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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 Wendell (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 Wendell. 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 Wendell ...

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

  • Wendell was settled in 1754.
  • It was incorporated in 1781.

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 northwest 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 north.

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 north 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.

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

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

  • Franklin County     (The home county of Wendell)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Wendell, with the one closest to Wendell listed first.
    • Morse Village
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
      • Morse Village is located in Franklin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morse Village
    • Erving
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
      • Erving is located in Franklin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Erving
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,749 people
    • Wendell Depot
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Wendell Depot is located in Franklin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wendell Depot
    • Locks Village
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Locks Village is located in Franklin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Locks Village
    • New Salem
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
      • New Salem is located in Franklin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Salem
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,034 people
    • Orange
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
      • Orange is located in Franklin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orange
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 7,581 people
    • Millers Falls
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
      • Millers Falls is located in Franklin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millers Falls
    • Cooleyville
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
      • Cooleyville is located in Franklin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cooleyville
    • Moores Corner
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
      • Moores Corner is located in Franklin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moores Corner
    • Shutesbury
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
      • Shutesbury is located in Franklin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shutesbury
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,753 people
    • Millington ‑ Historic
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Millington is located in Franklin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millington
    • Lake Pleasant
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
      • Lake Pleasant is located in Franklin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Pleasant
    • Montague
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
      • Montague is located in Franklin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montague
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 8,203 people
  • Berkshire County
    • East Windsor
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • East Windsor is located in Berkshire County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Windsor
  • Hampden County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Wendell, with the one closest to Wendell listed first.
    • Ludlow City
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Ludlow City is located in Hampden County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ludlow City
    • Thorndike
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Thorndike is located in Hampden County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thorndike
    • Three Rivers
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Three Rivers is located in Hampden County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Three Rivers
    • West Brimfield
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • West Brimfield is located in Hampden County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Brimfield
    • Holyoke
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Holyoke is located in Hampden County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holyoke
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 39,921 people
    • Aldenville
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Aldenville is located in Hampden County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aldenville
    • Indian Orchard
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Indian Orchard is located in Hampden County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Indian Orchard
    • Ludlow
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Ludlow is located in Hampden County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ludlow
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 21,101 people
    • North Wilbraham
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • North Wilbraham is located in Hampden County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Wilbraham
    • Palmer
      (27 miles [43.5 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
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Tenneyville is located in Hampden County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tenneyville
    • Chicopee
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Chicopee is located in Hampden County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chicopee
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 54,825 people
    • Wilbraham
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Wilbraham is located in Hampden County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilbraham
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 14,670 people
  • Hampshire County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Wendell, with the one closest to Wendell listed first.
    • Pelham
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
      • Pelham is located in Hampshire County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pelham
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,305 people
    • North Amherst
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • North Amherst is located in Hampshire County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Amherst
    • West Pelham
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
      • West Pelham is located in Hampshire County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Pelham
    • East Village
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
      • East Village is located in Hampshire County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Village
    • Amherst Center
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Amherst Center is located in Hampshire County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amherst Center
    • Amherst
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Amherst is located in Hampshire County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amherst
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 40,643 people
    • North Hadley
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
      • North Hadley is located in Hampshire County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Hadley
    • North Hatfield
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
      • North Hatfield is located in Hampshire County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Hatfield
    • South Amherst
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
      • South Amherst is located in Hampshire County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Amherst
    • Hatfield
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Hatfield is located in Hampshire County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hatfield
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,243 people
    • Enfield ‑ Historic
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
      • Enfield is located in Hampshire County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Enfield
    • Hadley
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Hadley is located in Hampshire County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hadley
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,327 people
    • West Hatfield
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
      • West Hatfield is located in Hampshire County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Hatfield
  • Middlesex County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Wendell, with the one closest to Wendell listed first.
    • Ashby
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Ashby is located in Middlesex County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ashby
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,204 people
    • South Village
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • South Village is located in Middlesex County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Village
  • Worcester County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Wendell, with the one closest to Wendell listed first.
    • North Dana ‑ Historic
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
      • North Dana is located in Worcester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Dana
    • Athol
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
      • Athol is located in Worcester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Athol
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 11,698 people
    • Dana ‑ Historic
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Dana is located in Worcester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dana
    • Petersham
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
      • Petersham is located in Worcester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Petersham
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,237 people
    • Greenwich Village ‑ Historic
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Greenwich Village is located in Worcester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenwich Village
    • Phillipston
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
      • Phillipston is located in Worcester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Phillipston
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,739 people
    • Royalston
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Royalston is located in Worcester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Royalston
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,278 people
    • Brooks Village
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • Brooks Village is located in Worcester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brooks Village
    • Goulding Village
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • Goulding Village is located in Worcester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goulding Village
    • Greenwich ‑ Historic
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
      • Greenwich is located in Worcester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenwich
    • Baldwinville
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
      • Baldwinville is located in Worcester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baldwinville
    • Hardwick
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Hardwick is located in Worcester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hardwick
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,047 people
    • Mill Village
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Mill Village is located in Worcester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mill Village
  • Cheshire County (NH)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Wendell, with the one closest to Wendell listed first.
    • Ashuelot
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
    • Winchester
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
    • Richmond
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Richmond is located in Cheshire County (NH)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Richmond
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,126 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Richmond <1>
    • Hinsdale
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
      • Hinsdale is located in Cheshire County (NH)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hinsdale
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,906 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hinsdale <1>
    • Fitzwilliam Depot
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Fitzwilliam Depot is located in Cheshire County (NH)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fitzwilliam Depot
    • Fitzwilliam
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
    • East Swanzey
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • East Swanzey is located in Cheshire County (NH)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Swanzey
    • West Swanzey
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
    • Troy
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Troy is located in Cheshire County (NH)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Troy
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,117 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Troy <1>
    • Chesterfield
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
    • Swanzey
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Swanzey is located in Cheshire County (NH)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Swanzey
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 7,271 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Swanzey <1>
    • West Rindge
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • West Rindge is located in Cheshire County (NH)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Rindge
    • Rindge
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Rindge is located in Cheshire County (NH)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rindge
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 6,129 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Rindge <1>
  • Hillsborough County (NH)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Wendell, with the one closest to Wendell listed first.
    • New Ipswich
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Sharon
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Sharon is located in Hillsborough County (NH)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sharon
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 370 people
  • Windham County (VT)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Wendell, with the one closest to Wendell listed first.
    • South Vernon
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • South Vernon is located in Windham County (VT)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Vernon
    • Vernon
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Vernon is located in Windham County (VT)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vernon
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,190 people
    • Guilford
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Guilford is located in Windham County (VT)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Guilford
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,102 people
    • Guilford
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Fairview Village
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Fairview Village is located in Windham County (VT)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairview Village
    • Brattleboro
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
    • Halifax
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Halifax is located in Windham County (VT)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Halifax
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 674 people
    • Halifax
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Halifax is located in Windham County (VT)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Halifax
    • West Brattleboro
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
    • Brattleboro
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Brattleboro is located in Windham County (VT)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brattleboro
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 11,257 people
    • Ames Hill
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Ames Hill is located in Windham County (VT)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ames Hill
    • West Halifax
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • East Dummerston
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • East Dummerston is located in Windham County (VT)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Dummerston

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

Cemeteries Near Wendell ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Wendell.

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 Wendell - one of the links might be able to help.

If not found below, our Cemetery List for Wendell covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Wendell, with the one closest to Wendell listed first.

  • South Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
  • Diemand Family Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
  • Dry Hill Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
  • Chestnut Hill Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
  • Gardner Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Holton Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Mt. Hope Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • Plainview Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • Field Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
  • Highland Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
  • Town Farm Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
  • Mervel Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Continue List   (419 more) ...
    • Jackson Hill Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Shutesbury Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • West Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Cemetery
      • To give a relative sense of its location, the West Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located less than 2 miles<4> to the west of Shutesbury.
      • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #91835 <2>

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 in 1895, Wendell had a post office and no railroad service. In 2020, Wendell had a population of 881 people.

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

  • Locks Village
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Locks Village is located in Franklin County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Locks Village
  • Erving
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Erving is located in Franklin County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Erving
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,749 people
  • North New Salem
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • North New Salem is located in Franklin County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North New Salem
  • Wendell Depot
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Wendell Depot is located in Franklin County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wendell Depot
  • New Salem
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • New Salem is located in Franklin County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Salem
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,034 people
  • Farley
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Farley is located in Franklin County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Farley
  • North Leverett
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • North Leverett is located in Franklin County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Leverett
  • Moores Corner
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Moores Corner is located in Franklin County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moores Corner
  • Cooleyville
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Cooleyville is located in Franklin County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cooleyville
  • Orange
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Orange is located in Franklin County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orange
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 7,581 people
  • Millers Falls
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Millers Falls is located in Franklin County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millers Falls
  • Shutesbury
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Shutesbury is located in Franklin County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shutesbury
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,753 people
  • Continue List   (18 more) ...
    • Millington ‑ Historic
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Millington is located in Franklin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millington
    • South Athol
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
      • South Athol is located in Worcester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Athol
    • Northfield Farms
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Northfield Farms is located in Franklin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Northfield Farms

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

Newspapers Published in Wendell ...

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 76 newspapers that have been published in the area around Wendell.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Wendell, there are papers which were published within 17 miles [27.4 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Wendell.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first turn to the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These professional and volunteer 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 Wendell:

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 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.
<3>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.

<4>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- Wendell) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.
<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 Wendell, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.