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 Thorndike (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 Thorndike. 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 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.
Thorndike is located in Hampden 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 Hampden County: Hartford (CT), Litchfield (CT), Tolland (CT), Berkshire, Hampshire & Worcester.
Below are the counties that are near Thorndike. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Thorndike:
- Hampden County (The home county of Thorndike)
- The following are listed by their distance from Thorndike, with the one closest to Thorndike listed first.
- Three Rivers
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Three Rivers is located in Hampden County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Three Rivers
- Palmer
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Palmer is located in Hampden County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Palmer
- Population from the 2020 Census: 12,174 people
- Tenneyville
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Tenneyville is located in Hampden County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tenneyville
- West Brimfield
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- West Brimfield is located in Hampden County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Brimfield
- Monson
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Monson is located in Hampden County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monson
- Population from the 2020 Census: 8,750 people
- North Wilbraham
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- North Wilbraham is located in Hampden County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Wilbraham
- Wilbraham
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Wilbraham is located in Hampden County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilbraham
- Population from the 2020 Census: 14,670 people
- South Factory Village
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Ludlow
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Ludlow is located in Hampden County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ludlow
- Population from the 2020 Census: 21,101 people
- Brimfield
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Brimfield is located in Hampden County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brimfield
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,679 people
- Indian Orchard
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Indian Orchard is located in Hampden County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Indian Orchard
- Ludlow City
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Ludlow City is located in Hampden County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ludlow City
- Hampden
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Hampden is located in Hampden County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hampden
- Population from the 2020 Census: 5,154 people
- Franklin County
- The following are listed by their distance from Thorndike, with the one closest to Thorndike listed first.
- Smiths ‑ Historic
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Smiths is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smiths
- Shutesbury
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Shutesbury is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shutesbury
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,753 people
- Cooleyville
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Cooleyville is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cooleyville
- Millington ‑ Historic
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Millington is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millington
- Leverett
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Leverett is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leverett
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,836 people
- New Salem
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- New Salem is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Salem
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,034 people
- Locks Village
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Locks Village is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Locks Village
- Moores Corner
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Moores Corner is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moores Corner
- Sunderland
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Sunderland is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunderland
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,634 people
- Whately
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Whately is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whately
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,583 people
- Morse Village
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Morse Village is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morse Village
- South Deerfield
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- South Deerfield is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Deerfield
- Montague
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Montague is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montague
- Population from the 2020 Census: 8,203 people
- Hampshire County
- The following are listed by their distance from Thorndike, with the one closest to Thorndike listed first.
- Bondsville
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Bondsville is located in Hampshire County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bondsville
- Ware
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Ware is located in Hampshire County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ware
- Population from the 2020 Census: 9,897 people
- Belchertown
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Belchertown is located in Hampshire County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belchertown
- Population from the 2020 Census: 15,103 people
- Enfield ‑ Historic
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Enfield is located in Hampshire County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Enfield
- Granby
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Granby is located in Hampshire County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Granby
- Population from the 2020 Census: 6,262 people
- South Amherst
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- South Amherst is located in Hampshire County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Amherst
- South Hadley
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- South Hadley is located in Hampshire County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Hadley
- Population from the 2020 Census: 17,539 people
- Pelham
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Pelham is located in Hampshire County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pelham
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,305 people
- West Pelham
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- West Pelham is located in Hampshire County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Pelham
- East Village
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- East Village is located in Hampshire County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Village
- Mount Tom
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Mount Tom is located in Hampshire County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Tom
- Amherst Center
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Amherst Center is located in Hampshire County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amherst Center
- Amherst
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Amherst is located in Hampshire County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amherst
- Population from the 2020 Census: 40,643 people
- Worcester County
- The following are listed by their distance from Thorndike, with the one closest to Thorndike listed first.
- West Warren
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- West Warren is located in Worcester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Warren
- Warren
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Warren is located in Worcester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Warren
- Population from the 2020 Census: 5,203 people
- West Brookfield
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- West Brookfield is located in Worcester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Brookfield
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,713 people
- Gilbertville
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Gilbertville is located in Worcester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gilbertville
- Greenwich ‑ Historic
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Greenwich is located in Worcester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenwich
- Brookfield
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Brookfield is located in Worcester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brookfield
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,439 people
- Fiskdale
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Fiskdale is located in Worcester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fiskdale
- Greenwich Village ‑ Historic
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Greenwich Village is located in Worcester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenwich Village
- Hardwick
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Hardwick is located in Worcester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hardwick
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,047 people
- New Braintree
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- New Braintree is located in Worcester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Braintree
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,020 people
- North Brookfield
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- North Brookfield is located in Worcester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Brookfield
- Population from the 2020 Census: 4,789 people
- Old Sturbridge Village
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Sturbridge
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Sturbridge is located in Worcester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sturbridge
- Population from the 2020 Census: 9,561 people
- Hartford County (CT)
- The following are listed by their distance from Thorndike, with the one closest to Thorndike listed first.
- Sherwood Manor
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Sherwood Manor is located in Hartford County (CT)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sherwood Manor
- Hazardville
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Hazardville is located in Hartford County (CT)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hazardville
- Enfield
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Enfield is located in Hartford County (CT)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Enfield
- Population from the 2020 Census: 43,559 people
- Enfield
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Thompsonville
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Thompsonville is located in Hartford County (CT)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thompsonville
- Southwood Acres
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Southwood Acres is located in Hartford County (CT)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Southwood Acres
- Broad Brook
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- East Windsor
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- East Windsor is located in Hartford County (CT)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Windsor
- Population from the 2020 Census: 11,654 people
- Mill Pond Village
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Mill Pond Village is located in Hartford County (CT)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mill Pond Village
- Rising Corner
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Rising Corner is located in Hartford County (CT)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rising Corner
- Suffield Depot
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Suffield Depot is located in Hartford County (CT)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Suffield Depot
- Suffield
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Warehouse Point
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Warehouse Point is located in Hartford County (CT)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Warehouse Point
- Tolland County (CT)
- The following are listed by their distance from Thorndike, with the one closest to Thorndike listed first.
- State Line
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- State Line is located in Tolland County (CT)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for State Line
- Stafford
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Stafford is located in Tolland County (CT)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stafford
- Population from the 2020 Census: 11,834 people
- Stafford
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Staffordville
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Somers
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Somers is located in Tolland County (CT)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Somers
- Population from the 2020 Census: 10,741 people
- Somers
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Stafford Springs
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Union
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Union is located in Tolland County (CT)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union
- Population from the 2020 Census: 844 people
- Union
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Somersville
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Crystal Lake
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Crystal Lake is located in Tolland County (CT)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crystal Lake
- Ellington
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Ellington is located in Tolland County (CT)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ellington
- Population from the 2020 Census: 16,652 people
- Ellington
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Windham County (CT)
- The following are listed by their distance from Thorndike, with the one closest to Thorndike listed first.
- Westford
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Westford is located in Windham County (CT)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westford
- West Woodstock
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- West Woodstock is located in Windham County (CT)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Woodstock
- Woodstock Valley
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Ashford
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Ashford is located in Windham County (CT)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ashford
- Population from the 2020 Census: 4,246 people
- Quinebaug
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Woodstock
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Woodstock is located in Windham County (CT)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodstock
- Population from the 2020 Census: 7,834 people
- East Woodstock
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Eastford
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Eastford is located in Windham County (CT)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eastford
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,800 people
- Eastford
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Fabyan
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Warrenville
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Warrenville is located in Windham County (CT)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Warrenville
- West Ashford
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- West Ashford is located in Windham County (CT)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Ashford
- Ashford
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Thorndike, see our County-by-County Page for Thorndike.
Cemeteries Near Thorndike ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Thorndike.
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 Thorndike - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Thorndike covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Thorndike, with the one closest to Thorndike listed first.
- St. Anns Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- St. Thomas Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Four Corners Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Oak Knoll Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Palmer Center Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- St.s Peter & Paul Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Hillcrest Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- East Wilbraham Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Hillside Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hillside Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Hillside Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located outside and to the north of Monson.
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #91098 <4>
- Hillside Elementary School Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- North Main Street Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Bethany RC Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bethany RC Cemetery
- The Bethany RC Cemetery has also been known as:
- Bethany Cemetery
- Bethany Road Cemetery
- Pearl Street Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2394703 <4>
- Continue List (439 more) ...
- Grouts Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Woodland Dell Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Glendale Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
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>
The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Thorndike had a population of 1,300 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Thorndike, with the one closest to Thorndike listed first.
- Three Rivers
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Three Rivers is located in Hampden County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Three Rivers
- Bondsville
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Bondsville is located in Hampshire County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bondsville
- Whipples
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- Whipples is located in Hampden County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whipples
- Palmer
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Palmer is located in Hampden County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Palmer
- Population from the 2020 Census: 12,174 people
- Red Bridge
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Red Bridge is located in Hampden County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Bridge
- West Brimfield
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- West Brimfield is located in Hampden County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Brimfield
- North Monson
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- North Monson is located in Hampden County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Monson
- North Wilbraham
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- North Wilbraham is located in Hampden County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Wilbraham
- Monson
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Monson is located in Hampden County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monson
- Population from the 2020 Census: 8,750 people
- West Warren
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- West Warren is located in Worcester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Warren
- West Ware
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- West Ware is located in Hampshire County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Ware
- Wilbraham
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Wilbraham is located in Hampden County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilbraham
- Population from the 2020 Census: 14,670 people
- Continue List (17 more) ...
- South Monson
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- South Monson is located in Hampden County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Monson
- Ware
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Ware is located in Hampshire County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ware
- Population from the 2020 Census: 9,897 people
- Ludlow Center
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Ludlow Center is located in Hampden County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ludlow Center
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Thorndike. See our List of 1890's Communities around Thorndike.
Newspapers Published in Thorndike ...
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 139 newspapers that have been published in the area around Thorndike.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Thorndike, there are papers which were published within 15 miles [24.1 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Thorndike.
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 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 Thorndike:
- Websites specific to Massachusetts
- Pages specific to Hampden County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Franklin County
- Hampshire County
- Worcester County
- Hartford County
- Tolland County
- Windham County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Massachusetts
Footnotes ...
| <1> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <2> | The Massachusetts Historical Commission (MHC) has created and maintains a database of historic properties that is called MACRIS (for the Massachusetts Cultural Resource Information System). More information about the MHC and MACRIS can be found on their website: mhc-macris.net.
When visiting the MACRIS website, you might encounter their page requiring the 'Acceptance of Terms'. With your acceptance, you'll be transfered to the desired page.
|
| <3> | 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- Thorndike) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |
| <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> | 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 Thorndike, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |