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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 Smithfield (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 Smithfield. 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 northwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals were in the next county to the west. Almost all of the nearby churches and cemeteries were in the county to the north.

So when searching for records, we had our best success by looking in neighboring counties instead of the county in which they lived:  their home county contained property and probate records; the county to the west contained birth and death records; the county to the north contained their burial records. If we hadn't included the neighboring counties, we would have missed many valuable sources of information.

If you're in a similar situation, we hope that the following information helps.

Smithfield is located in Dutchess 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 Dutchess County: Fairfield (CT), Litchfield (CT), Berkshire (MA), Columbia, Orange, Putnam & Ulster.

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

  • Dutchess County     (The home county of Smithfield)
  • Columbia County
  • Greene County
  • Putnam County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Smithfield, with the one closest to Smithfield listed first.
    • Patterson
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
    • Towners
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Towners. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Towners
      • Towners is located in Putnam County

        • Google driving directions:

        From your current location to Towners

        From Smithfield to Towners

    • Lake Carmel
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lake Carmel have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Carmel
      • Lake Carmel is located in Putnam County
    • Putnam Lake
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Putnam Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Putnam Lake
      • Putnam Lake is located in Putnam County
    • Deforest Corners
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
  • Ulster County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Smithfield, with the one closest to Smithfield listed first.
    • East Kingston
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
    • Esopus
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Esopus have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Esopus
      • Esopus is located in Ulster County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Esopus <1>
    • Port Ewen
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
    • Glasco
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Connelly
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
    • Kingston
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
    • Lincoln Park
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lincoln Park have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lincoln Park
      • Lincoln Park is located in Ulster County
    • Highland
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Lake Katrine
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lake Katrine have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Katrine
      • Lake Katrine is located in Ulster County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lake Katrine <1>
    • Malden
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Creeklocks
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
    • Hillside
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hillside have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hillside
      • Hillside is located in Ulster County
  • Fairfield County (CT)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Smithfield, with the one closest to Smithfield listed first.
    • Sherman
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sherman have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sherman
      • Sherman is located in Fairfield County (CT)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,610 people
    • Sherman
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
    • New Fairfield
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for New Fairfield have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Fairfield
      • New Fairfield is located in Fairfield County (CT)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 13,792 people
    • Ball Pond
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Ball Pond. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ball Pond
      • Ball Pond is located in Fairfield County (CT)

        • Google driving directions:

        From your current location to Ball Pond

        From Smithfield to Ball Pond

    • Brookfield
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Brookfield have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brookfield
      • Brookfield is located in Fairfield County (CT)
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Brookfield <1>
    • New Fairfield
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for New Fairfield have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Fairfield
      • New Fairfield is located in Fairfield County (CT)
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for New Fairfield <1>
    • Brookfield
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Brookfield have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brookfield
      • Brookfield is located in Fairfield County (CT)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 16,900 people
  • Hartford County (CT)
  • Litchfield County (CT)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Smithfield, with the one closest to Smithfield listed first.
    • Sharon
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Sharon
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sharon have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sharon
      • Sharon is located in Litchfield County (CT)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,691 people
    • Ore Hill
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Ore Hill. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ore Hill
      • Ore Hill is located in Litchfield County (CT)

        • Google driving directions:

        From your current location to Ore Hill

        From Smithfield to Ore Hill

    • Lakeville
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Ellsworth
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Ellsworth. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ellsworth
      • Ellsworth is located in Litchfield County (CT)

        • Google driving directions:

        From your current location to Ellsworth

        From Smithfield to Ellsworth

    • Lime Rock
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Salisbury
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Salisbury have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salisbury
      • Salisbury is located in Litchfield County (CT)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,584 people
    • Salisbury
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Cornwall Bridge
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cornwall Bridge have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cornwall Bridge
      • Cornwall Bridge is located in Litchfield County (CT)
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cornwall Bridge <1>
    • Amesville
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Kent
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • North Kent
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for North Kent. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Kent
      • North Kent is located in Litchfield County (CT)

        • Google driving directions:

        From your current location to North Kent

        From Smithfield to North Kent

  • Berkshire County (MA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Smithfield, with the one closest to Smithfield listed first.
    • Mount Washington
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mount Washington have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Washington
      • Mount Washington is located in Berkshire County (MA)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 156 people
    • Ashley Falls
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Clayton
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Clayton. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clayton
      • Clayton is located in Berkshire County (MA)

        • Google driving directions:

        From your current location to Clayton

        From Smithfield to Clayton

    • Gomorrah
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Sheffield
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Egremont
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Egremont have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Egremont
      • Egremont is located in Berkshire County (MA)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,202 people
    • South Egremont
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for South Egremont have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Egremont
      • South Egremont is located in Berkshire County (MA)
    • Egremont Plain
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
    • North Egremont
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Egremont have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Egremont
      • North Egremont is located in Berkshire County (MA)
    • Mill River
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
    • Great Barrington
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Southfield
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Southfield have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Southfield
      • Southfield is located in Berkshire County (MA)

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

Cemeteries Near Smithfield ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Smithfield.

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

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Smithfield, with the one closest to Smithfield listed first.

  • Smithfield Burying Grounds
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Smithfield Burying Grounds
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Smithfield Burying Grounds have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • The Square Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the The Square Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the The Square Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Amenia Island Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Amenia Island Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Amenia Island Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Bryan Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bryan Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bryan Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • St. Marys Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Marys Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Marys Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • St. Bernard Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
  • Stanford Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
  • South Amenia Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the South Amenia Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the South Amenia Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Bolland District Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bolland District Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bolland District Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Irondale Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Irondale Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Irondale Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Evergreen Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Evergreen Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Evergreen Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Upton Lake Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Upton Lake Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Upton Lake Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (263 more) ...
    • Nine Partners Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Nine Partners Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Nine Partners Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Haight Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Haight Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Haight Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Skiff Mtn. Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Skiff Mtn. Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Skiff Mtn. Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.

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, Smithfield had a post office and no railroad service.

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

  • Shekomeko
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Shekomeko have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shekomeko
    • Shekomeko is located in Dutchess County
  • Amenia
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
  • Lithgow
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Lithgow. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lithgow
    • Lithgow is located in Dutchess County

      • Google driving directions:

      From your current location to Lithgow

      From Smithfield to Lithgow

  • Leedsville
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Sharon Station
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sharon Station have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sharon Station
    • Sharon Station is located in Dutchess County
  • Attlebury
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Attlebury have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Attlebury
    • Attlebury is located in Dutchess County
  • Stissing
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Stissing have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stissing
    • Stissing is located in Dutchess County
  • Bangall
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
  • Stanfordville
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
  • Bethel
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Bethel. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bethel
    • Bethel is located in Dutchess County

      • Google driving directions:

      From your current location to Bethel

      From Smithfield to Bethel

  • Wassaic
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • Sharon Valley
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sharon Valley have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sharon Valley
    • Sharon Valley is located in Litchfield County (CT)
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • McIntyre
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for McIntyre have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McIntyre
      • McIntyre is located in Dutchess County
    • Shunpike
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • South Amenia
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for South Amenia have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Amenia
      • South Amenia is located in Dutchess County

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

Newspapers Published in Smithfield ...

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 69 newspapers that have been published in the area around Smithfield.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Smithfield, there are papers which were published within 16 miles [25.7 km]<6>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Smithfield.

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 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 Smithfield:

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

The official website for Dutchess County: www.dutchessny.gov/

The official website for State of New York: https://www.ny.gov/

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>An 'estimated' location is one where we have been given GPS coordinates, but are unable to verify the accuracy of those coordinates. That said, we have some confidence that we have placed the marker near the actual location. A typical reason for being unable to verify a location is that it might be on private property or maybe historic and gone without an obvious trace.
<3>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 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 Smithfield, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<6>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Smithfield) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Smithfield. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 41.8857, Longitude: -73.6002       In this case, the coordinates for Smithfield have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 10 Feb 2025