Alford, Berkshire County, Massachusetts Genealogy

Description

 * Alford at Wikipedia
 * Historical data relating to counties, cities, and towns in Massachusetts *

Parent Towns

 * 16 February 1713: Established as the district of Alford from part of Great Barrington and certain common lands. (Province Laws, Vol. V, p. 236)
 * 23 August 1775: Made a town, by general act under which districts became towns.
 * Archiac name: Podunke, Podunkville, Shawanon Purchase

Populated Places
Includes Neighborhoods, Villages, Unincorporated Communities, Districts, and Census-Designated Places: Alford Center, East Alford, West Alford

Boundary Changes

 * Historical data relating to counties, cities, and towns in Massachusetts (Boston, Massachusetts : New England Historic Genealogical Society, 1997), [FS Library book 974.4 H2h 1997]
 * 11 February 1779: Part of Great Barrington annexed.
 * 6 February 1790: Bounds between Alford and Egremont
 * 18 February 1819: Part of Great Barrington
 * 17 March 1847: Part of West Stockbridge annexed.

Adjacent Towns
Berkshire Co.:  Egremont | Great Barrington | West Stockbridge | New York: Columbia Co.: '' Austerlitz | Hillsdale

Town Records
In New England most original vital records of birth, marriage, and death can be found at the town clerk's office

Alford Town Clerk
5 Alford Center Road Alford, MA 01230 Phone: 413-528-4536 Fax: 413-528-4581 Email: [mailto:Pommydoyle@gmail.com Pommydoyle@gmail.com] Website

Vital Records

 * Vital Records of Alford Massachusetts to the Year 1850 at Google Books

Resources
For more County and State resources see:

Cemeteries

 * Alford Cemeteries List at FindAGrave
 * at FamilySearch Catalog
 * Berkshire County Cemeteries at FamilySearch Places

City Directories

 * 1725-1885 Gazetteer of Berkshire County, Massachusetts, 1725-1885 (1885) at MyHeritage — index & images, ($)
 * 1907-1929 STATE, U.S., City Directories, Alford at Ancestry - index & images, ($), some years may be missing
 * 1923 Massachusetts, U.S., City Directories, Alford at Ancestry - index & images, ($), some years may be missing
 * Various Dates U.S. City Directories, 1860-1960 at MyHeritage - index & images, ($) some towns and years may be missing

Maps
This selection incudes town, county, state, and historical maps
 * Alford at FamilySearch Places
 * Alford at Google Maps
 * Alford at Mapcarta
 * Boundary Map of Alford at HomeTownLocator
 * Massachusetts County Map at Mass.gov
 * McConnell's Historical Maps of the United States at Library of Congress
 * Old Maps of Massachusetts at Old-Maps.com
 * Massachusetts Maps State Page


 * USGS GNIS FID 607267

Migration
Migration routes for early European settlers to and from included:
 * Albany Post Road from New York City to Albany, New York 1669
 * Alford and Egremont (MA) Turnpike 1812
 * Ancram (NY) Turnpike 1805, also sometimes called the Catskill Road, from Salisbury, Connecticut to Catskill, New York
 * Catskill Road 1750s from Springfield, Massachusetts to Catskill, New York
 * Catskill Turnpike  (aka Susquehannah Turnpike ) from Catskill, NY to Unadilla, NY; route travelled by Europeans by 1792; toll booths opened by 1804.
 * Columbia (NY) Turnpike 1799
 * Great Barrington and Aford (MA) Turnpike 1812
 * Greenwood Road 1799 from Hartford, Connecticut to Albany, New York
 * Hampden and Berkshire (MA) Turnpike 1826
 * Hillsdale and Chatham Turnpike 1805 from Alford, Massachusetts to Albany, New York
 * Housatonic River (MA) Turnpike 1809
 * Massachusetts 10th Turnpike 1800
 * Massachusetts 12th Turnpike 1812
 * Rensselaer and Columbia (NY) Turnpike 1799
 * Hudson River, an ancient pathway

Military
Some Records are Searchable by Town

Revolutionary War, 1775-1783
For more Revolutionary War Military Records see:
 * Massachusetts Military Records - Revolutionary War, 1775-1783
 * United States Military Records - Revolutionary War, 1775-1783

Civil War, 1861-1865
For more Civil War Military Records see:
 * Massachusetts Military Records - Civil War, 1861-1865
 * United States Military Records - Civil War, 1861-1865

World War I, 1917-1918
For more World War I Military Records see:
 * Massachusetts Military Records - World War I, 1917-1918
 * United States Military Records - World War I, 1917-1918

World War II, 1941-1945
For more World War II Military Records see:
 * Massachusetts Military Records - World War II, 1941-1945
 * United States Military Records - World War II, 1941-1945

Websites

 * Alford Genealogy

FamilySearch Centers & Affiliate Libraries

 * Albany New York FamilySearch Center
 * Bennington Vermont FamilySearch Center
 * Berkshire Athenaeum, Pittsfield Public Library - an affiliate library
 * Brooks Memorial Library - an affiliate library
 * Chicopee Public Library - an affiliate library
 * Jones Library Inc. - an affiliate library