Westfield, Hampden County, Massachusetts Genealogy

United States Genealogy

Massachusetts

Hampden County

Westfield

Town Clerk

Board Of Registrars
59 Court Street, Room 210
Westfield, MA 01085
Phone: 413-572-6266
Fax: 413-564-3114
Email: k.fanion@cityofwestfield.org
Website

Modern town borders of Westfield in Hampden County, Massachusetts.

History of Westfield

The original Indian name for Westfield was Woronoco which means "it is fat hunting".  In 1639-1640 trading houses were established in Woronoco by parties from Connecticut who attempted to claim the land for Connecticut, however a survey determined that it should be a part of Springfield, Massachusetts. The earliest records of the town show that the first grant of land was awarded to Ensign Thomas Cooper on the 4th of December, 1658. In December of 1667 and early 1668 the early land grants were approved for the early settlers upon the condition that they settled with their families there no later than November 10, 1668.

In Boston, on May 19th, 1669, Westfield became a town officially. Below is a quote from the records.

At a General Court of Election, held at Boston, 19th of May, 1669. "There being a motion made to this Court in behalfe of the inhabitants at Woronoke, belonging to Springfield, that they may be a township of themselves, Springfield being willing thereto, as appears pr copy of an order of that towne, under their record's hand, wth remajnes on file, this Court judeth it meete to grant them to be a township, and allows them, according as other townes all priviledges, and that the said towne be called Westfield."

First English Land Grants

The earliest grants of land were given to George Phelps, Isaac Phelps, Thomas Noble, David Ashley, Rev. John Holyoke, the minister, John Ponder, and Hugh Dudley on Fort side (Main street); Capt. Aaron Cook, Mr. James Cornish, Thomas Dewey, John Osborn, and John Ingersoll on South side (Little River street).

Cemeteries

Mechanic Street Cemetery (aka Old Burying Grounds)

Middle Farms Cemetery

Old Burying Gounds (aka Mechanic Street Cemetery)

Old Mundale Cemetery

Owen District Cemetery

Pine Hill Cemetery

Libraries

Westfield Athenaeum: Collections of Photographs, documents and various collections pertaining to Westfield. Click on "Brouse Collections to view them.

Town Histories

• A sermon commemorative of the two-hundredth anniversary of the First Congregational church of Westfield, Mass. / delivered by the pastor, Rev. John H. Lockwood (Google Books)
  
• An Authentic History of Westfield, Massachusetts By Louis M. Dewey
  
• A historical sketch of Westfield. By Emerson Davis (Internet Archive.org)
  
• Westfield and its historic influences, 1669-1919; the life of an early town, with a survey of events in New England and bordering regions to which it was related in colonial and revolutionary times, by Rev. John H. Lockwood (Google Books link)

Vital Records

Family Search Microfilms for Westfield Records

Westfield Vital Records Prior to 1700

Migration

Migration routes for early European settlers to and from Westfield, Hampden County, Massachusetts Genealogy included:

• Catskill Road from Springfield, Hampden County, Massachusetts Genealogy to Catskill, Greene County, New York Genealogy 1750s
• Hampden and Berkshire Turnpike  from near Springfield, MA to the Becket Turnpike  at Becket, MA; toll booths open from 1829 to 1852; now I-90.

Websites

Genweb: Westfield

Rootsweb: Westfield 1790 Census

Westfield MA Genealogy

References

Adjacent towns: Hampden Co.: Agawam | Granville | Holyoke | Montgomery | Russell | Southwick | West Springfield | Hampshire Co.: Southampton