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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 Shirley (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 Shirley. 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 Shirley ...

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

  • Shirley was settled in 1720.
  • 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 southwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals and doctors 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.

Shirley is located in Middlesex 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 Middlesex County: Essex, Norfolk, Suffolk, Worcester & Hillsborough (NH).

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

  • Middlesex County     (The home county of Shirley)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Shirley, with the one closest to Shirley listed first.
    • Shaker Village
      (Less than 2 miles to the south)
      • 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
    • Ayer
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • West Groton
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
      • 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
    • Groton
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Littleton
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Littleton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Littleton
      • Littleton is located in Middlesex County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 10,253 people
    • Paper Mill Village
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
      • 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
    • Townsend Harbor
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Old City
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
      • 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
    • Centre Village ‑ Historic
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Centre Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Centre Village
      • Centre Village is located in Middlesex County
    • Forge Village
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Littleton Common
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Pepperell
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Boxborough
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Essex County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Shirley, with the one closest to Shirley listed first.
    • Haggetts
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Haggetts. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Haggetts
      • Haggetts is located in Essex County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Haggetts
      • From Shirley to Haggetts
    • Lowell Junction
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
    • Andover
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
    • Shawsheen Village
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Shawsheen Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shawsheen Village
      • Shawsheen Village is located in Essex County
    • Lawrence
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Methuen
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Methuen have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Methuen
      • Methuen is located in Essex County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 50,910 people
    • North Andover
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Andover have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Andover
      • North Andover is located in Essex County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 31,460 people
    • Tozier Corner
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Ayers Village
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ayers Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ayers Village
      • Ayers Village is located in Essex County
    • Lynnfield
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
  • Norfolk County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Shirley, with the one closest to Shirley listed first.
    • Wellesley Hills
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wellesley Hills have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wellesley Hills
      • Wellesley Hills is located in Norfolk County
    • Wellesley
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wellesley have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wellesley
      • Wellesley is located in Norfolk County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 28,684 people
    • Babson Park
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Babson Park have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Babson Park
      • Babson Park is located in Norfolk County
    • Charles River Village
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Dover
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Dover. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dover
      • Dover is located in Norfolk County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 6,119 people
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Dover
      • From Shirley to Dover
    • Needham Heights
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Needham Heights have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Needham Heights
      • Needham Heights is located in Norfolk County
    • Needham
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Needham have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Needham
      • Needham is located in Norfolk County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 31,537 people
    • Millis
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Millis have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millis
      • Millis is located in Norfolk County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 8,519 people
    • Brookline Village
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Brookline Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brookline Village
      • Brookline Village is located in Norfolk County
    • Brookline
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Medfield
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Medfield have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Medfield
      • Medfield is located in Norfolk County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 13,011 people
    • Medway
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Westbrook Village
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Westbrook Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westbrook Village
      • Westbrook Village is located in Norfolk County
  • Suffolk County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Shirley, with the one closest to Shirley listed first.
    • Brighton
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Allston
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Allston have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Allston
      • Allston is located in Suffolk County
    • West Roxbury
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Worcester County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Shirley, with the one closest to Shirley listed first.
    • Shaker Village
      (4 miles [6.4 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 Worcester County
    • Still River
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Harvard
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Lunenburg
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • North Village
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
      • 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 Worcester County
    • Leominster
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Lancaster
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Pratts Junction
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • South Fitchburg
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Bolton
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • South Lancaster
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Fitchburg
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Clinton
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
  • Cheshire County (NH)
  • Hillsborough County (NH)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Shirley, with the one closest to Shirley listed first.
    • Hollis Depot
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Hollis Depot. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hollis Depot
      • Hollis Depot is located in Hillsborough County (NH)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Hollis Depot
      • From Shirley to Hollis Depot
    • Brookline
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
    • Hollis
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hollis have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hollis
      • Hollis is located in Hillsborough County (NH)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 8,123 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hollis <3>
    • Mason
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
      • 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>
    • Nashua
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Greenville
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
    • New Ipswich
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
      • 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>
    • South Merrimack
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
    • Hudson
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
    • East Milford
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for East Milford. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Milford
      • East Milford is located in Hillsborough County (NH)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to East Milford
      • From Shirley to East Milford
    • Milford
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
    • Pelham
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pelham have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pelham
      • Pelham is located in Hillsborough County (NH)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 14,306 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Pelham <3>
    • Temple
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • 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>
  • Rockingham County (NH)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Shirley, with the one closest to Shirley listed first.
    • Windham
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Londonderry
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Londonderry have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Londonderry
      • Londonderry is located in Rockingham County (NH)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 26,646 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Londonderry <3>
    • Derry
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Salem
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Derry Village
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Derry Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Derry Village
      • Derry Village is located in Rockingham County (NH)
    • North Salem
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Wilson Corners
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Wilson
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Wilson. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilson
      • Wilson is located in Rockingham County (NH)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Wilson
      • From Shirley to Wilson

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

Cemeteries Near Shirley ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Shirley.

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 Shirley covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Shirley, with the one closest to Shirley 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.<7>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Shirley had a population of 80 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service. In 2020, Shirley had a population of 7,554 people.

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

  • Lunenburg Station
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lunenburg Station have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lunenburg Station
    • Lunenburg Station is located in Worcester County
  • Harvard Station
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Harvard Station have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harvard Station
    • Harvard Station is located in Worcester County
  • Ayer
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
  • Still River
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
  • Harvard
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • West Groton
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • 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
  • North Leominster
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Leominster have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Leominster
    • North Leominster is located in Worcester County
  • Leominster
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
  • Gates Crossing
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gates Crossing have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gates Crossing
    • Gates Crossing is located in Worcester County
  • North Village
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • 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 Worcester County
  • Groton
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
  • Lunenburg
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • West Leominster
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for West Leominster have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Leominster
      • West Leominster is located in Worcester County
    • Lancaster
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Littleton
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Littleton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Littleton
      • Littleton is located in Middlesex County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 10,253 people

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

Newspapers Published in Shirley ...

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 110 newspapers that have been published in the area around Shirley.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Shirley, there are papers which were published within 14 miles [22.5 km]<5>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Shirley.

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 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 Shirley:

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Shirley. 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 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.
<5>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Shirley) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Shirley. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 42.5439, Longitude: -71.6490    
<6>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.

<7>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 Shirley, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025