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 Plain (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 Plain. 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.
Plain is located in Middlesex 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 Middlesex County : Essex , Norfolk , Suffolk , Worcester & Hillsborough (NH) .
Below are the counties that are near Plain. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Plain:
Middlesex County (The home county of Plain)
The following are listed by their distance from Plain, with the one closest to Plain listed first.
Concord (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
Concord is located in Middlesex County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Concord Population from the 2020 Census: 18,765 people
West Concord (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
West Concord is located in Middlesex County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Concord Carlisle Station (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
Carlisle Station is located in Middlesex County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carlisle Station Carlisle (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
Carlisle is located in Middlesex County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carlisle Population from the 2020 Census: 5,231 people
Village of Nagog Woods (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
Acton (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
Acton is located in Middlesex County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Acton Population from the 2020 Census: 23,503 people
Bedford (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
Bedford is located in Middlesex County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bedford Population from the 2020 Census: 14,053 people
Baker Bridge (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
Baker Bridge is located in Middlesex County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baker Bridge Bedford Springs (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
Bedford Springs is located in Middlesex County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bedford Springs New Town ‑ Historic(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
New Town is located in Middlesex County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Town North Sudbury (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
North Sudbury is located in Middlesex County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Sudbury Lincoln (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
Lincoln is located in Middlesex County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lincoln Population from the 2020 Census: 6,993 people
Maynard (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
Maynard is located in Middlesex County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maynard Population from the 2020 Census: 11,288 people
Essex County
The following are listed by their distance from Plain, with the one closest to Plain listed first.
Haggetts (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
Haggetts is located in Essex County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Haggetts Lowell Junction (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
Lowell Junction is located in Essex County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lowell Junction Lynnfield (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
Lynnfield is located in Essex County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lynnfield Population from the 2020 Census: 13,040 people
Andover (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
Andover is located in Essex County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Andover Population from the 2020 Census: 36,554 people
West Andover (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
West Andover is located in Essex County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Andover Shawsheen Village (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
Shawsheen Village is located in Essex County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shawsheen Village Cliftondale (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
Cliftondale is located in Essex County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cliftondale Pleasant Hills (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
Pleasant Hills is located in Essex County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Hills Saugus (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
Saugus is located in Essex County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saugus Population from the 2020 Census: 28,542 people
Lawrence (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
Lawrence is located in Essex County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lawrence Population from the 2020 Census: 80,007 people
Brigadoon Village (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
Brigadoon Village is located in Essex County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brigadoon Village Middleton (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
Middleton is located in Essex County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Middleton Population from the 2020 Census: 10,107 people
North Andover (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
North Andover is located in Essex County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Andover Population from the 2020 Census: 31,460 people
Norfolk County
The following are listed by their distance from Plain, with the one closest to Plain listed first.
Wellesley Hills (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
Wellesley Hills is located in Norfolk County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wellesley Hills Wellesley Farms (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
Wellesley Farms is located in Norfolk County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wellesley Farms Wellesley (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
Wellesley is located in Norfolk County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wellesley Population from the 2020 Census: 28,684 people
Babson Park (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
Babson Park is located in Norfolk County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Babson Park Needham Heights (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
Needham Heights is located in Norfolk County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Needham Heights Needham (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
Needham is located in Norfolk County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Needham Population from the 2020 Census: 31,537 people
Charles River Village (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
Brookline Village (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
Brookline Village is located in Norfolk County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brookline Village Brookline (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
Brookline is located in Norfolk County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brookline Population from the 2020 Census: 59,022 people
Westbrook Village (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
Westbrook Village is located in Norfolk County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westbrook Village Dover (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
Dover is located in Norfolk County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dover Population from the 2020 Census: 6,119 people
Dedham (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
Dedham is located in Norfolk County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dedham Population from the 2020 Census: 25,345 people
Ashcroft (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
Ashcroft is located in Norfolk County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ashcroft Plymouth County
The following are listed by their distance from Plain, with the one closest to Plain listed first.
Hull (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
Hull is located in Plymouth County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hull Population from the 2020 Census: 10,484 people
Bayside (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
Bayside is located in Plymouth County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bayside Kenberma (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
Kenberma is located in Plymouth County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kenberma Hingham (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
Hingham is located in Plymouth County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hingham Population from the 2020 Census: 24,720 people
West Hingham (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
West Hingham is located in Plymouth County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Hingham Suffolk County
The following are listed by their distance from Plain, with the one closest to Plain listed first.
Brighton (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
Brighton is located in Suffolk County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brighton Allston (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
Allston is located in Suffolk County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Allston Bay Village (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
Bay Village is located in Suffolk County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bay Village Charlestown (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
Charlestown is located in Suffolk County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Charlestown Highland (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
Highland is located in Suffolk County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Highland Jamaica Plain (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
Jamaica Plain is located in Suffolk County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jamaica Plain West Roxbury (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
West Roxbury is located in Suffolk County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Roxbury Chelsea (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
Chelsea is located in Suffolk County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chelsea Population from the 2020 Census: 39,230 people
Franklin Park (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
Franklin Park is located in Suffolk County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Franklin Park Revere (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
Revere is located in Suffolk County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Revere Population from the 2020 Census: 52,375 people
Boston (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
Boston is located in Suffolk County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boston Population from the 2020 Census: 691,531 people
East Boston (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
East Boston is located in Suffolk County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Boston Roslindale (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
Roslindale is located in Suffolk County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roslindale Worcester County
The following are listed by their distance from Plain, with the one closest to Plain listed first.
Shaker Village (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
Shaker Village is located in Worcester County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shaker Village Harvard (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
Harvard is located in Worcester County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harvard Population from the 2020 Census: 6,618 people
Bolton (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
Bolton is located in Worcester County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bolton Population from the 2020 Census: 5,476 people
Still River (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
Still River is located in Worcester County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Still River Fayville (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
Fayville is located in Worcester County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fayville Southborough (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
Southborough is located in Worcester County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Southborough Population from the 2020 Census: 10,200 people
Seventh Day Adventist Village (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
Berlin (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
Berlin is located in Worcester County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berlin Population from the 2020 Census: 3,731 people
Carterville (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
Carterville is located in Worcester County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carterville South Berlin (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
South Berlin is located in Worcester County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Berlin Lancaster (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
Lancaster is located in Worcester County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lancaster Population from the 2020 Census: 7,857 people
North Village (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
North Village is located in Worcester County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Village Chapinville (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
Chapinville is located in Worcester County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chapinville Hillsborough County (NH)
The following are listed by their distance from Plain, with the one closest to Plain listed first.
Pelham (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
Pelham is located in Hillsborough County (NH) Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pelham Population from the 2020 Census: 14,306 people
Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Pelham <1>
Hollis Depot (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
Hollis Depot is located in Hillsborough County (NH) Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hollis Depot Hudson (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
Hudson is located in Hillsborough County (NH) Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hudson Population from the 2020 Census: 25,620 people
Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hudson <1>
Nashua (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
Nashua is located in Hillsborough County (NH) Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nashua Population from the 2020 Census: 89,167 people
Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Nashua <1>
Hollis (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
Hollis is located in Hillsborough County (NH) Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hollis Population from the 2020 Census: 8,123 people
Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hollis <1>
Brookline (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
South Merrimack (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
South Merrimack is located in Hillsborough County (NH) Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Merrimack Litchfield (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
East Milford (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
East Milford is located in Hillsborough County (NH) Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Milford East Merrimack (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
East Merrimack is located in Hillsborough County (NH) Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Merrimack Merrimack (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
Mason (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
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>
Milford (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
Milford is located in Hillsborough County (NH) Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milford Population from the 2020 Census: 16,515 people
Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Milford <1>
Rockingham County (NH)
The following are listed by their distance from Plain, with the one closest to Plain listed first.
Salem (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
Salem is located in Rockingham County (NH) Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salem Population from the 2020 Census: 30,641 people
Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Salem <1>
Windham (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
Windham is located in Rockingham County (NH) Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Windham Population from the 2020 Census: 14,865 people
Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Windham <1>
Wilson Corners (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
Wilson Corners is located in Rockingham County (NH) Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilson Corners North Salem (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
Londonderry (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
Derry (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
Derry is located in Rockingham County (NH) Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Derry Population from the 2020 Census: 33,442 people
Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Derry <1>
Atkinson (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
Westville (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
Westville is located in Rockingham County (NH) Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westville Derry Village (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
Derry Village is located in Rockingham County (NH) Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Derry Village Hampstead (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
Hubbard (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
Hubbard is located in Rockingham County (NH) Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hubbard Plaistow (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
Wilson (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
Wilson is located in Rockingham County (NH) Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilson
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Plain, see our County-by-County Page for Plain .
Cemeteries Near Plain ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Plain.
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 Plain - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Plain covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Plain, with the one closest to Plain listed first.
Old Hill Burying Ground (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
Sleepy Hollow Cemetery (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
St. Bernards Cemetery (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
Woodlawn Cemetery (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
Forest Cemetery (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
Green Cemetery (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
Three Cornered Cemetery (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
Mt. Hope Cemetery (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
Glenwood Cemetery (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glenwood Cemetery To give a relative sense of its location, the Glenwood Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located outside and to the south of Maynard . Jump to the Massachusetts Cultural Resource Information System: MACRIS ID #MAY.800 <2>
Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #91023 <3>
St. Bridgets Cemetery (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
Jump to our Gazetteer entry for St. Bridgets Cemetery To give a relative sense of its location, the St. Bridgets Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located outside and to the southeast of Maynard . Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #91557 <3>
New North Cemetery (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New North Cemetery To give a relative sense of its location, the New North Cemetery is located 2 miles [3.2 km]<4> Maynard . North Cemetery (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Cemetery To give a relative sense of its location, the North Cemetery is located 2 miles [3.2 km]<4> Maynard . The North Cemetery has also been known as:
North Sudbury Cemetery Old North Cemetery Jump to the Massachusetts Cultural Resource Information System: MACRIS ID #SUD.801 <2>
Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2193484 <3>
Continue List (617 more) ...
Lincoln Cemetery (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
Westview Cemetery (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
South Cemetery (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
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>
While we didn't find Plain in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Plain.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Plain, with the one closest to Plain listed first.
Concord (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
Concord is located in Middlesex County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Concord Population from the 2020 Census: 18,765 people
East Acton (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
East Acton is located in Middlesex County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Acton West Bedford (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
West Bedford is located in Middlesex County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Bedford North Acton (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
North Acton is located in Middlesex County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Acton Carlisle Station (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
Carlisle Station is located in Middlesex County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carlisle Station Carlisle (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
Carlisle is located in Middlesex County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carlisle Population from the 2020 Census: 5,231 people
Acton (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
Acton is located in Middlesex County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Acton Population from the 2020 Census: 23,503 people
South Acton (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
South Acton is located in Middlesex County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Acton Baker Bridge (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
Baker Bridge is located in Middlesex County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baker Bridge Bedford (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
Bedford is located in Middlesex County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bedford Population from the 2020 Census: 14,053 people
Maynard (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
Maynard is located in Middlesex County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maynard Population from the 2020 Census: 11,288 people
North Sudbury (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
North Sudbury is located in Middlesex County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Sudbury Continue List (19 more) ...
South Lincoln (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
South Lincoln is located in Middlesex County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Lincoln Lincoln (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
Lincoln is located in Middlesex County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lincoln Population from the 2020 Census: 6,993 people
Bedford Springs (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
Bedford Springs is located in Middlesex County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bedford Springs
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Plain. See our List of 1890's Communities around Plain .
Newspapers Published in Plain ...
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 216 newspapers that have been published in the area around Plain.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Plain, there are papers which were published within 12 miles [19.3 km]<4> Extended Newspaper List for Plain.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we first turn to the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These websites either 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 Plain:
Websites specific to Massachusetts Pages specific to Middlesex County Genealogy information for nearby counties
Essex County Norfolk County Plymouth County Suffolk County Worcester County Hillsborough County Rockingham County Cemetery Information and Directories for Massachusetts Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Plain. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page .
The official website for State of Massachusetts: https://www.mass.gov/
Footnotes ...
<1> While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. 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 . 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 . 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 from Point A (ie- Plain) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. 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 Plain, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.