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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 West Sterling (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 Sterling. While we don't have information that is specific to any given person or family, we intend to expand our understanding about where and how people lived.

Name Variations for West Sterling ...

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

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

For example, a typical abbreviation for West Sterling: W. Sterling

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

Neighboring Counties ...

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

For example, we have great-grandparents who lived in the northwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most 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.

West Sterling is located in Worcester 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 Worcester County: Tolland (CT), Windham (CT), Franklin, Hampden, Hampshire, Middlesex, Norfolk, Cheshire (NH), Hillsborough (NH) & Providence (RI).

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

  • Worcester County     (The home county of West Sterling)
    • The following are listed by their distance from West Sterling, with the one closest to West Sterling listed first.
    • East Princeton
      (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
    • Princeton
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
    • Sterling
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Pratts Junction
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Sterling Junction
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Brooks
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Brooks. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brooks
      • Brooks is located in Worcester County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Brooks
      • From West Sterling to Brooks
    • Leominster
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Ruralville
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • South Lancaster
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • West Boylston
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for West Boylston have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Boylston
      • West Boylston is located in Worcester County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 8,039 people
    • Jefferson
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Jefferson have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jefferson
      • Jefferson is located in Worcester County
    • Boylston
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Boylston have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boylston
      • Boylston is located in Worcester County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,728 people
  • Franklin County
    • The following are listed by their distance from West Sterling, with the one closest to West Sterling listed first.
    • Millington ‑ Historic
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
    • North Orange
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Tully
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Tully. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tully
      • Tully is located in Franklin County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Tully
      • From West Sterling to Tully
    • New Salem
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for New Salem have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Salem
      • New Salem is located in Franklin County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,034 people
    • Orange
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
    • Morse Village
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Morse Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morse Village
      • Morse Village is located in Franklin County
    • Smiths ‑ Historic
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Smiths. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smiths
      • Smiths is located in Franklin County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Smiths
      • From West Sterling to Smiths
    • Cooleyville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
    • Mayo Corners
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Wendell Depot
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wendell Depot have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wendell Depot
      • Wendell Depot is located in Franklin County
    • Warwick
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Shutesbury
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
  • Hampden County
    • Brimfield
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Brimfield have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brimfield
      • Brimfield is located in Hampden County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,679 people
  • Hampshire County
    • The following are listed by their distance from West Sterling, with the one closest to West Sterling listed first.
    • Ware
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Enfield ‑ Historic
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Enfield. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Enfield
      • Enfield is located in Hampshire County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Enfield
      • From West Sterling to Enfield
    • Pelham
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
  • Middlesex County
    • The following are listed by their distance from West Sterling, with the one closest to West Sterling listed first.
    • Shaker Village
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
      • 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 Middlesex County
    • Shirley
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Hudson
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hudson have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hudson
      • Hudson is located in Middlesex County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 19,732 people
    • Old City
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Old City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Old City
      • Old City is located in Middlesex County
    • Ayer
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
    • South Village
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for South Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Village
      • South Village is located in Middlesex County
    • West Groton
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for West Groton have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Groton
      • West Groton is located in Middlesex County
    • Boxborough
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
    • Ashby
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
    • Townsend
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
    • Townsend Harbor
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Marlborough
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
  • Norfolk County
    • The following are listed by their distance from West Sterling, with the one closest to West Sterling listed first.
    • Wellesley
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wellesley have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wellesley
      • Wellesley is located in Norfolk County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 28,684 people
    • Wellesley Hills
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wellesley Hills have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wellesley Hills
      • Wellesley Hills is located in Norfolk County
    • Babson Park
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • 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
    • Bellingham
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Dover
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Dover. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dover
      • Dover is located in Norfolk County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 6,119 people
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Dover
      • From West Sterling to Dover
    • Medway
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Millis
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Millis have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millis
      • Millis is located in Norfolk County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 8,519 people
  • Windham County (CT)
  • Cheshire County (NH)
  • Hillsborough County (NH)
    • The following are listed by their distance from West Sterling, with the one closest to West Sterling listed first.
    • Mason
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mason have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mason
      • Mason is located in Hillsborough County (NH)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,433 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mason <3>
    • New Ipswich
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for New Ipswich have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Ipswich
      • New Ipswich is located in Hillsborough County (NH)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,429 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for New Ipswich <3>
    • Brookline
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
    • Greenville
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
    • Hollis Depot
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Hollis
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hollis have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hollis
      • Hollis is located in Hillsborough County (NH)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 8,123 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hollis <3>
    • Sharon
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Temple
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Temple have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Temple
      • Temple is located in Hillsborough County (NH)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,434 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Temple <3>
    • West Wilton
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
    • East Milford
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • Milford
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • South Merrimack
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)

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

Cemeteries Near West Sterling ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of West Sterling.

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

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from West Sterling, with the one closest to West Sterling 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 in 1895, West Sterling had a post office and no railroad service.

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

  • East Princeton
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
  • Princeton
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
  • Sterling
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
  • Brooks
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Brooks. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brooks
    • Brooks is located in Worcester County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Brooks
    • From West Sterling to Brooks
  • Oakdale
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Oakdale have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakdale
    • Oakdale is located in Worcester County
  • Sterling Junction
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • North Woods
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Woods have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Woods
    • North Woods is located in Worcester County
  • Quinapoxet
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Quinapoxet have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Quinapoxet
    • Quinapoxet is located in Worcester County
  • Gates Crossing
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gates Crossing have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gates Crossing
    • Gates Crossing is located in Worcester County
  • Leominster
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
  • Princeton Station
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Princeton Station have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Princeton Station
    • Princeton Station is located in Worcester County
  • Muschopauge
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Muschopauge have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Muschopauge
    • Muschopauge is located in Worcester County
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Jefferson
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Jefferson have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jefferson
      • Jefferson is located in Worcester County
    • West Boylston
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for West Boylston have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Boylston
      • West Boylston is located in Worcester County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 8,039 people
    • Wachusett
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wachusett have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wachusett
      • Wachusett is located in Worcester County

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

Newspapers Published in West Sterling ...

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 193 newspapers that have been published in the area around West Sterling.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of West Sterling, there are papers which were published within 14 miles [22.5 km]<7>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for West Sterling.

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 West Sterling:

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

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 West Sterling, 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 obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- West Sterling) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in West Sterling. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 42.4520, Longitude: -71.8195       In this case, the coordinates for West Sterling have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025