RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> State of Massachusetts >> Worcester County >> Westminster >> Genealogy HelperIndex...










Learn About
The Commemorative
Quarter for
Massachusetts

The Commemorative Quarter for Massachusetts





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 Westminster (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 Westminster. 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 Westminster ...

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

  • Westminster was settled in 1737.
  • It was incorporated in 1770.

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 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.

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

  • Worcester County     (The home county of Westminster)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Westminster, with the one closest to Westminster listed first.
    • South Gardner
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • South Ashburnham
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Gardner
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Olde English Village
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Olde English Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Olde English Village
      • Olde English Village is located in Worcester County
    • Blackburn Village
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Blackburn Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blackburn Village
      • Blackburn Village is located in Worcester County
    • Hubbardston Station
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Ashburnham
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Fitchburg
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Princeton
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • East Princeton
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Hubbardston
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • East Templeton
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for East Templeton have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Templeton
      • East Templeton is located in Worcester County
  • Franklin County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Westminster, with the one closest to Westminster listed first.
    • North Orange
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
    • Tully
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
      • 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 Westminster to Tully
    • Millington ‑ Historic
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
    • Orange
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
    • Morse Village
      (21 miles [33.8 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
    • New Salem
      (21 miles [33.8 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
    • Mayo Corners
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Warwick
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
    • Wendell Depot
      (23 miles [37 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
    • Cooleyville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
    • Wendell
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wendell have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wendell
      • Wendell is located in Franklin County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 881 people
    • Erving
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
  • Hampshire County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Westminster, with the one closest to Westminster listed first.
    • Ware
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Enfield ‑ Historic
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • 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 Westminster to Enfield
    • Pelham
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
    • West Pelham
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
  • Middlesex County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Westminster, with the one closest to Westminster listed first.
    • South Village
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
      • 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
    • Ashby
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Old City
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
      • 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
    • West Townsend
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for West Townsend have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Townsend
      • West Townsend is located in Middlesex County
    • Shaker Village
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
      • 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
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • Townsend
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
    • West Groton
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • 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
    • Townsend Harbor
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Ayer
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
    • Groton
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
    • Paper Mill Village
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Paper Mill Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paper Mill Village
      • Paper Mill Village is located in Middlesex County
  • Cheshire County (NH)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Westminster, with the one closest to Westminster listed first.
    • Rindge
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • West Rindge
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Jaffrey
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Jaffrey have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jaffrey
      • Jaffrey is located in Cheshire County (NH)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,287 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Jaffrey <3>
    • Fitzwilliam Depot
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Fitzwilliam
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Richmond
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
    • Troy
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Troy have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Troy
      • Troy is located in Cheshire County (NH)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,117 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Troy <3>
    • Bonds Corner
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Dublin
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dublin have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dublin
      • Dublin is located in Cheshire County (NH)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,555 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Dublin <3>
    • Eastview
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Eastview. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eastview
      • Eastview is located in Cheshire County (NH)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Eastview
      • From Westminster to Eastview
    • East Swanzey
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Marlborough
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Marlborough have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marlborough
      • Marlborough is located in Cheshire County (NH)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,086 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Marlborough <3>
  • Hillsborough County (NH)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Westminster, with the one closest to Westminster listed first.
    • New Ipswich
      (14 miles [22.5 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>
    • Mason
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
      • 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>
    • Greenville
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
    • Sharon
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
    • Brookline
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
    • Temple
      (19 miles [30.6 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
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
    • Hollis Depot
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Hollis
      (21 miles [33.8 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>
    • Peterborough
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Peterborough have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peterborough
      • Peterborough is located in Hillsborough County (NH)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 6,743 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Peterborough <3>
    • Wilton
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wilton have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilton
      • Wilton is located in Hillsborough County (NH)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,838 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Wilton <3>
    • Milford
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
  • Windham County (VT)

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

Cemeteries Near Westminster ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Westminster.

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

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Westminster, with the one closest to Westminster 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 Westminster had a population of 546 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service. In 2020, Westminster had a population of 8,091 people.

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

  • Wachusett
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
    • 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
  • South Gardner
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
  • South Ashburnham
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
  • West Fitchburg
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for West Fitchburg have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Fitchburg
    • West Fitchburg is located in Worcester County
  • Gardner
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Hubbardston Station
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • Hubbardston
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Princeton Station
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • 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
  • Princeton
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • East Princeton
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
  • South Fitchburg
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
  • Fitchburg
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Ashburnham
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • East Templeton
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for East Templeton have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Templeton
      • East Templeton is located in Worcester County
    • Leominster
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)

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

Newspapers Published in Westminster ...

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 101 newspapers that have been published in the area around Westminster.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Westminster, there are papers which were published within 16 miles [25.7 km]<5>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Westminster.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we like to start with the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These helpful 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 Westminster:

The official website for Westminster: www.westminster-ma.org/

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>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- Westminster) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Westminster. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 42.5461, Longitude: -71.9111    
<6>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.
<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 Westminster, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

Copyright 2025
All Rights Reserved

Thank you for visiting our website.

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.

If you've found an error or have additional information that you would like to share, please don't hesitate to write: Click here to contact us.

This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025