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 Dennis (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 Dennis. 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.

A Few Details for Dennis ...

While it's still very early in our research, we found that:

• Dennis was settled in 1639.
• It was incorporated in 1793.

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 doctors 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.

Dennis is located in Barnstable County.

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

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

• Barnstable County     (The home county of Dennis)
  • The following are listed by their distance from Dennis, with the one closest to Dennis listed first.
  • East Dennis
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Dennis
    • East Dennis is located in Barnstable County
  • Yarmouth
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Yarmouth have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yarmouth
    • Yarmouth is located in Barnstable County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 23,166 people
  • South Dennis
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for South Dennis have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Dennis
    • South Dennis is located in Barnstable County
  • Yarmouth Port
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Yarmouth Port have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yarmouth Port
    • Yarmouth Port is located in Barnstable County
  • West Brewster
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for West Brewster have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Brewster
    • West Brewster is located in Barnstable County
  • South Yarmouth
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for South Yarmouth have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Yarmouth
    • South Yarmouth is located in Barnstable County
  • North Harwich
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Harwich have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Harwich
    • North Harwich is located in Barnstable County
  • Cummaquid ‑ Historic
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cummaquid have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cummaquid
    • Cummaquid is located in Barnstable County
  • Brewster
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brewster
    • Brewster is located in Barnstable County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 9,772 people
  • Bass River
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bass River
    • Bass River is located in Barnstable County
  • West Dennis
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for West Dennis have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Dennis
    • West Dennis is located in Barnstable County
  • Barnstable
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Barnstable have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barnstable
    • Barnstable is located in Barnstable County
    • Population from the 2010 Census: 45,193 people
    • Barnstable has also been known as:
    • Barnstable Village
  • Cobbs Village
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cobbs Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cobbs Village
    • Cobbs Village is located in Barnstable County
• Dukes County
  • The following are listed by their distance from Dennis, with the one closest to Dennis listed first.
  • Oak Bluffs
    (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Bluffs
    • Oak Bluffs is located in Dukes County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,696 people
  • West Chop
    (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for West Chop have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Chop
    • West Chop is located in Dukes County
  • Edgartown
    (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edgartown
    • Edgartown is located in Dukes County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,383 people
  • Tisbury
    (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tisbury
    • Tisbury is located in Dukes County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,128 people
  • Vineyard Haven
    (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vineyard Haven
    • Vineyard Haven is located in Dukes County
• Nantucket County
  • Pocomo
    (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pocomo
    • Pocomo is located in Nantucket County
• Plymouth County
  • The following are listed by their distance from Dennis, with the one closest to Dennis listed first.
  • Manomet
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Manomet have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manomet
    • Manomet is located in Plymouth County
  • White Horse Beach
    (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for White Horse Beach have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Horse Beach
    • White Horse Beach is located in Plymouth County
  • White Island Shores
    (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for White Island Shores have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Island Shores
    • White Island Shores is located in Plymouth County
  • East Wareham
    (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for East Wareham have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Wareham
    • East Wareham is located in Plymouth County
  • Onset
    (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Onset
    • Onset is located in Plymouth County
  • Wareham Center
    (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wareham Center have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wareham Center
    • Wareham Center is located in Plymouth County
  • Wareham
    (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wareham have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wareham
    • Wareham is located in Plymouth County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 22,778 people
  • Weweantic
    (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Weweantic have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weweantic
    • Weweantic is located in Plymouth County
  • Plymouth
    (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plymouth
    • Plymouth is located in Plymouth County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 62,654 people
  • Briarwood Beach
    (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Briarwood Beach
    • Briarwood Beach is located in Plymouth County
  • Cranberry Village
    (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cranberry Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cranberry Village
    • Cranberry Village is located in Plymouth County
  • Pine Tree Village
    (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pine Tree Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Tree Village
    • Pine Tree Village is located in Plymouth County
  • Marion
    (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marion
    • Marion is located in Plymouth County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,189 people

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

Newspapers Published in Dennis ...

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 33 newspapers that have been published in the area around Dennis.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Dennis, there are papers which were published within 22 miles [35.4 km]<2>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Dennis.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we 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 Dennis:

• Websites specific to Massachusetts
  • Jump to Cyndi's List
  • Jump to Family Search
  • Jump to Genealogy Trails
  • Website for the Massachusetts Archives Division

• Pages specific to Barnstable County
  • Jump to Cyndi's List
  • Jump to Family Search
  • Jump to Genealogy Trails

• Genealogy information for nearby counties
  • Dukes County
    • Jump to Cyndi's List
    • Jump to Family Search
    • Jump to Genealogy Trails
  • Nantucket County
    • Jump to Cyndi's List
    • Jump to Family Search
    • Jump to Genealogy Trails
  • Plymouth County
    • Jump to Cyndi's List
    • Jump to Family Search
    • Jump to Genealogy Trails

• Cemetery Information and Directories for Massachusetts
  • Cemetery Junction: Cemeteries of Massachusetts
  • Cyndi's List
  • Cemeteries of Massachusetts
  • Cemeteries of Barnstable County
  • FamilySearch.org: Cemeteries of Massachusetts
  • Find-A-Grave: Home Page
  • Interment.net
  • Cemeteries of Massachusetts
  • Cemeteries of Barnstable County

Cemeteries Near Dennis ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Dennis.

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

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

• Nobscusset Indian Burial Ground
  (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
  • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for the Nobscusset Indian Burial Ground. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Nobscusset Indian Burial Ground
  • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2349234 <4>
• Hall Family Burial Ground
  (Less than 2 miles to the north)
  • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for the Hall Family Burial Ground. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
  • The Hall Family Burial Ground has also been known as:
  • Hall Cemetery
  • Hall Family Cemetery
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hall Family Burial Ground
  • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #91049 <4>
• Howes Cemetery
  (Less than 2 miles to the west)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Howes Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Howes Cemetery
• Paddock Cemetery
  (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Paddock Cemetery
  • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #91408 <4>
• Corporation Beach Memorial Park
  (Less than 2 miles to the north)
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Corporation Beach Memorial Park
  • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2500406 <4>
• Bass Hole Memorial Garden
  (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
  • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for the Bass Hole Memorial Garden. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
  • The Bass Hole Memorial Garden has also been known as:
  • Grey Beach Memorial Garden
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bass Hole Memorial Garden
  • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2428650 <4>
• Ancient Cemetery
  (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Ancient Cemetery
  • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #90752 <4>
• Oak Ridge Cemetery
  (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Oak Ridge Cemetery
  • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #91363 <4>
• Homer Cemetery
  (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Homer Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Homer Cemetery
• Sears Cemetery
  (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Sears Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Sears Cemetery
  • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #91695 <4>
• Quivet Neck Cemetery
  (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
  • To give a relative sense of its location, the Quivet Neck Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located outside and to the northeast of East Dennis.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Quivet Neck Cemetery
  • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #91406 <4>
• Ouivett Cemetery
  (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Ouivett Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Ouivett Cemetery
• Continue List   (130 more) ...
  • Woodside Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Woodside Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #91886 <4>
  • Old South Dennis Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • The Old South Dennis Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Ancient Cemetery
    • Town Hall Cemetery
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Old South Dennis Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #703920 <4>
  • Dillingham Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Dillingham Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #90912 <4>

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, Dennis had a post office and no railroad service. In 2020, Dennis had a population of 13,890 people.

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

• East Dennis
  (Less than 2 miles to the east)
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Dennis
  • East Dennis is located in Barnstable County
• Yarmouth
  (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Yarmouth have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yarmouth
  • Yarmouth is located in Barnstable County
  • Population from the 2020 Census: 23,166 people
• Yarmouth Port
  (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Yarmouth Port have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yarmouth Port
  • Yarmouth Port is located in Barnstable County
• South Dennis
  (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for South Dennis have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Dennis
  • South Dennis is located in Barnstable County
• Yarmouth Station
  (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Yarmouth Station have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yarmouth Station
  • Yarmouth Station is located in Barnstable County
• South Yarmouth
  (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for South Yarmouth have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Yarmouth
  • South Yarmouth is located in Barnstable County
• North Harwich
  (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Harwich have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Harwich
  • North Harwich is located in Barnstable County
• West Brewster
  (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for West Brewster have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Brewster
  • West Brewster is located in Barnstable County
• Barnstable
  (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Barnstable have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barnstable
  • Barnstable is located in Barnstable County
  • Population from the 2010 Census: 45,193 people
  • Barnstable has also been known as:
  • Barnstable Village
• West Dennis
  (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for West Dennis have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Dennis
  • West Dennis is located in Barnstable County
• Pleasant Lake
  (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pleasant Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Lake
  • Pleasant Lake is located in Barnstable County
• Brewster
  (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brewster
  • Brewster is located in Barnstable County
  • Population from the 2020 Census: 9,772 people
• Continue List   (16 more) ...
  • West Yarmouth
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for West Yarmouth have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Yarmouth
    • West Yarmouth is located in Barnstable County
  • Dennis Port
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dennis Port have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dennis Port
    • Dennis Port is located in Barnstable County
  • West Harwich
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for West Harwich have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Harwich
    • West Harwich is located in Barnstable County

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

Off-the-Road Links ...

The official website for Dennis: www.town.dennis.ma.us/

The official website for Barnstable County: www.barnstablecounty.org/

The official website for State of Massachusetts: https://www.mass.gov/