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 Williamsville (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 Williamsville. 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 southwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors and hospitals were in the next county to the west. Almost all of the nearby churches and cemeteries were in the county to the south.
So when searching for records, we had our best success by looking in neighboring counties instead of the county in which they lived: their home county contained property and probate records; the county to the west contained birth and death records; the county to the south contained their burial records. If we hadn't included the neighboring counties, we would have missed many valuable sources of information.
If you're in a similar situation, we hope that the following information helps.
Williamsville is located in Worcester 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 Worcester County: Tolland (CT), Windham (CT), Franklin, Hampden, Hampshire, Middlesex, Norfolk, Cheshire (NH), Hillsborough (NH) & Providence (RI).
Below are the counties that are near Williamsville. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Williamsville:
- Worcester County (The home county of Williamsville)
- The following are listed by their distance from Williamsville, with the one closest to Williamsville listed first.
- Hubbardston
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Hubbardston is located in Worcester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hubbardston
- Population from the 2020 Census: 4,811 people
- Barre
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Barre is located in Worcester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barre
- Population from the 2020 Census: 5,574 people
- Heald Village
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Heald Village is located in Worcester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Heald Village
- Mill Village
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Mill Village is located in Worcester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mill Village
- Hubbardston Station
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Hubbardston Station is located in Worcester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hubbardston Station
- Goulding Village
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Goulding Village is located in Worcester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goulding Village
- Templeton
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Templeton is located in Worcester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Templeton
- Population from the 2020 Census: 8,134 people
- Phillipston
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Phillipston is located in Worcester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Phillipston
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,739 people
- Petersham
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Petersham is located in Worcester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Petersham
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,237 people
- Brooks Village
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Brooks Village is located in Worcester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brooks Village
- East Templeton
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- East Templeton is located in Worcester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Templeton
- Barre Plains
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Barre Plains is located in Worcester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barre Plains
- Franklin County
- The following are listed by their distance from Williamsville, with the one closest to Williamsville listed first.
- Millington ‑ Historic
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Millington is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millington
- Morse Village
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Morse Village is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morse Village
- New Salem
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- New Salem is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Salem
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,034 people
- North Orange
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- North Orange is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Orange
- Orange
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Orange is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orange
- Population from the 2020 Census: 7,581 people
- Tully
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Tully is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tully
- Cooleyville
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Cooleyville is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cooleyville
- Wendell Depot
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Wendell Depot is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wendell Depot
- Smiths ‑ Historic
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Smiths is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smiths
- Shutesbury
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Shutesbury is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shutesbury
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,753 people
- Wendell
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Wendell is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wendell
- Population from the 2020 Census: 881 people
- Erving
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Erving is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Erving
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,749 people
- Hampden County
- The following are listed by their distance from Williamsville, with the one closest to Williamsville listed first.
- West Brimfield
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- West Brimfield is located in Hampden County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Brimfield
- Thorndike
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Thorndike is located in Hampden County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thorndike
- Three Rivers
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Three Rivers is located in Hampden County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Three Rivers
- Brimfield
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Brimfield is located in Hampden County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brimfield
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,679 people
- Palmer
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Palmer is located in Hampden County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Palmer
- Population from the 2020 Census: 12,174 people
- Tenneyville
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Tenneyville is located in Hampden County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tenneyville
- Ludlow City
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Ludlow City is located in Hampden County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ludlow City
- Holland
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Holland is located in Hampden County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holland
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,469 people
- Monson
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Monson is located in Hampden County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monson
- Population from the 2020 Census: 8,750 people
- North Wilbraham
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- North Wilbraham is located in Hampden County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Wilbraham
- Wales
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Wales is located in Hampden County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wales
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,862 people
- Ludlow
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Ludlow is located in Hampden County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ludlow
- Population from the 2020 Census: 21,101 people
- Hampshire County
- The following are listed by their distance from Williamsville, with the one closest to Williamsville listed first.
- Enfield ‑ Historic
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Enfield is located in Hampshire County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Enfield
- Ware
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Ware is located in Hampshire County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ware
- Population from the 2020 Census: 9,897 people
- Pelham
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- Pelham is located in Hampshire County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pelham
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,305 people
- Belchertown
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Belchertown is located in Hampshire County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belchertown
- Population from the 2020 Census: 15,103 people
- West Pelham
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- West Pelham is located in Hampshire County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Pelham
- Bondsville
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Bondsville is located in Hampshire County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bondsville
- East Village
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- East Village is located in Hampshire County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Village
- South Amherst
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- South Amherst is located in Hampshire County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Amherst
- Amherst Center
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Amherst Center is located in Hampshire County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amherst Center
- Amherst
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Amherst is located in Hampshire County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amherst
- Population from the 2020 Census: 40,643 people
- North Amherst
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- North Amherst is located in Hampshire County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Amherst
- Granby
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Granby is located in Hampshire County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Granby
- Population from the 2020 Census: 6,262 people
- Middlesex County
- The following are listed by their distance from Williamsville, with the one closest to Williamsville listed first.
- South Village
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- South Village is located in Middlesex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Village
- Ashby
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Ashby is located in Middlesex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ashby
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,204 people
- Old City
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Old City is located in Middlesex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Old City
- Shaker Village
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Shaker Village is located in Middlesex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shaker Village
- Shirley
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Shirley is located in Middlesex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shirley
- Population from the 2020 Census: 7,554 people
- West Townsend
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- West Townsend is located in Middlesex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Townsend
- Townsend
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Townsend is located in Middlesex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Townsend
- Population from the 2020 Census: 9,448 people
- Devens
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Devens is located in Middlesex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Devens
- West Groton
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- West Groton is located in Middlesex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Groton
- Townsend Harbor
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Townsend Harbor is located in Middlesex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Townsend Harbor
- Ayer
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Ayer is located in Middlesex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ayer
- Population from the 2020 Census: 8,211 people
- Hudson
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Hudson is located in Middlesex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hudson
- Population from the 2020 Census: 19,732 people
- Cheshire County (NH)
- The following are listed by their distance from Williamsville, with the one closest to Williamsville listed first.
- Rindge
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Fitzwilliam Depot
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Fitzwilliam Depot is located in Cheshire County (NH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fitzwilliam Depot
- West Rindge
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- West Rindge is located in Cheshire County (NH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Rindge
- Fitzwilliam
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Richmond
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Jaffrey
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Troy
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Troy is located in Cheshire County (NH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Troy
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,117 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Troy <1>
- Winchester
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- East Swanzey
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- East Swanzey is located in Cheshire County (NH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Swanzey
- Ashuelot
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Bonds Corner
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Bonds Corner is located in Cheshire County (NH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bonds Corner
- Dublin
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Hillsborough County (NH)
- The following are listed by their distance from Williamsville, with the one closest to Williamsville listed first.
- New Ipswich
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Sharon
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Sharon is located in Hillsborough County (NH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sharon
- Population from the 2020 Census: 370 people
- Greenville
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Mason
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Mason is located in Hillsborough County (NH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mason
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,433 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mason <1>
- Temple
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Temple is located in Hillsborough County (NH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Temple
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,434 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Temple <1>
- Brookline
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Peterborough
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- West Peterborough
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- West Peterborough is located in Hillsborough County (NH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Peterborough
- West Wilton
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- West Wilton is located in Hillsborough County (NH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Wilton
- North Village
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- North Village is located in Hillsborough County (NH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Village
- Hollis
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Hollis is located in Hillsborough County (NH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hollis
- Population from the 2020 Census: 8,123 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hollis <1>
- Wilton
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Wilton is located in Hillsborough County (NH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilton
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,838 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Wilton <1>
- Windham County (VT)
- The following are listed by their distance from Williamsville, with the one closest to Williamsville listed first.
- South Vernon
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- South Vernon is located in Windham County (VT)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Vernon
- Vernon
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- 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 Williamsville, see our County-by-County Page for Williamsville.
Cemeteries Near Williamsville ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Williamsville.
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 Williamsville - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Williamsville covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Williamsville, with the one closest to Williamsville listed first.
- Williams Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Forest Hill Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Lincoln Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Glen Valley Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Pine Grove Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Nightingale Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Buckminster Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Joyce Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Kendall Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Caldwell Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Riverside Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Parker Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Continue List (419 more) ...
- Parker Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Rural Glen Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Rural Glen Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
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.<5>
The Rand McNally Atlas shows that in 1895, Williamsville had a post office and railroad service.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Williamsville, with the one closest to Williamsville listed first.
- Barre
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Barre is located in Worcester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barre
- Population from the 2020 Census: 5,574 people
- Hubbardston
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Hubbardston is located in Worcester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hubbardston
- Population from the 2020 Census: 4,811 people
- Hubbardston Station
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Hubbardston Station is located in Worcester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hubbardston Station
- Smithville
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Smithville is located in Worcester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smithville
- Coldbrook Springs
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Coldbrook Springs is located in Worcester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coldbrook Springs
- Phillipston
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Phillipston is located in Worcester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Phillipston
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,739 people
- Templeton
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Templeton is located in Worcester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Templeton
- Population from the 2020 Census: 8,134 people
- Petersham
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Petersham is located in Worcester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Petersham
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,237 people
- Nichewaug ‑ Historic
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Nichewaug is located in Worcester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nichewaug
- Barre Plains
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Barre Plains is located in Worcester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barre Plains
- North Rutland
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- North Rutland is located in Worcester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Rutland
- East Templeton
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- East Templeton is located in Worcester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Templeton
- Continue List (18 more) ...
- South Gardner
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- South Gardner is located in Worcester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Gardner
- Oakham
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Oakham is located in Worcester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakham
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,950 people
- Princeton Station
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Princeton Station is located in Worcester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Princeton Station
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Williamsville. See our List of 1890's Communities around Williamsville.
Newspapers Published in Williamsville ...
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 79 newspapers that have been published in the area around Williamsville.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Williamsville, there are papers which were published within 16 miles [25.7 km]<2>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Williamsville.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we first visit the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These websites either 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 Williamsville:
- Websites specific to Massachusetts
- Pages specific to Worcester County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Franklin County
- Hampden County
- Hampshire County
- Middlesex County
- Cheshire County
- Hillsborough County
- Windham County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Massachusetts
Footnotes ...
| <1> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <2> | 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 drawn from Point A (ie- Williamsville) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |
| <3> | 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.
|
| <4> | 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. |
| <5> | 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 Williamsville, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |