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 Black Rock (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 Black Rock. 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.
Name Variations for Black Rock ...
When searching records, keep in mind that names and their spelling can change over time. Our sources include documents like maps, railroad schedules, Travel, Express and Shipping Guides. Many of these documents date from the 1800's and it's common to find spelling differences.
Another variation: Blackrock.
You might be interested in other communities that are also named Black Rock. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Black Rock.
If you have information about these names (such as the reason for the change, date of change, the origin of the name), please Contact Us.
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 doctors 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.
Black Rock is located in Norfolk County.
To see how the shape of Massachusetts' counties may have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.
The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Norfolk County: Bristol, Middlesex, Plymouth, Suffolk, Worcester & Providence (RI).
Below are the counties that are near Black Rock. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Black Rock:
- Norfolk County (The home county of Black Rock)
- The following are listed by their distance from Black Rock, with the one closest to Black Rock listed first.
- Cohasset
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Cohasset is located in Norfolk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cohasset
- Population from the 2020 Census: 8,529 people
- North Cohasset
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- North Cohasset is located in Norfolk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Cohasset
- Beechwood
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Beechwood is located in Norfolk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beechwood
- East Weymouth
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- East Weymouth is located in Norfolk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Weymouth
- North Weymouth
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- North Weymouth is located in Norfolk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Weymouth
- Weymouth Heights
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Weymouth Heights is located in Norfolk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weymouth Heights
- Weymouth
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Weymouth is located in Norfolk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weymouth
- Population from the 2020 Census: 58,104 people
- South Weymouth
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- South Weymouth is located in Norfolk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Weymouth
- Quincy Point
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Quincy Point is located in Norfolk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Quincy Point
- Braintree
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Braintree is located in Norfolk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Braintree
- Population from the 2020 Census: 37,074 people
- Quincy
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Quincy is located in Norfolk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Quincy
- Population from the 2020 Census: 94,421 people
- Norfolk Downs
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Norfolk Downs is located in Norfolk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Norfolk Downs
- Wollaston
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Wollaston is located in Norfolk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wollaston
- Bristol County
- The following are listed by their distance from Black Rock, with the one closest to Black Rock listed first.
- North Easton
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- North Easton is located in Bristol County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Easton
- South Easton
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- South Easton is located in Bristol County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Easton
- Easton Center
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Easton Center is located in Bristol County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Easton Center
- Easton
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Easton is located in Bristol County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Easton
- Population from the 2020 Census: 25,116 people
- Furnace Village
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Furnace Village is located in Bristol County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Furnace Village
- East Mansfield
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- East Mansfield is located in Bristol County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Mansfield
- Raynham
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Raynham is located in Bristol County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Raynham
- Population from the 2020 Census: 14,560 people
- Mansfield
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Mansfield is located in Bristol County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mansfield
- Population from the 2020 Census: 24,539 people
- Raynham Center
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Raynham Center is located in Bristol County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Raynham Center
- East Taunton
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- East Taunton is located in Bristol County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Taunton
- Norton
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Norton is located in Bristol County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Norton
- Population from the 2020 Census: 19,983 people
- Taunton
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Taunton is located in Bristol County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Taunton
- Population from the 2020 Census: 57,675 people
- Chartley
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Chartley is located in Bristol County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chartley
- Essex County
- The following are listed by their distance from Black Rock, with the one closest to Black Rock listed first.
- Nahant
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Nahant is located in Essex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nahant
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,506 people
- Clifton
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Clifton is located in Essex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clifton
- East Lynn
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- East Lynn is located in Essex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Lynn
- Lynn
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Lynn is located in Essex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lynn
- Population from the 2020 Census: 94,539 people
- Swampscott
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Swampscott is located in Essex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Swampscott
- Population from the 2020 Census: 15,462 people
- Cliftondale
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Cliftondale is located in Essex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cliftondale
- Marblehead
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Marblehead is located in Essex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marblehead
- Population from the 2020 Census: 20,551 people
- Pleasant Hills
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Pleasant Hills is located in Essex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Hills
- Saugus
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Saugus is located in Essex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saugus
- Population from the 2020 Census: 28,542 people
- West Lynn
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- West Lynn is located in Essex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Lynn
- West Town Landing
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- West Town Landing is located in Essex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Town Landing
- Salem
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Salem is located in Essex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salem
- Population from the 2020 Census: 43,581 people
- Peabody
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Peabody is located in Essex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peabody
- Population from the 2020 Census: 53,063 people
- Middlesex County
- The following are listed by their distance from Black Rock, with the one closest to Black Rock listed first.
- Cambridgeport
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Cambridgeport is located in Middlesex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cambridgeport
- Everett
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Everett is located in Middlesex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Everett
- Population from the 2020 Census: 46,107 people
- Somerville
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Somerville is located in Middlesex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Somerville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 80,935 people
- Cambridge
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Cambridge is located in Middlesex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cambridge
- Population from the 2020 Census: 119,192 people
- Edgeworth
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Edgeworth is located in Middlesex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edgeworth
- Malden
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Malden is located in Middlesex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Malden
- Population from the 2020 Census: 59,922 people
- Wellington
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Wellington is located in Middlesex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wellington
- Huron Village
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Huron Village is located in Middlesex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Huron Village
- Medford
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Medford is located in Middlesex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Medford
- Population from the 2020 Census: 60,847 people
- Wyoming
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Wyoming is located in Middlesex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wyoming
- Chestnut Hill
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Chestnut Hill is located in Middlesex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chestnut Hill
- Melrose
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Melrose is located in Middlesex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Melrose
- Population from the 2020 Census: 27,790 people
- Newton Centre
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Newton Centre is located in Middlesex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newton Centre
- Plymouth County
- The following are listed by their distance from Black Rock, with the one closest to Black Rock listed first.
- North Scituate
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- North Scituate is located in Plymouth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Scituate
- Minot
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Minot is located in Plymouth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Minot
- Kenberma
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Kenberma is located in Plymouth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kenberma
- Hingham
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Hingham is located in Plymouth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hingham
- Population from the 2020 Census: 24,720 people
- West Hingham
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- West Hingham is located in Plymouth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Hingham
- Bayside
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Bayside is located in Plymouth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bayside
- Hull
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Hull is located in Plymouth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hull
- Population from the 2020 Census: 10,484 people
- Norwell
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Norwell is located in Plymouth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Norwell
- Population from the 2020 Census: 11,171 people
- Accord
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Accord is located in Plymouth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Accord
- Greenbush
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Greenbush is located in Plymouth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenbush
- Scituate
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Scituate is located in Plymouth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scituate
- Population from the 2020 Census: 19,047 people
- North Marshfield
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- North Marshfield is located in Plymouth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Marshfield
- Hanover
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Hanover is located in Plymouth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hanover
- Population from the 2020 Census: 14,624 people
- Suffolk County
- The following are listed by their distance from Black Rock, with the one closest to Black Rock listed first.
- Point Shirley
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Point Shirley is located in Suffolk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Point Shirley
- Neponset
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Neponset is located in Suffolk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Neponset
- Winthrop
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Winthrop is located in Suffolk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winthrop
- Population from the 2020 Census: 18,446 people
- Ashmont
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Ashmont is located in Suffolk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ashmont
- Dorchester
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Dorchester is located in Suffolk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dorchester
- Savin Hill
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Savin Hill is located in Suffolk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Savin Hill
- East Boston
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- East Boston is located in Suffolk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Boston
- South Boston
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- South Boston is located in Suffolk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Boston
- Mattapan Station
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Mattapan Station is located in Suffolk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mattapan Station
- Mattapan
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Mattapan is located in Suffolk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mattapan
- Bay Village
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Bay Village is located in Suffolk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bay Village
- Boston
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Boston is located in Suffolk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boston
- Population from the 2020 Census: 691,531 people
- Chelsea
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Chelsea is located in Suffolk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chelsea
- Population from the 2020 Census: 39,230 people
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Black Rock, see our County-by-County Page for Black Rock.
Cemeteries Near Black Rock ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Black Rock.
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.
Although we don't have the information ourselves, if you need information about a burial or interment, photos, transcripts, how to contact the cemetery or local authorities, please visit our list of websites on our Genealogy Helper Page for Black Rock - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Black Rock covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Black Rock, with the one closest to Black Rock listed first.
- Woodside Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Central Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Hingham Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Ft. Hill Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- St. Pauls Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- High Street Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Stockbridge Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Mt. Hope Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Merritt Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Groveland Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Bowker Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Fairmount Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairmount Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Fairmount Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located outside and to the southeast of Weymouth.
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #90967 <2>
- Continue List (452 more) ...
- Hull Village Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- St. Francis Xavier Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Mt. Hope Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
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.<3>
While we didn't find Black Rock in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Black Rock.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Black Rock, with the one closest to Black Rock listed first.
- Cohasset
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Cohasset is located in Norfolk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cohasset
- Population from the 2020 Census: 8,529 people
- North Cohasset
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- North Cohasset is located in Norfolk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Cohasset
- Hingham Center
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Hingham Center is located in Plymouth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hingham Center
- Beechwood
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Beechwood is located in Norfolk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beechwood
- North Scituate
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- North Scituate is located in Plymouth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Scituate
- Kenberma
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Kenberma is located in Plymouth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kenberma
- Hingham
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Hingham is located in Plymouth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hingham
- Population from the 2020 Census: 24,720 people
- West Hingham
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- West Hingham is located in Plymouth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Hingham
- South Hingham
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- South Hingham is located in Plymouth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Hingham
- Scituate Center
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Scituate Center is located in Plymouth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scituate Center
- Egypt
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Egypt is located in Plymouth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Egypt
- Bayside
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Bayside is located in Plymouth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bayside
- Continue List (15 more) ...
- East Weymouth
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- East Weymouth is located in Norfolk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Weymouth
- Norwell
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Norwell is located in Plymouth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Norwell
- Population from the 2020 Census: 11,171 people
- Hull
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Hull is located in Plymouth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hull
- Population from the 2020 Census: 10,484 people
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Black Rock. See our List of 1890's Communities around Black Rock.
Newspapers Published in Black Rock ...
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 71 newspapers that have been published in the area around Black Rock.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Black Rock, there are papers which were published within 12 miles [19.3 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Black Rock.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we like to start with 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 Black Rock:
- Websites specific to Massachusetts
- Pages specific to Norfolk County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Bristol County
- Essex County
- Middlesex County
- Plymouth County
- Suffolk County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Massachusetts
Footnotes ...
| <1> | 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.
|
| <2> | 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. |
| <3> | 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 Black Rock, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <4> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Black Rock) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |