brimfield
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Brimfield is located in Hampden County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brimfield
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,679 people
    • North Wilbraham
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Monson
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
    • Ludlow
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Ludlow is located in Hampden County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ludlow
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 21,101 people
    • Indian Orchard
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Wilbraham
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Holland
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
  • Hampshire County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Petersham, with the one closest to Petersham listed first.
    • Pelham
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Enfield ‑ Historic
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Ware
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
    • West Pelham
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
    • East Village
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
      • East Village is located in Hampshire County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Village
    • Amherst Center
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
      • Amherst Center is located in Hampshire County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amherst Center
    • Amherst
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
    • Belchertown
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
    • North Amherst
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
    • South Amherst
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • South Amherst is located in Hampshire County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Amherst
    • Bondsville
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Bondsville is located in Hampshire County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bondsville
    • North Hadley
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
    • Hadley
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Middlesex County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Petersham, with the one closest to Petersham listed first.
    • Ashby
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
    • South Village
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • South Village is located in Middlesex County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Village
    • Old City
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Old City is located in Middlesex County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Old City
    • West Townsend
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • West Townsend is located in Middlesex County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Townsend
    • Shaker Village
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Shaker Village is located in Middlesex County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shaker Village
    • Shirley
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
    • Townsend
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Townsend Harbor
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Devens
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
    • West Groton
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • West Groton is located in Middlesex County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Groton
    • Ayer
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
  • Cheshire County (NH)
  • Hillsborough County (NH)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Petersham, with the one closest to Petersham listed first.
    • New Ipswich
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Sharon
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Greenville
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Mason
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Mason is located in Hillsborough County (NH)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mason
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,433 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mason <1>
    • Peterborough
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Temple
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Temple is located in Hillsborough County (NH)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Temple
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,434 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Temple <1>
    • West Peterborough
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
    • North Village
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • North Village is located in Hillsborough County (NH)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Village
    • West Wilton
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Windham County (VT)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Petersham, with the one closest to Petersham listed first.
    • South Vernon
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Vernon
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Vernon is located in Windham County (VT)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vernon
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,190 people
    • Guilford
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Guilford is located in Windham County (VT)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Guilford
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,102 people
    • Guilford
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)

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

Cemeteries Near Petersham ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Petersham.

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

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

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Petersham, with the one closest to Petersham 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 Petersham had a population of 504 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service. In 2020, Petersham had a population of 1,237 people.

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

  • Nichewaug ‑ Historic
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Nichewaug is located in Worcester County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nichewaug
  • South Athol
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • South Athol is located in Worcester County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Athol
  • North Dana ‑ Historic
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • Dana ‑ Historic
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • Williamsville
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Williamsville is located in Worcester County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Williamsville
  • Phillipston
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
  • Millington ‑ Historic
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
  • Barre
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Athol
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
  • Templeton
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Templeton is located in Worcester County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Templeton
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 8,134 people
  • North New Salem
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • North New Salem is located in Franklin County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North New Salem
  • New Salem
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • New Salem is located in Franklin County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Salem
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,034 people
  • Continue List   (16 more) ...

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

Newspapers Published in Petersham ...

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 33 newspapers that have been published in the area around Petersham.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Petersham, there are papers which were published within 16 miles [25.7 km]<5>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Petersham.

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 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 Petersham:

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 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>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 Petersham, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<5>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Petersham) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.