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 West Chesterfield (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 West Chesterfield. 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.
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 northeast 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 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 east 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.
West Chesterfield is located in Hampshire 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 Hampshire County : Berkshire , Franklin , Hampden & Worcester .
Below are the counties that are near West Chesterfield. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to West Chesterfield:
Hampshire County (The home county of West Chesterfield)
The following are listed by their distance from West Chesterfield, with the one closest to West Chesterfield listed first.
Chesterfield (Less than 2 miles to the east)
Chesterfield is located in Hampshire County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chesterfield Population from the 2020 Census: 1,250 people
Swift River (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
Swift River is located in Hampshire County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Swift River Worthington Corners (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
Worthington Corners is located in Hampshire County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Worthington Corners Worthington (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
Worthington is located in Hampshire County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Worthington Population from the 2020 Census: 1,176 people
Cummington (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
Cummington is located in Hampshire County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cummington Population from the 2020 Census: 873 people
Goshen (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
Goshen is located in Hampshire County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goshen Population from the 2020 Census: 1,057 people
Williamsburg (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
Williamsburg is located in Hampshire County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Williamsburg Population from the 2020 Census: 2,462 people
Plainfield (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
Plainfield is located in Hampshire County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plainfield Population from the 2020 Census: 663 people
Westhampton (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
Westhampton is located in Hampshire County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westhampton Population from the 2020 Census: 1,630 people
Middlefield (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
Middlefield is located in Hampshire County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Middlefield Population from the 2020 Census: 538 people
Haydenville (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
Haydenville is located in Hampshire County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Haydenville Leeds (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
Leeds is located in Hampshire County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leeds Berkshire County
The following are listed by their distance from West Chesterfield, with the one closest to West Chesterfield listed first.
East Windsor (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
East Windsor is located in Berkshire County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Windsor Peru (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
Peru is located in Berkshire County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peru Population from the 2020 Census: 833 people
Windsor (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
Windsor is located in Berkshire County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Windsor Population from the 2020 Census: 860 people
Becket (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
Becket is located in Berkshire County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Becket Population from the 2020 Census: 1,707 people
Hinsdale (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
Hinsdale is located in Berkshire County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hinsdale Population from the 2020 Census: 1,902 people
Washington (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
Washington is located in Berkshire County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Washington Population from the 2020 Census: 541 people
Savoy (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
Savoy is located in Berkshire County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Savoy Population from the 2020 Census: 676 people
Dalton (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
Dalton is located in Berkshire County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dalton Population from the 2020 Census: 6,479 people
Savoy Center (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
Savoy Center is located in Berkshire County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Savoy Center North Otis (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
North Otis is located in Berkshire County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Otis West Becket (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
West Becket is located in Berkshire County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Becket Berkshire (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
Berkshire is located in Berkshire County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berkshire Franklin County
The following are listed by their distance from West Chesterfield, with the one closest to West Chesterfield listed first.
South Ashfield (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
South Ashfield is located in Franklin County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Ashfield Ashfield (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
Ashfield is located in Franklin County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ashfield Population from the 2020 Census: 1,720 people
West Hawley (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
West Hawley is located in Franklin County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Hawley Hawley (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
Hawley is located in Franklin County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hawley Population from the 2020 Census: 335 people
Conway (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
Conway is located in Franklin County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Conway Population from the 2020 Census: 1,875 people
Whately (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
Whately is located in Franklin County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whately Population from the 2020 Census: 1,583 people
Buckland (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
Buckland is located in Franklin County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buckland Population from the 2020 Census: 1,851 people
South Deerfield (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
South Deerfield is located in Franklin County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Deerfield Sunderland (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
Sunderland is located in Franklin County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunderland Population from the 2020 Census: 3,634 people
Charlemont (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
Charlemont is located in Franklin County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Charlemont Population from the 2020 Census: 1,231 people
Shelburne Falls (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
Shelburne Falls is located in Franklin County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shelburne Falls Deerfield (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
Deerfield is located in Franklin County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Deerfield Population from the 2020 Census: 5,049 people
Hampden County
The following are listed by their distance from West Chesterfield, with the one closest to West Chesterfield listed first.
North Chester (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
North Chester is located in Hampden County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Chester Chester Center (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
Chester Center is located in Hampden County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chester Center Chester (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
Chester is located in Hampden County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chester Population from the 2020 Census: 1,365 people
Montgomery (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
Montgomery is located in Hampden County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montgomery Population from the 2020 Census: 863 people
North Blandford (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
North Blandford is located in Hampden County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Blandford Russell (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
Russell is located in Hampden County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Russell Population from the 2020 Census: 1,787 people
Blandford (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
Blandford is located in Hampden County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blandford Population from the 2020 Census: 1,249 people
Woronoco (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
Woronoco is located in Hampden County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woronoco Hampton Village (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
Hampton Village is located in Hampden County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hampton Village Holyoke (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
Holyoke is located in Hampden County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holyoke Population from the 2020 Census: 39,921 people
Westfield (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
Westfield is located in Hampden County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westfield Population from the 2020 Census: 41,063 people
Aldenville (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
Aldenville is located in Hampden County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aldenville Worcester County
The following are listed by their distance from West Chesterfield, with the one closest to West Chesterfield listed first.
Greenwich ‑ Historic(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
Greenwich is located in Worcester County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenwich Greenwich Village ‑ Historic(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
Greenwich Village is located in Worcester County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenwich Village North Dana ‑ Historic(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
North Dana is located in Worcester County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Dana Hartford County (CT)
The following are listed by their distance from West Chesterfield, with the one closest to West Chesterfield listed first.
Rising Corner (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
Rising Corner is located in Hartford County (CT) Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rising Corner East Hartland (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
Hartland (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
Hartland is located in Hartford County (CT) Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hartland Population from the 2020 Census: 2,113 people
West Hartland (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
Hartland (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
Hartland is located in Hartford County (CT) Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hartland North Granby (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
Granby (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
Granby is located in Hartford County (CT) Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Granby Population from the 2020 Census: 11,558 people
Suffield (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
Suffield is located in Hartford County (CT) Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Suffield Population from the 2020 Census: 15,812 people
West Granby (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
West Suffield (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
Litchfield County (CT)
The following are listed by their distance from West Chesterfield, with the one closest to West Chesterfield listed first.
Colebrook (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
Colebrook is located in Litchfield County (CT) Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colebrook Population from the 2020 Census: 1,396 people
North Colebrook (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
North Colebrook is located in Litchfield County (CT) Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Colebrook Colebrook (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
Columbia County (NY)
The following are listed by their distance from West Chesterfield, with the one closest to West Chesterfield listed first.
Canaan Center (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
Canaan Center is located in Columbia County (NY) Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Canaan Center Canaan (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
Rensselaer County (NY)
The following are listed by their distance from West Chesterfield, with the one closest to West Chesterfield listed first.
Wyomanock (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
Wyomanock is located in Rensselaer County (NY) Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wyomanock Stephentown (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
Center Berlin (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
Center Berlin is located in Rensselaer County (NY) Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Center Berlin Bennington County (VT)
The following are listed by their distance from West Chesterfield, with the one closest to West Chesterfield listed first.
Readsboro (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
Stamford (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
Readsboro (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
Readsboro is located in Bennington County (VT) Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Readsboro Population from the 2020 Census: 720 people
Stamford (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
Stamford is located in Bennington County (VT) Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stamford Population from the 2020 Census: 809 people
Windham County (VT)
The following are listed by their distance from West Chesterfield, with the one closest to West Chesterfield listed first.
Halifax (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
Halifax is located in Windham County (VT) Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Halifax Whitingham (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
Whitingham is located in Windham County (VT) Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whitingham Population from the 2020 Census: 1,271 people
Halifax (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
Halifax is located in Windham County (VT) Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Halifax Population from the 2020 Census: 674 people
Jacksonville (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
West Halifax (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
Whitingham (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
Guilford (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
Guilford is located in Windham County (VT) Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Guilford Population from the 2020 Census: 2,102 people
South Vernon (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
South Vernon is located in Windham County (VT) Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Vernon Vernon (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
Vernon is located in Windham County (VT) Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vernon Population from the 2020 Census: 2,190 people
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to West Chesterfield, see our County-by-County Page for West Chesterfield .
Cemeteries Near West Chesterfield ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of West Chesterfield.
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 West Chesterfield - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for West Chesterfield covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from West Chesterfield, with the one closest to West Chesterfield listed first.
Gate Cemetery (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
Mt. Cemetery (Less than 2 miles to the north)
Ireland Street Cemetery (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
Old Leonard Cemetery (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
Converse Cemetery (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
Torrey Cemetery (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
North Cemetery (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
Damon Cemetery (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
Bofat Cemetery (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
Dawes Cemetery (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dawes Cemetery To give a relative sense of its location, the Dawes Cemetery is located less than 2 miles<3> Cummington . Jump to the Massachusetts Cultural Resource Information System: MACRIS ID #CUM.804 <2>
Goshen Cemetery (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
North Cemetery (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
Continue List (367 more) ...
Bryant Cemetery (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
Wright Cemetery (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
Middlefield Center Cemetery (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
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.<4>
The Rand McNally Atlas shows that in 1895, West Chesterfield had a post office and no railroad service.
These communities are listed based on their distance from West Chesterfield, with the one closest to West Chesterfield listed first.
Chesterfield (Less than 2 miles to the east)
Chesterfield is located in Hampshire County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chesterfield Population from the 2020 Census: 1,250 people
Ringville (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
Ringville is located in Hampshire County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ringville Worthington (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
Worthington is located in Hampshire County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Worthington Population from the 2020 Census: 1,176 people
Swift River (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
Swift River is located in Hampshire County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Swift River Cummington (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
Cummington is located in Hampshire County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cummington Population from the 2020 Census: 873 people
South Worthington (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
South Worthington is located in Hampshire County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Worthington Goshen (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
Goshen is located in Hampshire County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goshen Population from the 2020 Census: 1,057 people
West Worthington (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
West Worthington is located in Hampshire County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Worthington North Chester (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
North Chester is located in Hampden County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Chester Littleville (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
Littleville is located in Hampden County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Littleville Williamsburg (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
Williamsburg is located in Hampshire County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Williamsburg Population from the 2020 Census: 2,462 people
Spruce Corner (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
Spruce Corner is located in Franklin County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spruce Corner Continue List (15 more) ...
East Windsor (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
East Windsor is located in Berkshire County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Windsor Middlefield (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
Middlefield is located in Hampshire County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Middlefield Population from the 2020 Census: 538 people
Chester Center (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
Chester Center is located in Hampden County Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chester Center
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around West Chesterfield. See our List of 1890's Communities around West Chesterfield .
Newspapers Published in West Chesterfield ...
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 West Chesterfield.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of West Chesterfield, there are papers which were published within 18 miles [29 km]<3> Extended Newspaper List for West Chesterfield.
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 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 West Chesterfield:
Websites specific to Massachusetts Pages specific to Hampshire County Genealogy information for nearby counties
Berkshire County Franklin County Hampden County Worcester County Hartford County Litchfield County Columbia County Rensselaer County Bennington County Windham County Cemetery Information and Directories for Massachusetts Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for West Chesterfield. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page .
The official website for State of Massachusetts: https://www.mass.gov/
Footnotes ...
<1> While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. 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 . Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- West Chesterfield) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. 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 West Chesterfield, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.