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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 Wakefield (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 Wakefield. 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 Wakefield ...

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

  • Wakefield was settled in 1639.
  • It was incorporated in 1812.

Neighboring Counties ...

When searching for family records, we have frequently made the mistake of not checking the neighboring counties.

For example, we have great-grandparents who lived in the southwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals and doctors were in the next county to the west. Almost all of the nearby churches and cemeteries were in the county to the south.

So when searching for records, we had our best success by looking in neighboring counties instead of the county in which they lived:  their home county contained property and probate records; the county to the west contained birth and death records; the county to the south contained their burial records. If we hadn't included the neighboring counties, we would have missed many valuable sources of information.

If you're in a similar situation, we hope that the following information helps.

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

  • Middlesex County     (The home county of Wakefield)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Wakefield, with the one closest to Wakefield listed first.
    • Montrose
      (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Montrose. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montrose
      • Montrose is located in Middlesex County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Montrose
      • From Wakefield to Montrose
    • Reading
      (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Reading have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reading
      • Reading is located in Middlesex County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 25,535 people
    • Stoneham
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Walnut Hill
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
    • Melrose
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Wyoming
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Wyoming. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wyoming
      • Wyoming is located in Middlesex County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Wyoming
      • From Wakefield to Wyoming
    • Montvale
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Montvale. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montvale
      • Montvale is located in Middlesex County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Montvale
      • From Wakefield to Montvale
    • Mishawum ‑ Historic
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • West Village
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for West Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Village
      • West Village is located in Middlesex County
    • Winchester
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Woburn
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Cummingsville
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
  • Bristol County
    • North Easton
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Easton have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Easton
      • North Easton is located in Bristol County
  • Essex County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Wakefield, with the one closest to Wakefield listed first.
    • Lynnfield
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Saugus
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • West Lynn
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Lynn
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Brigadoon Village
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Brigadoon Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brigadoon Village
      • Brigadoon Village is located in Essex County
    • Middleton
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • East Lynn
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for East Lynn. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Lynn
      • East Lynn is located in Essex County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to East Lynn
      • From Wakefield to East Lynn
    • Peabody
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Hathorne
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hathorne have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hathorne
      • Hathorne is located in Essex County
    • Howe
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Howe. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Howe
      • Howe is located in Essex County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Howe
      • From Wakefield to Howe
    • Salem
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Danvers
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
  • Norfolk County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Wakefield, with the one closest to Wakefield listed first.
    • Brookline Village
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Brookline Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brookline Village
      • Brookline Village is located in Norfolk County
    • Brookline
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • Westbrook Village
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Westbrook Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westbrook Village
      • Westbrook Village is located in Norfolk County
    • Milton Village
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Milton Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milton Village
      • Milton Village is located in Norfolk County
    • Montclair
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
    • Norfolk Downs
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
    • Wollaston
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
    • Needham Heights
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Needham Heights have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Needham Heights
      • Needham Heights is located in Norfolk County
    • Milton
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
    • Quincy
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
    • Babson Park
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Babson Park have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Babson Park
      • Babson Park is located in Norfolk County
    • Needham
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Needham have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Needham
      • Needham is located in Norfolk County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 31,537 people
  • Plymouth County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Wakefield, with the one closest to Wakefield listed first.
    • Hull
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Hingham
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Accord
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Minot
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Minot have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Minot
      • Minot is located in Plymouth County
    • North Scituate
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Scituate have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Scituate
      • North Scituate is located in Plymouth County
    • North Abington
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
    • Rockland
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rockland have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rockland
      • Rockland is located in Plymouth County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 17,992 people
    • Montello
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
    • Greenbush
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Greenbush have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenbush
      • Greenbush is located in Plymouth County
    • Norwell
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Scituate
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Scituate have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scituate
      • Scituate is located in Plymouth County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 19,047 people
    • Abington
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
  • Suffolk County
  • Worcester County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Wakefield, with the one closest to Wakefield listed first.
    • Shaker Village
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Shaker Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shaker Village
      • Shaker Village is located in Worcester County
    • Fayville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Southborough
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Southborough. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Southborough
      • Southborough is located in Worcester County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 10,200 people
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Southborough
      • From Wakefield to Southborough
    • Harvard
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
    • Bolton
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
    • Cordaville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Southville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Still River
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
    • Seventh Day Adventist Village
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Seventh Day Adventist Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seventh Day Adventist Village
      • Seventh Day Adventist Village is located in Worcester County
    • Berlin
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Berlin have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berlin
      • Berlin is located in Worcester County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,731 people
    • Carterville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
    • Lancaster
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
  • Hillsborough County (NH)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Wakefield, with the one closest to Wakefield listed first.
    • Pelham
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pelham have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pelham
      • Pelham is located in Hillsborough County (NH)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 14,306 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Pelham <3>
    • Hudson
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Nashua
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Hollis Depot
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
  • Rockingham County (NH)

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

Cemeteries Near Wakefield ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Wakefield.

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

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Wakefield, with the one closest to Wakefield 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 Wakefield had a population of 6,892 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Wakefield had a population of 27,051 people.

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

  • Wakefield Junction
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wakefield Junction have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wakefield Junction
    • Wakefield Junction is located in Middlesex County
  • Farm Hill
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Farm Hill have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Farm Hill
    • Farm Hill is located in Middlesex County
  • Greenwood
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Greenwood have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenwood
    • Greenwood is located in Middlesex County
  • Montrose
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Montrose. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montrose
    • Montrose is located in Middlesex County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Montrose
    • From Wakefield to Montrose
  • Reading
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Reading have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reading
    • Reading is located in Middlesex County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 25,535 people
  • Walnut Hill
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
  • Lindenwood
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lindenwood have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lindenwood
    • Lindenwood is located in Middlesex County
  • Stoneham
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
  • Melrose Highlands
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Melrose Highlands have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Melrose Highlands
    • Melrose Highlands is located in Middlesex County
  • Lynnfield
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
  • Reading Highlands
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Reading Highlands have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reading Highlands
    • Reading Highlands is located in Middlesex County
  • Montvale
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Montvale. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montvale
    • Montvale is located in Middlesex County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Montvale
    • From Wakefield to Montvale
  • Continue List   (18 more) ...
    • Winchester Highlands
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Winchester Highlands have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winchester Highlands
      • Winchester Highlands is located in Middlesex County
    • Wyoming
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Wyoming. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wyoming
      • Wyoming is located in Middlesex County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Wyoming
      • From Wakefield to Wyoming
    • Melrose
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Wakefield ...

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 68 newspapers that have been published in the area around Wakefield.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Wakefield. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Wakefield and those printed in the larger area surrounding Wakefield.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 9 miles [14.5 km]<7> of Wakefield.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first visit the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These websites 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 Wakefield:

The official website for Wakefield: www.wakefield.ma.us/

The official website for State of Massachusetts: https://www.mass.gov/

Footnotes ...

<1>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.
<2>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.
<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 Wakefield, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<7>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Wakefield) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Wakefield. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 42.5036, Longitude: -71.0706    









 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025