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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 Townsend (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 Townsend. 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 Townsend ...

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

  • Townsend was settled in 1676.
  • It was incorporated in 1732.

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 and hospitals 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.

Townsend 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 Townsend. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Townsend:

  • Middlesex County     (The home county of Townsend)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Townsend, with the one closest to Townsend listed first.
    • West Townsend
      (Less than 2 miles to the west)
      • 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
    • Townsend Harbor
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Old City
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
      • 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
    • Pepperell
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • West Groton
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
      • 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
    • Ashby
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Babbatasset Village
      (6 miles [9.7 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
    • East Pepperell
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for East Pepperell have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Pepperell
      • East Pepperell is located in Middlesex County
    • Paper Mill Village
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
      • 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
    • South Village
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
      • 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
    • Groton
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Shirley
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Ayer
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
  • Essex County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Townsend, with the one closest to Townsend listed first.
    • Haggetts
      (25 miles [40.2 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 Townsend to Haggetts
    • Lawrence
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
    • Lowell Junction
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
    • Methuen
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • 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
    • Tozier Corner
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
    • Andover
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
    • Ayers Village
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • 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
    • Shawsheen Village
      (28 miles [45.1 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
    • North Andover
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • 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
  • Franklin County
  • Worcester County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Townsend, with the one closest to Townsend listed first.
    • Lunenburg
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Fitchburg
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • South Fitchburg
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Blackburn Village
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Blackburn Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blackburn Village
      • Blackburn Village is located in Worcester County
    • Leominster
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Ashburnham
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Shaker Village
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
      • 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
    • Lane Village
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lane Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lane Village
      • Lane Village is located in Worcester County
    • South Ashburnham
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • North Village
      (13 miles [20.9 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
    • Pratts Junction
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • Still River
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • Harvard
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Cheshire County (NH)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Townsend, with the one closest to Townsend listed first.
    • Rindge
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
    • West Rindge
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for West Rindge. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Rindge
      • West Rindge is located in Cheshire County (NH)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to West Rindge
      • From Townsend to West Rindge
    • Jaffrey
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Jaffrey have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jaffrey
      • Jaffrey is located in Cheshire County (NH)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,287 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Jaffrey <3>
    • Bonds Corner
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Fitzwilliam Depot
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
    • Fitzwilliam
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
    • Dublin
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dublin have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dublin
      • Dublin is located in Cheshire County (NH)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,555 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Dublin <3>
    • Eastview
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Eastview. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eastview
      • Eastview is located in Cheshire County (NH)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Eastview
      • From Townsend to Eastview
    • Troy
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Troy have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Troy
      • Troy is located in Cheshire County (NH)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,117 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Troy <3>
    • Harrisville
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Richmond
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
    • East Swanzey
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Marlborough
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Marlborough have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marlborough
      • Marlborough is located in Cheshire County (NH)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,086 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Marlborough <3>
  • Hillsborough County (NH)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Townsend, with the one closest to Townsend listed first.
    • Brookline
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Mason
      (6 miles [9.7 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>
    • Hollis
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
      • 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>
    • Hollis Depot
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Greenville
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • New Ipswich
      (9 miles [14.5 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>
    • East Milford
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Milford
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Wilton
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wilton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilton
      • Wilton is located in Hillsborough County (NH)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,838 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Wilton <3>
    • South Merrimack
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Temple
      (12 miles [19.3 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>
    • West Wilton
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
      • 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 Townsend to West Wilton
    • Nashua
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
  • Merrimack County (NH)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Townsend, with the one closest to Townsend listed first.
    • Martin
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Martin have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Martin
      • Martin is located in Merrimack County (NH)
    • South Hooksett
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for South Hooksett have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Hooksett
      • South Hooksett is located in Merrimack County (NH)
    • Dunbarton
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
  • Rockingham County (NH)

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

Cemeteries Near Townsend ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Townsend.

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

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Townsend, with the one closest to Townsend 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 in 1895, Townsend had a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Townsend had a population of 9,448 people.

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

  • West Townsend
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
    • 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
  • Townsend Harbor
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
  • Lunenburg
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • West Groton
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • 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
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
  • Brookline
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
  • Ashby
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
  • East Pepperell
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for East Pepperell have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Pepperell
    • East Pepperell is located in Middlesex County
  • Mason
    (6 miles [9.7 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>
  • Fitchburg
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Groton
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Hollis
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • 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>
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • South Fitchburg
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • West Leominster
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
      • 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
    • North Leominster
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
      • 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

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

Newspapers Published in Townsend ...

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 128 newspapers that have been published in the area around Townsend.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Townsend, there are papers which were published within 16 miles [25.7 km]<5>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Townsend.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we like to start 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 Townsend:

The official website for Townsend: www.townsend.ma.us/

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 from Point A (ie- Townsend) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Townsend. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 42.6669, Longitude: -71.7058    
<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 Townsend, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025