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The Commemorative Quarter for Massachusetts





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 Dorchester (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 Dorchester. 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.

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 southwest 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 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 west 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.

Dorchester is located in Suffolk 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 Suffolk County: Essex, Middlesex & Norfolk.

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

  • Suffolk County     (The home county of Dorchester)
  • Bristol County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Dorchester, with the one closest to Dorchester listed first.
    • North Easton
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Easton have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Easton
      • North Easton is located in Bristol County
    • South Easton
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for South Easton have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Easton
      • South Easton is located in Bristol County
    • Easton Center
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
    • Easton
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Easton have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Easton
      • Easton is located in Bristol County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 25,116 people
    • East Mansfield
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
    • Furnace Village
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Furnace Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Furnace Village
      • Furnace Village is located in Bristol County
    • Mansfield
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • Norton
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
    • Raynham
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
    • Chartley
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Chartley have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chartley
      • Chartley is located in Bristol County
    • North Attleboro
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Attleboro have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Attleboro
      • North Attleboro is located in Bristol County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 29,470 people
    • Attleboro Falls
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Attleboro Falls have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Attleboro Falls
      • Attleboro Falls is located in Bristol County
    • Attleboro
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Essex County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Dorchester, with the one closest to Dorchester listed first.
    • Saugus
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Nahant
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
    • West Lynn
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • East Lynn
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for East Lynn. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Lynn
      • East Lynn is located in Essex County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to East Lynn
      • From Dorchester to East Lynn
    • Lynn
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Swampscott
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Clifton
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Clifton. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clifton
      • Clifton is located in Essex County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Clifton
      • From Dorchester to Clifton
    • Lynnfield
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
    • Marblehead
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Marblehead have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marblehead
      • Marblehead is located in Essex County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 20,551 people
    • Peabody
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Salem
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
    • West Town Landing
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for West Town Landing have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Town Landing
      • West Town Landing is located in Essex County
    • Brigadoon Village
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Brigadoon Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brigadoon Village
      • Brigadoon Village is located in Essex County
  • Middlesex County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Dorchester, with the one closest to Dorchester listed first.
    • Cambridge
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Chestnut Hill
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Chestnut Hill have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chestnut Hill
      • Chestnut Hill is located in Middlesex County
    • Somerville
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Huron Village
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Huron Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Huron Village
      • Huron Village is located in Middlesex County
    • Newton Centre
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Everett
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Newtonville
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Newtonville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newtonville
      • Newtonville is located in Middlesex County
    • North Village
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Village
      • North Village is located in Middlesex County
    • Watertown
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Eliot
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Newton Highlands
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Newton Upper Falls
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Newton Upper Falls have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newton Upper Falls
      • Newton Upper Falls is located in Middlesex County
    • Newton
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
  • Norfolk County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Dorchester, with the one closest to Dorchester listed first.
    • Milton Village
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Milton Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milton Village
      • Milton Village is located in Norfolk County
    • Montclair
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Brookline Village
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
      • 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
    • Brookline
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Milton
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Norfolk Downs
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • West Quincy
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Wollaston
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Quincy
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Westbrook Village
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Westbrook Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westbrook Village
      • Westbrook Village is located in Norfolk County
    • Quincy Point
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Braintree
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Dedham
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dedham have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dedham
      • Dedham is located in Norfolk County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 25,345 people
  • Plymouth County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Dorchester, with the one closest to Dorchester listed first.
    • Hull
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Hingham
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Accord
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Montello
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • North Abington
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Abington
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Rockland
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rockland have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rockland
      • Rockland is located in Plymouth County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 17,992 people
    • North Scituate
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
      • 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
    • Brockton
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
    • Minot
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
      • 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
    • Whitman
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Whitman have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whitman
      • Whitman is located in Plymouth County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 15,295 people
    • Norwell
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
    • South Hanover
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Worcester County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Dorchester, with the one closest to Dorchester listed first.
    • Fayville
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
    • Cordaville
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
    • Southborough
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Southborough. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Southborough
      • Southborough is located in Worcester County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 10,200 people
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Southborough
      • From Dorchester to Southborough
    • Southville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
    • Milford
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Hopedale
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hopedale have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hopedale
      • Hopedale is located in Worcester County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,934 people
    • South Milford
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
    • White City
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for White City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White City
      • White City is located in Worcester County
    • Westborough
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
    • Mendon
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
    • South Berlin
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
    • Upton
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Upton have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Upton
      • Upton is located in Worcester County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 8,088 people
    • Berlin
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Berlin have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berlin
      • Berlin is located in Worcester County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,731 people
  • Providence County (RI)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Dorchester, with the one closest to Dorchester listed first.
    • Burnt Swamp Corner
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Arnold Mills
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Cumberland
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cumberland have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cumberland
      • Cumberland is located in Providence County (RI)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 35,207 people
    • Cumberland
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cumberland have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cumberland
      • Cumberland is located in Providence County (RI)
    • Cumberland Hill
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Hamlet
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Hamlet. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hamlet
      • Hamlet is located in Providence County (RI)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Hamlet
      • From Dorchester to Hamlet
    • Woonsocket
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)

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

Cemeteries Near Dorchester ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Dorchester.

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

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Dorchester, with the one closest to Dorchester 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.<5>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that in 1895, Dorchester had a post office and railroad service.

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

  • Fields Corner
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fields Corner have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fields Corner
    • Fields Corner is located in Suffolk County
  • Savin Hill
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Savin Hill have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Savin Hill
    • Savin Hill is located in Suffolk County
  • Mount Bowdoin
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mount Bowdoin have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Bowdoin
    • Mount Bowdoin is located in Suffolk County
  • Ashmont
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Ashmont. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ashmont
    • Ashmont is located in Suffolk County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Ashmont
    • From Dorchester to Ashmont
  • Cedar Grove
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cedar Grove have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Grove
    • Cedar Grove is located in Suffolk County
  • Neponset
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Neponset have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Neponset
    • Neponset is located in Suffolk County
  • Roxbury
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
  • Mattapan
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
  • South Boston
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
  • Jamaica Plain
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
  • Mount Hope
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mount Hope have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Hope
    • Mount Hope is located in Suffolk County
  • Roslindale
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Clarendon Hills
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Clarendon Hills have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clarendon Hills
      • Clarendon Hills is located in Suffolk County
    • Milton
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • East Milton
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for East Milton have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Milton
      • East Milton is located in Norfolk County

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

Newspapers Published in Dorchester ...

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 97 newspapers that have been published in the area around Dorchester.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Dorchester, there are papers which were published within 7 miles [11.3 km]<6>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Dorchester.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first turn to the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These helpful 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 Dorchester:

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Dorchester. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.

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

Footnotes ...

<1>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.
<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>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.

<4>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.
<5>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 Dorchester, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<6>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Dorchester) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Dorchester. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 42.3011, Longitude: -71.0675    









 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025