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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 Royalston (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 Royalston. 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 Royalston ...

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

  • Royalston was settled in 1762.
  • It was incorporated in 1765.

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

Royalston is located in Worcester County.

To see how the shape of Massachusetts' counties 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 Royalston. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Royalston:

  • Worcester County     (The home county of Royalston)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Royalston, with the one closest to Royalston listed first.
    • Waterville
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Athol
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Winchendon
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Baldwinville
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Winchendon Springs
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Winchendon Springs have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winchendon Springs
      • Winchendon Springs is located in Worcester County
    • Brooks Village
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Brooks Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brooks Village
      • Brooks Village is located in Worcester County
    • Pequoig
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Phillipston
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • East Templeton
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for East Templeton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Templeton
      • East Templeton is located in Worcester County
    • Goulding Village
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Goulding Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goulding Village
      • Goulding Village is located in Worcester County
    • Templeton
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Templeton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Templeton
      • Templeton is located in Worcester County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 8,134 people
    • Gardner
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Franklin County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Royalston, with the one closest to Royalston listed first.
    • North Orange
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Tully
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Tully. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tully
      • Tully is located in Franklin County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Tully
      • From Royalston to Tully
    • Mayo Corners
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Warwick
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Orange
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Wendell Depot
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wendell Depot have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wendell Depot
      • Wendell Depot is located in Franklin County
    • Erving
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Morse Village
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Morse Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morse Village
      • Morse Village is located in Franklin County
    • New Salem
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for New Salem have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Salem
      • New Salem is located in Franklin County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,034 people
    • Wendell
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wendell have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wendell
      • Wendell is located in Franklin County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 881 people
    • Northfield
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Northfield have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Northfield
      • Northfield is located in Franklin County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,958 people
    • Millington ‑ Historic
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Millington. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millington
      • Millington is located in Franklin County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Millington
      • From Royalston to Millington
  • Hampshire County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Royalston, with the one closest to Royalston listed first.
    • Pelham
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Enfield ‑ Historic
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Enfield. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Enfield
      • Enfield is located in Hampshire County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Enfield
      • From Royalston to Enfield
    • East Village
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for East Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Village
      • East Village is located in Hampshire County
    • North Amherst
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
    • West Pelham
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Amherst Center
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Amherst Center have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amherst Center
      • Amherst Center is located in Hampshire County
    • Amherst
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Ware
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
    • North Hadley
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
    • North Hatfield
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
    • South Amherst
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for South Amherst have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Amherst
      • South Amherst is located in Hampshire County
    • Belchertown
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Belchertown. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belchertown
      • Belchertown is located in Hampshire County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 15,103 people
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Belchertown
      • From Royalston to Belchertown
  • Middlesex County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Royalston, with the one closest to Royalston listed first.
    • Ashby
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
    • South Village
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for South Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Village
      • South Village is located in Middlesex County
    • West Townsend
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for West Townsend have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Townsend
      • West Townsend is located in Middlesex County
    • Old City
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Old City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Old City
      • Old City is located in Middlesex County
    • Townsend
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
    • Townsend Harbor
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
    • Shirley
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
    • West Groton
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for West Groton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Groton
      • West Groton is located in Middlesex County
    • Pepperell
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
    • Shaker Village
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Shaker Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shaker Village
      • Shaker Village is located in Middlesex County
    • Babbatasset Village
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Babbatasset Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Babbatasset Village
      • Babbatasset Village is located in Middlesex County
    • Paper Mill Village
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Paper Mill Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paper Mill Village
      • Paper Mill Village is located in Middlesex County
  • Cheshire County (NH)
  • Hillsborough County (NH)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Royalston, with the one closest to Royalston listed first.
    • Sharon
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
    • New Ipswich
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for New Ipswich have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Ipswich
      • New Ipswich is located in Hillsborough County (NH)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,429 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for New Ipswich <3>
    • Peterborough
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Peterborough have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peterborough
      • Peterborough is located in Hillsborough County (NH)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 6,743 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Peterborough <3>
    • West Peterborough
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
    • North Village
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Village
      • North Village is located in Hillsborough County (NH)
    • Temple
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Temple have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Temple
      • Temple is located in Hillsborough County (NH)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,434 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Temple <3>
    • Greenville
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
    • Mason
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mason have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mason
      • Mason is located in Hillsborough County (NH)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,433 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mason <3>
    • West Wilton
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for West Wilton. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Wilton
      • West Wilton is located in Hillsborough County (NH)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to West Wilton
      • From Royalston to West Wilton
    • Elmwood
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Elmwood. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elmwood
      • Elmwood is located in Hillsborough County (NH)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Elmwood
      • From Royalston to Elmwood
    • Hancock
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
    • Greenfield
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
  • Windham County (VT)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Royalston, with the one closest to Royalston listed first.
    • South Vernon
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
    • Vernon
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Vernon have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vernon
      • Vernon is located in Windham County (VT)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,190 people
    • Brattleboro
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Fairview Village
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fairview Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairview Village
      • Fairview Village is located in Windham County (VT)
    • Guilford
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Guilford have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Guilford
      • Guilford is located in Windham County (VT)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,102 people
    • West Brattleboro
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Brattleboro
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Brattleboro have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brattleboro
      • Brattleboro is located in Windham County (VT)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 11,257 people
    • East Dummerston
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Dummerston
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dummerston have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dummerston
      • Dummerston is located in Windham County (VT)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,739 people
    • Putney
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Putney have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Putney
      • Putney is located in Windham County (VT)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,438 people
    • West Dummerston
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Ames Hill
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)

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

Cemeteries Near Royalston ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Royalston.

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.

If you need information about a burial or interment, photos, transcripts, how to contact the cemetery or local authorities, please visit our selection of Genealogy Websites (see below).

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

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Royalston, with the one closest to Royalston 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.<6>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Royalston had a population of 430 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service. In 2020, Royalston had a population of 1,278 people.

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

  • South Royalston
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for South Royalston have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Royalston
    • South Royalston is located in Worcester County
  • North Orange
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Tully
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Tully. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tully
    • Tully is located in Franklin County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Tully
    • From Royalston to Tully
  • Athol
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • Waterville
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
  • State Line
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for State Line have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for State Line
    • State Line is located in Cheshire County (NH)
  • Fitzwilliam Depot
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
  • Richmond
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Baldwinville
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Winchendon
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
  • Fitzwilliam
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
  • Warwick
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
  • Continue List   (17 more) ...
    • Orange
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Otter River
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Otter River have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Otter River
      • Otter River is located in Worcester County
    • Winchendon Springs
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Winchendon Springs have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winchendon Springs
      • Winchendon Springs is located in Worcester County

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Royalston ...

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 42 newspapers that have been published in the area around Royalston.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Royalston. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Royalston and those printed in the larger area surrounding Royalston.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 18 miles [29 km]<7> of Royalston.

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 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 Royalston:

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Royalston. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.

The official website for State of Massachusetts: https://www.mass.gov/

Footnotes ...

<1>The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required.
<2>An 'estimated' location is one where we have been given GPS coordinates, but are unable to verify the accuracy of those coordinates. That said, we have some confidence that we have placed the marker near the actual location. A typical reason for being unable to verify a location is that it might be on private property or maybe historic and gone without an obvious trace.
<3>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<4>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.

<5>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.
<6>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 Royalston, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<7>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- Royalston) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Royalston. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 42.6762, Longitude: -72.1875    









 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025