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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 Sunderland (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 Sunderland. 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 Sunderland ...

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

  • Sunderland was settled in 1713.
  • It was incorporated in 1714.

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 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.

Sunderland is located in Franklin 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 Franklin County: Berkshire, Hampshire, Worcester, Cheshire (NH) & Windham (VT).

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

  • Franklin County     (The home county of Sunderland)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sunderland, with the one closest to Sunderland listed first.
    • South Deerfield
      (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for South Deerfield have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Deerfield
      • South Deerfield is located in Franklin County
    • Whately
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Leverett
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Moores Corner
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Deerfield
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Montague
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • East Deerfield
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Lake Pleasant
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lake Pleasant have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Pleasant
      • Lake Pleasant is located in Franklin County
    • Conway
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Locks Village
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Locks Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Locks Village
      • Locks Village is located in Franklin County
    • Greenfield
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Montague City
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Montague City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montague City
      • Montague City is located in Franklin County
    • Millers Falls
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
  • Berkshire County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sunderland, with the one closest to Sunderland listed first.
    • East Windsor
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
    • Peru
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Peru have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peru
      • Peru is located in Berkshire County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 833 people
    • Savoy
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
    • Drury
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Windsor
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
    • Florida
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Savoy Center
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
    • Becket
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Becket have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Becket
      • Becket is located in Berkshire County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,707 people
    • Hinsdale
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hinsdale have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hinsdale
      • Hinsdale is located in Berkshire County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,902 people
    • Washington
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Washington. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Washington
      • Washington is located in Berkshire County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 541 people
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Washington
      • From Sunderland to Washington
    • Adams
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
    • Arnoldville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
    • Dalton
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dalton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dalton
      • Dalton is located in Berkshire County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 6,479 people
  • Hampden County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sunderland, with the one closest to Sunderland listed first.
    • Ludlow City
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ludlow City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ludlow City
      • Ludlow City is located in Hampden County
    • Holyoke
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
    • Aldenville
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • North Chester
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Indian Orchard
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
    • Ludlow
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ludlow have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ludlow
      • Ludlow is located in Hampden County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 21,101 people
    • Chester Center
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Montgomery
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Montgomery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montgomery
      • Montgomery is located in Hampden County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 863 people
    • Chicopee
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
    • Thorndike
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Thorndike have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thorndike
      • Thorndike is located in Hampden County
    • Three Rivers
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Hampton Village
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hampton Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hampton Village
      • Hampton Village is located in Hampden County
    • North Wilbraham
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
  • Hampshire County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sunderland, with the one closest to Sunderland listed first.
    • North Amherst
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • North Hatfield
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • North Hadley
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Hatfield
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hatfield have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hatfield
      • Hatfield is located in Hampshire County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,243 people
    • Amherst Center
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
      • 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
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • East Village
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
      • 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
    • West Hatfield
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Hadley
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hadley have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hadley
      • Hadley is located in Hampshire County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,327 people
    • West Pelham
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Haydenville
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Haydenville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Haydenville
      • Haydenville is located in Hampshire County
    • South Amherst
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
      • 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
    • Williamsburg
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
  • Worcester County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sunderland, with the one closest to Sunderland listed first.
    • North Dana ‑ Historic
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for North Dana. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Dana
      • North Dana is located in Worcester County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to North Dana
      • From Sunderland to North Dana
    • Dana ‑ Historic
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Dana. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dana
      • Dana is located in Worcester County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Dana
      • From Sunderland to Dana
    • Greenwich Village ‑ Historic
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
    • Greenwich ‑ Historic
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Greenwich. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenwich
      • Greenwich is located in Worcester County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Greenwich
      • From Sunderland to Greenwich
    • Athol
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Hardwick
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hardwick have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hardwick
      • Hardwick is located in Worcester County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,047 people
    • Petersham
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
    • Gilbertville
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Phillipston
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
    • Wheelwright
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wheelwright have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wheelwright
      • Wheelwright is located in Worcester County
    • Barre Plains
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
    • Barre
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
    • Brooks Village
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • 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
  • Hartford County (CT)
  • Cheshire County (NH)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sunderland, with the one closest to Sunderland listed first.
    • Ashuelot
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
    • Hinsdale
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hinsdale have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hinsdale
      • Hinsdale is located in Cheshire County (NH)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,906 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hinsdale <3>
    • Winchester
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
    • Richmond
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Chesterfield
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Chesterfield have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chesterfield
      • Chesterfield is located in Cheshire County (NH)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,644 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Chesterfield <3>
    • Fitzwilliam Depot
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Fitzwilliam
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
    • West Swanzey
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for West Swanzey have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Swanzey
      • West Swanzey is located in Cheshire County (NH)
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for West Swanzey <3>
  • Bennington County (VT)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sunderland, with the one closest to Sunderland listed first.
    • Readsboro
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Readsboro
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Readsboro have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Readsboro
      • Readsboro is located in Bennington County (VT)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 720 people
  • Windham County (VT)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sunderland, with the one closest to Sunderland listed first.
    • South Vernon
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
    • Vernon
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • 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
    • Guilford
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • 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
    • Halifax
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
    • Halifax
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Halifax have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Halifax
      • Halifax is located in Windham County (VT)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 674 people
    • West Halifax
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Fairview Village
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • 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)
    • Jacksonville
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Whitingham
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Brattleboro
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
    • West Brattleboro
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
    • Whitingham
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Whitingham have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whitingham
      • Whitingham is located in Windham County (VT)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,271 people
    • Ames Hill
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)

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

Cemeteries Near Sunderland ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Sunderland.

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

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Sunderland, with the one closest to Sunderland 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 Sunderland had a population of 290 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service. In 2020, Sunderland had a population of 3,634 people.

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

  • South Deerfield
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for South Deerfield have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Deerfield
    • South Deerfield is located in Franklin County
  • East Whately
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for East Whately have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Whately
    • East Whately is located in Franklin County
  • Whately
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
  • North Hatfield
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
  • North Amherst
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Leverett
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
  • Deerfield
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • North Hadley
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • Moores Corner
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
  • West Deerfield
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for West Deerfield have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Deerfield
    • West Deerfield is located in Franklin County
  • North Leverett
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Leverett have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Leverett
    • North Leverett is located in Franklin County
  • Montague
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
  • Continue List   (17 more) ...
    • Hatfield
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hatfield have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hatfield
      • Hatfield is located in Hampshire County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,243 people
    • Amherst
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Lake Pleasant
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lake Pleasant have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Pleasant
      • Lake Pleasant is located in Franklin County

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

Newspapers Published in Sunderland ...

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 55 newspapers that have been published in the area around Sunderland.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Sunderland, there are papers which were published within 16 miles [25.7 km]<7>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Sunderland.

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 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 Sunderland:

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Sunderland. 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 Sunderland, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<7>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Sunderland) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Sunderland. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 42.4664, Longitude: -72.5795    









 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025