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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 Berlin (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 Berlin. 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 southeast 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 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 east 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.

Berlin is located in Rensselaer County.

To see how the shape of New York's counties have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Rensselaer County: Berkshire (MA), Albany, Columbia, Greene, Saratoga, Washington & Bennington (VT).

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

  • Rensselaer County     (The home county of Berlin)
  • Albany County
  • Columbia County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Berlin, with the one closest to Berlin listed first.
    • New Britain ‑ Historic
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for New Britain. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Britain
      • New Britain is located in Columbia County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to New Britain
      • From Berlin to New Britain
    • Riders Mills
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Canaan
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
    • Canaan Center
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
    • New Concord
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for New Concord. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Concord
      • New Concord is located in Columbia County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to New Concord
      • From Berlin to New Concord
    • Chatham Center
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Niverville
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Niverville have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Niverville
      • Niverville is located in Columbia County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Niverville <2>
    • Rock City
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rock City have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock City
      • Rock City is located in Columbia County
    • Red Rock
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
    • Valatie
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Chatham
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Chatham have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chatham
      • Chatham is located in Columbia County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,623 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Chatham <2>
    • Moorhouse Corner
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Austerlitz
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
  • Saratoga County
  • Schenectady County
  • Washington County
  • Berkshire County (MA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Berlin, with the one closest to Berlin listed first.
    • Williamstown
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Williamstown have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Williamstown
      • Williamstown is located in Berkshire County (MA)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 7,631 people
    • New Ashford
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for New Ashford have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Ashford
      • New Ashford is located in Berkshire County (MA)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 223 people
    • Hancock
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Hancock. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hancock
      • Hancock is located in Berkshire County (MA)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 695 people
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Hancock
      • From Berlin to Hancock
    • Greylock
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Greylock. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greylock
      • Greylock is located in Berkshire County (MA)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Greylock
      • From Berlin to Greylock
    • Adams
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • North Adams
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • Renfrew
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Renfrew. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Renfrew
      • Renfrew is located in Berkshire County (MA)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Renfrew
      • From Berlin to Renfrew
    • Zylonite
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Zylonite. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zylonite
      • Zylonite is located in Berkshire County (MA)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Zylonite
      • From Berlin to Zylonite
    • Cheshire
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Town Crest Village
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Town Crest Village have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Town Crest Village
      • Town Crest Village is located in Berkshire County (MA)
    • Arnoldville
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Farnams
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Farnams. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Farnams
      • Farnams is located in Berkshire County (MA)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Farnams
      • From Berlin to Farnams
    • Lanesborough
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lanesborough have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lanesborough
      • Lanesborough is located in Berkshire County (MA)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,925 people
  • Franklin County (MA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Berlin, with the one closest to Berlin listed first.
    • Monroe
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Monroe have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monroe
      • Monroe is located in Franklin County (MA)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 115 people
    • Monroe Bridge
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Monroe Bridge have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monroe Bridge
      • Monroe Bridge is located in Franklin County (MA)
    • Rowe
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
    • Charlemont
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
    • Dell
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
    • Hawley
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hawley have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hawley
      • Hawley is located in Franklin County (MA)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 335 people
    • Heath
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
    • North Heath
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for North Heath. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Heath
      • North Heath is located in Franklin County (MA)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to North Heath
      • From Berlin to North Heath
    • Buckland
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Buckland have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buckland
      • Buckland is located in Franklin County (MA)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,851 people
  • Hampshire County (MA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Berlin, with the one closest to Berlin listed first.
    • Plainfield
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Plainfield have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plainfield
      • Plainfield is located in Hampshire County (MA)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 663 people
    • Cummington
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Middlefield
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Middlefield have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Middlefield
      • Middlefield is located in Hampshire County (MA)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 538 people
    • Worthington Corners
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Worthington
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Worthington have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Worthington
      • Worthington is located in Hampshire County (MA)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,176 people
  • Bennington County (VT)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Berlin, with the one closest to Berlin listed first.
    • Pownal Center
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Pownal
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pownal have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pownal
      • Pownal is located in Bennington County (VT)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,386 people
    • Bennington
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bennington have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bennington
      • Bennington is located in Bennington County (VT)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 14,897 people
    • Bennington
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Old Bennington
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Old Bennington have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Old Bennington
      • Old Bennington is located in Bennington County (VT)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 128 people
    • Stamford
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Stamford have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stamford
      • Stamford is located in Bennington County (VT)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 809 people
    • Stamford
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
    • Paper Mill Village
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Paper Mill Village have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paper Mill Village
      • Paper Mill Village is located in Bennington County (VT)
    • North Bennington
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
    • Woodford Hollow
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
    • South Shaftsbury
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Woodford
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Woodford have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodford
      • Woodford is located in Bennington County (VT)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 398 people
    • Woodford
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
  • Windham County (VT)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Berlin, with the one closest to Berlin listed first.
    • Whitingham
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Whitingham have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whitingham
      • Whitingham is located in Windham County (VT)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,271 people
    • Jacksonville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
    • Whitingham
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
    • Somerset
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Somerset have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Somerset
      • Somerset is located in Windham County (VT)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3 people
    • Wilmington
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wilmington have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilmington
      • Wilmington is located in Windham County (VT)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,786 people
    • Wilmington
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)

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

Cemeteries Near Berlin ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Berlin.

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

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Berlin, with the one closest to Berlin 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 Berlin had a population of 590 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service.

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

  • Center Berlin
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
  • Petersburg
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Petersburg have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Petersburg
    • Petersburg is located in Rensselaer County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Petersburg <2>
  • North Stephentown
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Stephentown have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Stephentown
    • North Stephentown is located in Rensselaer County
  • Grafton
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
  • South Williamstown
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for South Williamstown have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Williamstown
    • South Williamstown is located in Berkshire County (MA)
  • Sweets Corner
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sweets Corner have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sweets Corner
    • Sweets Corner is located in Berkshire County (MA)
  • Williamstown
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Williamstown have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Williamstown
    • Williamstown is located in Berkshire County (MA)
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 7,631 people
  • Pownal
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pownal have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pownal
    • Pownal is located in Bennington County (VT)
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Pownal <2>
  • Quackenkill
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Quackenkill. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Quackenkill
    • Quackenkill is located in Rensselaer County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Quackenkill
    • From Berlin to Quackenkill
  • Sand Lake
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
  • West Stephentown
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
  • Stephentown Center
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Stephentown Center have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stephentown Center
    • Stephentown Center is located in Rensselaer County
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Stephentown
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Stephentown have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stephentown
      • Stephentown is located in Rensselaer County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Stephentown <2>
    • New Ashford
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for New Ashford have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Ashford
      • New Ashford is located in Berkshire County (MA)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 223 people
    • North Pownal
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Pownal have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Pownal
      • North Pownal is located in Bennington County (VT)

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Berlin ...

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 60 newspapers that have been published in the area around Berlin.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Berlin. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Berlin and those printed in the larger area surrounding Berlin.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 17 miles [27.4 km]<7> of Berlin.

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 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 Berlin:

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

The official website for Rensselaer County: www.rensco.com/

The official website for State of New York: https://www.ny.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>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<3>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.
<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 Berlin, 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 from Point A (ie- Berlin) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Berlin. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 42.6931, Longitude: -73.3722    









 

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This page was last modified/updated: 29 Apr 2025