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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 Wenham (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 Wenham. 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 Wenham ...

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

  • Wenham was settled in 1635.
  • It was incorporated in 1643.

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 and hospitals were in the next county to the east. Almost all of the nearby churches and cemeteries were in the county to the south.

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

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

Wenham is located in Essex 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 Essex County: Middlesex, Suffolk & Rockingham (NH).

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

  • Essex County     (The home county of Wenham)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Wenham, with the one closest to Wenham listed first.
    • South Hamilton
      (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for South Hamilton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Hamilton
      • South Hamilton is located in Essex County
    • Asbury Grove
      (Less than 2 miles to the north)
    • Centerville
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Centerville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Centerville
      • Centerville is located in Essex County
    • Hamilton
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hamilton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hamilton
      • Hamilton is located in Essex County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 8,070 people
    • Topsfield
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Beverly
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Danvers
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Beverly Farms
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Prides Crossing
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Prides Crossing have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prides Crossing
      • Prides Crossing is located in Essex County
    • Hathorne
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hathorne have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hathorne
      • Hathorne is located in Essex County
    • Essex Falls
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Essex
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
  • Middlesex County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Wenham, with the one closest to Wenham listed first.
    • North Reading
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Montrose
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
      • 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.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montrose
      • Montrose is located in Middlesex County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Montrose
      • From Wenham to Montrose
    • Reading
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Reading have been provided by the GNIS.<1> 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
    • Wakefield
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • West Village
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for West Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Village
      • West Village is located in Middlesex County
    • Melrose
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Stoneham
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Wyoming
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
      • 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.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wyoming
      • Wyoming is located in Middlesex County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Wyoming
      • From Wenham to Wyoming
    • Mishawum ‑ Historic
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Montvale
      (14 miles [22.5 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.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montvale
      • Montvale is located in Middlesex County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Montvale
      • From Wenham to Montvale
    • Walnut Hill
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Everett
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
  • Norfolk County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Wenham, with the one closest to Wenham listed first.
    • Brookline Village
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Brookline Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brookline Village
      • Brookline Village is located in Norfolk County
    • Brookline
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Norfolk Downs
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
    • North Cohasset
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
    • Montclair
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
    • North Weymouth
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Weymouth have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Weymouth
      • North Weymouth is located in Norfolk County
    • Wollaston
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
    • Westbrook Village
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Westbrook Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westbrook Village
      • Westbrook Village is located in Norfolk County
    • Cohasset
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cohasset have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cohasset
      • Cohasset is located in Norfolk County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 8,529 people
    • Milton Village
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Milton Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milton Village
      • Milton Village is located in Norfolk County
    • Quincy Point
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
    • Quincy
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
  • Plymouth County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Wenham, with the one closest to Wenham listed first.
    • Hull
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • Hingham
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
    • Minot
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Minot have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Minot
      • Minot is located in Plymouth County
    • North Scituate
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Scituate have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Scituate
      • North Scituate is located in Plymouth County
    • Accord
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
    • Scituate
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Scituate have been provided by the GNIS.<1> 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
    • Greenbush
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Greenbush have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenbush
      • Greenbush is located in Plymouth County
    • Norwell
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
  • Suffolk County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Wenham, with the one closest to Wenham listed first.
    • Revere
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Winthrop
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
    • Chelsea
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Point Shirley
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
    • Charlestown
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
    • East Boston
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Boston
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
    • Bay Village
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bay Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bay Village
      • Bay Village is located in Suffolk County
    • Allston
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Allston have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Allston
      • Allston is located in Suffolk County
    • South Boston
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Brighton
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Dorchester
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Hillsborough County (NH)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Wenham, with the one closest to Wenham listed first.
    • Pelham
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pelham have been provided by the GNIS.<1> 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
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
  • Rockingham County (NH)

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

Cemeteries Near Wenham ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Wenham.

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

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Wenham, with the one closest to Wenham 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 Wenham had a population of 508 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service. In 2020, Wenham had a population of 5,164 people.

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

  • North Beverly
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Beverly have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Beverly
    • North Beverly is located in Essex County
  • Asbury Grove
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
  • Putnamville
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Putnamville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Putnamville
    • Putnamville is located in Essex County
  • Beaver Brook ‑ Historic
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Beaver Brook have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beaver Brook
    • Beaver Brook is located in Essex County
  • Danvers
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Beverly
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
  • Montserrat
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Montserrat have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montserrat
    • Montserrat is located in Essex County
  • Hamilton
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hamilton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hamilton
    • Hamilton is located in Essex County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 8,070 people
  • Topsfield
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
  • Danvers Center
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Danvers Center have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Danvers Center
    • Danvers Center is located in Essex County
  • Tapleyville
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tapleyville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tapleyville
    • Tapleyville is located in Essex County
  • Danversport
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Danversport have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Danversport
    • Danversport is located in Essex County
  • Continue List   (16 more) ...
    • Prides Crossing
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Prides Crossing have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prides Crossing
      • Prides Crossing is located in Essex County
    • Beverly Farms
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Proctor
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Proctor have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Proctor
      • Proctor is located in Essex County

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Wenham ...

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 95 newspapers that have been published in the area around Wenham.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Wenham. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Wenham and those printed in the larger area surrounding Wenham.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 14 miles [22.5 km]<7> of Wenham.

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 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 Wenham:

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

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 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 Wenham, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<7>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or 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- Wenham) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Wenham. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 42.6043, Longitude: -70.8876    









 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025