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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 Westborough (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 Westborough. 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 Westborough ...

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.

Another variation: Westboro.

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.

A Few Details for Westborough ...

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

  • Westborough was settled in 1675.
  • It was incorporated in 1717.

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.

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

  • Worcester County     (The home county of Westborough)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Westborough, with the one closest to Westborough listed first.
    • Southville
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Northborough
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Northborough have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Northborough
      • Northborough is located in Worcester County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 15,038 people
    • Cordaville
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Fayville
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Southborough
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Southborough. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Southborough
      • Southborough is located in Worcester County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 10,200 people
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Southborough
      • From Westborough to Southborough
    • Grafton
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • North Grafton
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Grafton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Grafton
      • North Grafton is located in Worcester County
    • Shrewsbury
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • South Berlin
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Upton
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Upton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Upton
      • Upton is located in Worcester County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 8,088 people
    • West Upton
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Berlin
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Berlin have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berlin
      • Berlin is located in Worcester County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,731 people
  • Bristol County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Westborough, with the one closest to Westborough listed first.
    • North Attleboro
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Attleboro have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Attleboro
      • North Attleboro is located in Bristol County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 29,470 people
    • Attleboro Falls
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Attleboro Falls have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Attleboro Falls
      • Attleboro Falls is located in Bristol County
    • Mansfield
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Attleborough City
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Attleborough City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Attleborough City
      • Attleborough City is located in Bristol County
    • Attleboro
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
    • East Mansfield
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Chartley
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Chartley have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chartley
      • Chartley is located in Bristol County
    • North Easton
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Easton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Easton
      • North Easton is located in Bristol County
    • North Seekonk
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Seekonk have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Seekonk
      • North Seekonk is located in Bristol County
    • Briggs Corner
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Easton Center
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Easton
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Easton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Easton
      • Easton is located in Bristol County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 25,116 people
  • Middlesex County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Westborough, with the one closest to Westborough listed first.
    • Woodville
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Woodville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodville
      • Woodville is located in Middlesex County
    • Marlborough Junction
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Hopkinton
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Marlborough
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Hayden Row
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Ashland
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Hudson
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hudson have been provided by the GNIS.<1> 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
    • East Holliston
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Framingham
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Holliston
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Metcalf
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Saxonville
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
  • Norfolk County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Westborough, with the one closest to Westborough listed first.
    • Bellingham
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Medway
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Millis
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Millis have been provided by the GNIS.<1> 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
    • Rockville
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Rockville. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rockville
      • Rockville is located in Norfolk County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Rockville
      • From Westborough to Rockville
    • Dover
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
      • 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.<2>
      • 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 Westborough to Dover
    • Medfield
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Medfield have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Medfield
      • Medfield is located in Norfolk County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 13,011 people
    • Wellesley
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wellesley have been provided by the GNIS.<1> 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
    • Franklin
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Charles River Village
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
    • Wellesley Hills
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wellesley Hills have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wellesley Hills
      • Wellesley Hills is located in Norfolk County
    • Acorn Terrace
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Norfolk
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Suffolk County
  • Windham County (CT)
  • Hillsborough County (NH)
    • Hollis Depot
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
  • Providence County (RI)

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

Cemeteries Near Westborough ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Westborough.

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

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Westborough, with the one closest to Westborough 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.<7>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Westborough had a population of 5,187 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Westborough had a population of 19,063 people.

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

  • Woodville
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Woodville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodville
    • Woodville is located in Middlesex County
  • Northborough
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Northborough have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Northborough
    • Northborough is located in Worcester County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 15,038 people
  • Southville
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
  • Cordaville
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
  • Chapinville
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Chapinville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chapinville
    • Chapinville is located in Worcester County
  • North Grafton
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Grafton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Grafton
    • North Grafton is located in Worcester County
  • Grafton
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • Hopkinton
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
  • Fayville
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
  • Southborough
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Southborough. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Southborough
    • Southborough is located in Worcester County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 10,200 people
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Southborough
    • From Westborough to Southborough
  • Marlborough Junction
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
  • Shrewsbury
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
  • Continue List   (19 more) ...
    • West Upton
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Upton
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Upton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Upton
      • Upton is located in Worcester County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 8,088 people
    • Hayden Row
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Westborough ...

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 210 newspapers that have been published in the area around Westborough.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Westborough. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Westborough and those printed in the larger area surrounding Westborough.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 12 miles [19.3 km]<6> of Westborough.

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 Westborough:

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Westborough. 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>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Westborough) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Westborough. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 42.2695, Longitude: -71.6129    
<7>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 Westborough, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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In closing, please keep in mind that we can not guarantee the accuracy or timeliness of the information on this website, so use with care. We encourage you to double-check the information that is critical to you.

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025