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Introduction ...

So far, we found very little information about Dogtown Commons. The little that we've found leads us believe that the community is historic.<1>

We've added Dogtown Commons to our Gazetteer with the hope that we can develop more information. If you can help us with Dogtown Commons, please Contact Us.

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 Dogtown Commons (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 Dogtown Commons. 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 Dogtown Commons ...

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.

Although we can't give a definitive list, hopefully the following will give you a feel for the variations that might have occurred.

Over the years, Dogtown Commons had several name changes:

  • Prior to its current name of Dogtown Commons, it was known as Dogtown.
  • Before changing to Dogtown, it was named Common Settlement.
  • Dogtown Commons was originally named Common Settlement

Dogtown Commons has also been known as: Dogtown Village.

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.

A Few Details for Dogtown Commons ...

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

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 northeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals were in the next county to the east. 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 east 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.

Although our information shows that the community of Dogtown Commons is historic, it would have been located within present day Essex County.

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

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Essex County: Middlesex, Suffolk & Rockingham (NH).

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

  • Essex County     (The home county of Dogtown Commons)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Dogtown Commons, with the one closest to Dogtown Commons listed first.
    • Gloucester
      (Less than 2 miles to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gloucester have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gloucester
      • Gloucester is located in Essex County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 30,539 people
    • Bay View
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
    • Rockport
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rockport have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rockport
      • Rockport is located in Essex County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 7,312 people
    • Freshwater Cove Village
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Freshwater Cove Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Freshwater Cove Village
      • Freshwater Cove Village is located in Essex County
    • West Gloucester
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Pigeon Cove
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Kettle Cove Village
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kettle Cove Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kettle Cove Village
      • Kettle Cove Village is located in Essex County
    • Essex
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Manchester By The Sea
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Essex Falls
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • West Manchester
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Beverly Farms
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
  • Middlesex County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Dogtown Commons, with the one closest to Dogtown Commons listed first.
    • Montrose
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Montrose. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montrose
      • Montrose is located in Middlesex County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Montrose
      • From Dogtown Commons to Montrose
    • North Reading
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
    • Wakefield
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Melrose
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
    • Reading
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Reading have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reading
      • Reading is located in Middlesex County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 25,535 people
    • West Village
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for West Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Village
      • West Village is located in Middlesex County
    • Stoneham
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Wyoming
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Wyoming. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wyoming
      • Wyoming is located in Middlesex County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Wyoming
      • From Dogtown Commons to Wyoming
    • Everett
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Malden
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Montvale
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Montvale. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montvale
      • Montvale is located in Middlesex County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Montvale
      • From Dogtown Commons to Montvale
    • Mishawum ‑ Historic
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
  • Norfolk County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Dogtown Commons, with the one closest to Dogtown Commons listed first.
    • Cohasset
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cohasset have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cohasset
      • Cohasset is located in Norfolk County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 8,529 people
    • North Cohasset
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
    • Beechwood
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
    • Brookline Village
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Brookline Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brookline Village
      • Brookline Village is located in Norfolk County
    • Norfolk Downs
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
    • North Weymouth
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Weymouth have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Weymouth
      • North Weymouth is located in Norfolk County
  • Plymouth County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Dogtown Commons, with the one closest to Dogtown Commons listed first.
    • Hull
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Minot
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Minot have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Minot
      • Minot is located in Plymouth County
    • Hingham
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
    • North Scituate
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Scituate have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Scituate
      • North Scituate is located in Plymouth County
    • Scituate
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Scituate have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scituate
      • Scituate is located in Plymouth County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 19,047 people
  • Suffolk County
  • Rockingham County (NH)

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

Cemeteries Near Dogtown Commons ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Dogtown Commons.

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

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

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.

While we didn't find Dogtown Commons in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Dogtown Commons.

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

  • Gloucester
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gloucester have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gloucester
    • Gloucester is located in Essex County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 30,539 people
  • Annisquam ‑ Historic
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Annisquam have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Annisquam
    • Annisquam is located in Essex County
  • West Gloucester
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
  • Rockport
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rockport have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rockport
    • Rockport is located in Essex County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 7,312 people
  • Bay View
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
  • Pigeon Cove
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Lanesville
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lanesville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lanesville
    • Lanesville is located in Essex County
  • Magnolia
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Magnolia have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Magnolia
    • Magnolia is located in Essex County
  • Essex
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
  • South Essex
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for South Essex have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Essex
    • South Essex is located in Essex County
  • Manchester By The Sea
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Essex Falls
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
  • Continue List   (20 more) ...

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

Newspapers Published in Dogtown Commons ...

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 112 newspapers that have been published in the area around Dogtown Commons.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Dogtown Commons, there are papers which were published within 21 miles [33.8 km]<7>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Dogtown Commons.

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 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 Dogtown Commons:

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

Footnotes ...

<1>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 Dogtown Commons, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<2>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.
<3>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.
<4>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<5>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.

<6>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.
<7>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- Dogtown Commons) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Dogtown Commons. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 42.6338, Longitude: -70.6657       In this case, the coordinates for Dogtown Commons have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025