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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 Vineyard Haven (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 Vineyard Haven. 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.

Name Variations for Vineyard Haven ...

When searching records, keep in mind that names and their spelling can change over time. Our sources include documents like maps, railroad schedules, Travel, Express and Shipping Guides. Many of these documents date from the 1800's and it's common to find spelling differences.

Although we can't give a definitive list, hopefully the following will give you a feel for the variations that might have occurred.

For example, a typical abbreviation for Vineyard Haven: Vineyard Hvn. (or less commonly used: Vineyard Havn.)

If you have information about these names (such as the reason for the change, date of change, the origin of the name), please Contact Us.

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 doctors 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.

Vineyard Haven is located in Dukes 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 Dukes County: Barnstable, Bristol, Nantucket & Plymouth.

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

  • Dukes County     (The home county of Vineyard Haven)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Vineyard Haven, with the one closest to Vineyard Haven listed first.
    • Tisbury
      (Less than 2 miles to the west)
    • West Chop
      (Less than 2 miles to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for West Chop have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Chop
      • West Chop is located in Dukes County
    • Oak Bluffs
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
    • Christian Town
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Christian Town have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Christian Town
      • Christian Town is located in Dukes County
    • North Tisbury
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Edgartown
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • West Tisbury
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Katama
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Katama. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Katama
      • Katama is located in Dukes County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Katama
      • From Vineyard Haven to Katama
    • Gosnold
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gosnold have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gosnold
      • Gosnold is located in Dukes County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 75 people
    • Chilmark
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Chilmark have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chilmark
      • Chilmark is located in Dukes County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 930 people
    • Menemsha
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Menemsha have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Menemsha
      • Menemsha is located in Dukes County
    • Squibnocket
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Aquinnah
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
  • Barnstable County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Vineyard Haven, with the one closest to Vineyard Haven listed first.
    • Acapesket
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Falmouth
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Woods Hole
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Teaticket
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Teaticket have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Teaticket
      • Teaticket is located in Barnstable County
    • East Falmouth
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Monomoscoy Island
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Monomoscoy Island have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monomoscoy Island
      • Monomoscoy Island is located in Barnstable County
    • Seconsett Island
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Seconsett Island have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seconsett Island
      • Seconsett Island is located in Barnstable County
    • West Falmouth
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for West Falmouth have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Falmouth
      • West Falmouth is located in Barnstable County
    • Maushop Village
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Maushop Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maushop Village
      • Maushop Village is located in Barnstable County
    • New Seabury
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for New Seabury have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Seabury
      • New Seabury is located in Barnstable County
    • Popponesset
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Popponesset have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Popponesset
      • Popponesset is located in Barnstable County
    • Seabrook
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Seabrook have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seabrook
      • Seabrook is located in Barnstable County
    • Popponesset Island
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Popponesset Island have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Popponesset Island
      • Popponesset Island is located in Barnstable County
  • Bristol County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Vineyard Haven, with the one closest to Vineyard Haven listed first.
    • Nonquitt
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
    • South Dartmouth
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for South Dartmouth have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Dartmouth
      • South Dartmouth is located in Bristol County
    • Bliss Corner
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bliss Corner have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bliss Corner
      • Bliss Corner is located in Bristol County
    • Fairhaven
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fairhaven have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairhaven
      • Fairhaven is located in Bristol County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 16,103 people
    • Apponagansett
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
    • New Bedford
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Acushnet Center
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Acushnet
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Acushnet have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Acushnet
      • Acushnet is located in Bristol County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 10,673 people
    • Dartmouth
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dartmouth have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dartmouth
      • Dartmouth is located in Bristol County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 33,926 people
    • North Dartmouth
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Dartmouth have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Dartmouth
      • North Dartmouth is located in Bristol County
    • Smith Mills
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Smith Mills have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smith Mills
      • Smith Mills is located in Bristol County
    • Long Plain
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Gidleys Corner
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
  • Nantucket County
  • Plymouth County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Vineyard Haven, with the one closest to Vineyard Haven listed first.
    • Mattapoisett
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mattapoisett have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mattapoisett
      • Mattapoisett is located in Plymouth County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 6,427 people
    • Marion
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
    • Briarwood Beach
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
    • Onset
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
    • Weweantic
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Weweantic have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weweantic
      • Weweantic is located in Plymouth County
    • East Wareham
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for East Wareham have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Wareham
      • East Wareham is located in Plymouth County
    • Wareham Center
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wareham Center have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wareham Center
      • Wareham Center is located in Plymouth County
    • Wareham
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wareham have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wareham
      • Wareham is located in Plymouth County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 22,778 people
    • Rochester
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
    • White Island Shores
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for White Island Shores have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Island Shores
      • White Island Shores is located in Plymouth County
    • West Wareham
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for West Wareham have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Wareham
      • West Wareham is located in Plymouth County
    • Pine Tree Village
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pine Tree Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Tree Village
      • Pine Tree Village is located in Plymouth County
    • Cranberry Village
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cranberry Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cranberry Village
      • Cranberry Village is located in Plymouth County
  • Newport County (RI)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Vineyard Haven, with the one closest to Vineyard Haven listed first.
    • Adamsville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
    • Little Compton
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Little Compton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little Compton
      • Little Compton is located in Newport County (RI)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,462 people
    • Bliss Corners
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Sakonnet
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
    • Tiverton
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tiverton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tiverton
      • Tiverton is located in Newport County (RI)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 15,569 people

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

Cemeteries Near Vineyard Haven ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Vineyard Haven.

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

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Vineyard Haven, with the one closest to Vineyard Haven 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 Vineyard Haven had a population of 800 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service.

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

  • West Chop
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for West Chop have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Chop
    • West Chop is located in Dukes County
  • Oak Bluffs
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
  • Vineyard Highlands
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Vineyard Highlands have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vineyard Highlands
    • Vineyard Highlands is located in Dukes County
  • North Tisbury
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
  • West Tisbury
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Edgartown
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Falmouth Heights
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Falmouth Heights have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Falmouth Heights
    • Falmouth Heights is located in Barnstable County
  • Falmouth
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
  • Teaticket
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Teaticket have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Teaticket
    • Teaticket is located in Barnstable County
  • Katama
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Katama. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Katama
    • Katama is located in Dukes County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Katama
    • From Vineyard Haven to Katama
  • East Falmouth
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
  • Chilmark
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Chilmark have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chilmark
    • Chilmark is located in Dukes County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 930 people
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • West Falmouth
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for West Falmouth have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Falmouth
      • West Falmouth is located in Barnstable County
    • Squibnocket
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Hatchville
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hatchville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hatchville
      • Hatchville is located in Barnstable County

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Vineyard Haven ...

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 102 newspapers that have been published in the area around Vineyard Haven.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Vineyard Haven. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Vineyard Haven and those printed in the larger area surrounding Vineyard Haven.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 21 miles [33.8 km]<3> of Vineyard Haven.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we start 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 Vineyard Haven:

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

The official website for Dukes County: www.dukescounty.org/

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>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Vineyard Haven) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Vineyard Haven. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 41.4542, Longitude: -70.6031    
<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 Vineyard Haven, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025