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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 Winchester (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 Winchester. 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 Winchester ...

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

  • Winchester was settled in 1640.
  • It was incorporated in 1850.

Neighboring Counties ...

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

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

Winchester is located in Middlesex 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 Middlesex County: Essex, Norfolk, Suffolk, Worcester & Hillsborough (NH).

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

  • Middlesex County     (The home county of Winchester)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Winchester, with the one closest to Winchester listed first.
    • Montvale
      (Less than 2 miles to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Montvale. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montvale
      • Montvale is located in Middlesex County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Montvale
      • From Winchester to Montvale
    • Walnut Hill
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
    • Woburn
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
    • Stoneham
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Cummingsville
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Arlington
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
    • West Medford
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for West Medford have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Medford
      • West Medford is located in Middlesex County
    • Medford
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Melrose
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Mishawum ‑ Historic
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Winnmere
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Wellington
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Arlington Heights
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Arlington Heights have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arlington Heights
      • Arlington Heights is located in Middlesex County
  • Bristol County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Winchester, with the one closest to Winchester listed first.
    • North Easton
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Easton have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Easton
      • North Easton is located in Bristol County
    • Easton Center
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
    • Easton
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Easton have been provided by the GNIS.<2> 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
    • South Easton
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for South Easton have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Easton
      • South Easton is located in Bristol County
    • East Mansfield
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
    • Furnace Village
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Furnace Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Furnace Village
      • Furnace Village is located in Bristol County
    • Mansfield
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
  • Essex County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Winchester, with the one closest to Winchester listed first.
    • Saugus
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • West Lynn
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Lynnfield
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Lynn
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • East Lynn
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for East Lynn. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Lynn
      • East Lynn is located in Essex County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to East Lynn
      • From Winchester to East Lynn
    • Nahant
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Swampscott
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Lowell Junction
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Brigadoon Village
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Brigadoon Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brigadoon Village
      • Brigadoon Village is located in Essex County
    • Middleton
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Peabody
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Hathorne
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hathorne have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hathorne
      • Hathorne is located in Essex County
    • Howe
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Howe. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Howe
      • Howe is located in Essex County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Howe
      • From Winchester to Howe
  • Norfolk County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Winchester, with the one closest to Winchester listed first.
    • Brookline Village
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Brookline Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brookline Village
      • Brookline Village is located in Norfolk County
    • Brookline
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Westbrook Village
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Westbrook Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westbrook Village
      • Westbrook Village is located in Norfolk County
    • Needham Heights
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Needham Heights have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Needham Heights
      • Needham Heights is located in Norfolk County
    • Needham
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Needham have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Needham
      • Needham is located in Norfolk County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 31,537 people
    • Babson Park
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
      • 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
    • Wellesley Hills
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
      • 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
    • Milton Village
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Milton Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milton Village
      • Milton Village is located in Norfolk County
    • Montclair
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Norfolk Downs
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Wellesley
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
      • 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
    • Dedham
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dedham have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dedham
      • Dedham is located in Norfolk County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 25,345 people
    • Charles River Village
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
  • Plymouth County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Winchester, with the one closest to Winchester listed first.
    • Hull
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Hingham
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Accord
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
    • Montello
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
    • Minot
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Minot have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Minot
      • Minot is located in Plymouth County
    • North Abington
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
    • North Scituate
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Scituate have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Scituate
      • North Scituate is located in Plymouth County
    • Rockland
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rockland have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rockland
      • Rockland is located in Plymouth County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 17,992 people
    • Abington
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Brockton
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
    • Norwell
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Greenbush
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Greenbush have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenbush
      • Greenbush is located in Plymouth County
    • Scituate
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Scituate have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scituate
      • Scituate is located in Plymouth County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 19,047 people
  • Suffolk County
  • Worcester County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Winchester, with the one closest to Winchester listed first.
    • Fayville
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Southborough
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • 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.<1>
      • 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 Winchester to Southborough
    • Harvard
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
    • Shaker Village
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • 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 Worcester County
    • Cordaville
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
    • Southville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Bolton
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
    • Still River
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
    • Berlin
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Berlin have been provided by the GNIS.<2> 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
    • Seventh Day Adventist Village
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Seventh Day Adventist Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seventh Day Adventist Village
      • Seventh Day Adventist Village is located in Worcester County
    • South Berlin
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
    • Carterville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
    • Lancaster
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
  • Hillsborough County (NH)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Winchester, with the one closest to Winchester listed first.
    • Pelham
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pelham have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pelham
      • Pelham is located in Hillsborough County (NH)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 14,306 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Pelham <3>
    • Hudson
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Hollis Depot
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Nashua
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Hollis
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • 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>
  • Rockingham County (NH)

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

Cemeteries Near Winchester ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Winchester.

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

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Winchester, with the one closest to Winchester 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 Winchester had a population of 3,361 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Winchester had a population of 22,678 people.

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

  • Woburn Highlands
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Woburn Highlands have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woburn Highlands
    • Woburn Highlands is located in Middlesex County
  • Winchester Highlands
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Winchester Highlands have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winchester Highlands
    • Winchester Highlands is located in Middlesex County
  • Montvale
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Montvale. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montvale
    • Montvale is located in Middlesex County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Montvale
    • From Winchester to Montvale
  • Brattle
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Brattle have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brattle
    • Brattle is located in Middlesex County
  • Central Square
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Central Square have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Central Square
    • Central Square is located in Middlesex County
  • Arlington
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
  • West Medford
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for West Medford have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Medford
    • West Medford is located in Middlesex County
  • Medford Hillside
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Medford Hillside have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Medford Hillside
    • Medford Hillside is located in Middlesex County
  • Medford
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
  • Woburn
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
  • Stoneham
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
  • Lindenwood
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lindenwood have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lindenwood
    • Lindenwood is located in Middlesex County
  • Continue List   (17 more) ...
    • Walnut Hill
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
    • Cummingsville
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
    • East Lexington
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for East Lexington have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Lexington
      • East Lexington is located in Middlesex County

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Winchester ...

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 63 newspapers that have been published in the area around Winchester.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Winchester. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Winchester and those printed in the larger area surrounding Winchester.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 8 miles [12.9 km]<7> of Winchester.

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 Winchester:

The official website for Winchester: www.winchester.us/

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 Winchester, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<7>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 drawn from Point A (ie- Winchester) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Winchester. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 42.4528, Longitude: -71.1372    









 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025