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 South Essex (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 South Essex. 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 South Essex ...
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.
For example, a typical abbreviation for South Essex: S. Essex
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 and hospitals 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.
South Essex is located in Essex 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 Essex County: Middlesex, Suffolk & Rockingham (NH).
Below are the counties that are near South Essex. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to South Essex:
- Essex County (The home county of South Essex)
- The following are listed by their distance from South Essex, with the one closest to South Essex listed first.
- Essex
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Essex is located in Essex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Essex
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,824 people
- Essex Falls
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Essex Falls is located in Essex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Essex Falls
- West Gloucester
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- West Gloucester is located in Essex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Gloucester
- Manchester By The Sea
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Manchester By The Sea is located in Essex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manchester By The Sea
- Population from the 2020 Census: 5,438 people
- Manchester By The Sea has also been known as:
- Manchester
- Kettle Cove Village
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Kettle Cove Village is located in Essex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kettle Cove Village
- Hamilton
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Hamilton is located in Essex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hamilton
- Population from the 2020 Census: 8,070 people
- West Manchester
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- West Manchester is located in Essex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Manchester
- Freshwater Cove Village
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Beverly Farms
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Beverly Farms is located in Essex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beverly Farms
- Centerville
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Centerville is located in Essex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Centerville
- Dogtown Commons ‑ Historic
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Dogtown Commons is located in Essex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dogtown Commons
- Former names for Dogtown Commons:
- Common Settlement
- Dogtown
- Dogtown Commons has also been known as:
- Dogtown Village
- Gloucester
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Gloucester is located in Essex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gloucester
- Population from the 2020 Census: 30,539 people
- Asbury Grove
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Asbury Grove is located in Essex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Asbury Grove
- Middlesex County
- The following are listed by their distance from South Essex, with the one closest to South Essex listed first.
- Montrose
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Montrose is located in Middlesex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montrose
- North Reading
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- North Reading is located in Middlesex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Reading
- Population from the 2020 Census: 15,904 people
- Wakefield
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Wakefield is located in Middlesex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wakefield
- Population from the 2020 Census: 27,051 people
- West Village
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- West Village is located in Middlesex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Village
- Reading
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Reading is located in Middlesex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reading
- Population from the 2020 Census: 25,535 people
- Lindenwood
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Lindenwood is located in Middlesex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lindenwood
- Melrose
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Melrose is located in Middlesex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Melrose
- Population from the 2020 Census: 27,790 people
- Stoneham
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Stoneham is located in Middlesex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stoneham
- Population from the 2020 Census: 23,961 people
- Wyoming
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Wyoming is located in Middlesex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wyoming
- Malden
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Malden is located in Middlesex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Malden
- Population from the 2020 Census: 59,922 people
- Mishawum ‑ Historic
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Mishawum is located in Middlesex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mishawum
- Montvale
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Montvale is located in Middlesex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montvale
- Walnut Hill
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Walnut Hill is located in Middlesex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walnut Hill
- Norfolk County
- The following are listed by their distance from South Essex, with the one closest to South Essex listed first.
- North Cohasset
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- North Cohasset is located in Norfolk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Cohasset
- Cohasset
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Cohasset is located in Norfolk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cohasset
- Population from the 2020 Census: 8,529 people
- North Weymouth
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- North Weymouth is located in Norfolk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Weymouth
- Brookline Village
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Brookline Village is located in Norfolk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brookline Village
- Brookline
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Brookline is located in Norfolk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brookline
- Population from the 2020 Census: 59,022 people
- Norfolk Downs
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Norfolk Downs is located in Norfolk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Norfolk Downs
- Quincy Point
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Quincy Point is located in Norfolk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Quincy Point
- Montclair
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Montclair is located in Norfolk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montclair
- Quincy
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Quincy is located in Norfolk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Quincy
- Population from the 2020 Census: 94,421 people
- Wollaston
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Wollaston is located in Norfolk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wollaston
- Beechwood
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Beechwood is located in Norfolk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beechwood
- East Weymouth
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- East Weymouth is located in Norfolk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Weymouth
- East Milton
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- East Milton is located in Norfolk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Milton
- Plymouth County
- The following are listed by their distance from South Essex, with the one closest to South Essex listed first.
- Bayside
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Bayside is located in Plymouth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bayside
- Hull
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Hull is located in Plymouth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hull
- Population from the 2020 Census: 10,484 people
- Kenberma
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Kenberma is located in Plymouth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kenberma
- Minot
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Minot is located in Plymouth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Minot
- Hingham
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Hingham is located in Plymouth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hingham
- Population from the 2020 Census: 24,720 people
- West Hingham
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- West Hingham is located in Plymouth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Hingham
- North Scituate
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- North Scituate is located in Plymouth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Scituate
- Scituate
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Scituate is located in Plymouth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scituate
- Population from the 2020 Census: 19,047 people
- Suffolk County
- The following are listed by their distance from South Essex, with the one closest to South Essex listed first.
- Franklin Park
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Franklin Park is located in Suffolk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Franklin Park
- Revere
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Revere is located in Suffolk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Revere
- Population from the 2020 Census: 52,375 people
- Winthrop
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Winthrop is located in Suffolk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winthrop
- Population from the 2020 Census: 18,446 people
- Chelsea
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Chelsea is located in Suffolk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chelsea
- Population from the 2020 Census: 39,230 people
- Point Shirley
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Point Shirley is located in Suffolk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Point Shirley
- Charlestown
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Charlestown is located in Suffolk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Charlestown
- East Boston
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- East Boston is located in Suffolk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Boston
- Boston
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Boston is located in Suffolk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boston
- Population from the 2020 Census: 691,531 people
- Bay Village
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Bay Village is located in Suffolk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bay Village
- South Boston
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- South Boston is located in Suffolk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Boston
- Allston
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Allston is located in Suffolk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Allston
- Savin Hill
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Savin Hill is located in Suffolk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Savin Hill
- Brighton
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Brighton is located in Suffolk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brighton
- Hillsborough County (NH)
- Pelham
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Pelham is located in Hillsborough County (NH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pelham
- Population from the 2020 Census: 14,306 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Pelham <1>
- Rockingham County (NH)
- The following are listed by their distance from South Essex, with the one closest to South Essex listed first.
- South Seabrook
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- South Seabrook is located in Rockingham County (NH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Seabrook
- Fogg Corners
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Fogg Corners is located in Rockingham County (NH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fogg Corners
- Hampton Beach
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Hampton Beach is located in Rockingham County (NH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hampton Beach
- Seabrook
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- South Hampton
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Great Boars Head
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Great Boars Head is located in Rockingham County (NH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Great Boars Head
- Hampton Falls
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Hampton
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Hampton is located in Rockingham County (NH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hampton
- Population from the 2020 Census: 15,950 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hampton <1>
- Nason Corners
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Nason Corners is located in Rockingham County (NH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nason Corners
- Newton
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Newton is located in Rockingham County (NH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newton
- Population from the 2020 Census: 4,934 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Newton <1>
- Plaistow
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Sanborn Corners
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Sanborn Corners is located in Rockingham County (NH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sanborn Corners
- Kensington
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to South Essex, see our County-by-County Page for South Essex.
Cemeteries Near South Essex ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of South Essex.
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 South Essex - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for South Essex covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from South Essex, with the one closest to South Essex listed first.
- Spring Street Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Sumner Station Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Beechbrook Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Mt. Jacob Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Choate Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Sagamore Hill Burial Ground
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Union Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Rosedale Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Magnolia Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Washington Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Clarks Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- First Parish Burial Ground
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for First Parish Burial Ground
- The First Parish Burial Ground has also been known as:
- Bridge Street Cemetery
- First Parish Burying Ground
- Old Bridge Street Burying Ground
- Jump to the Massachusetts Cultural Resource Information System: MACRIS ID #GLO.810 <3>
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #1662188 <2>
- Continue List (364 more) ...
- Old Bridge Street Burying Ground
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Cherry Hill Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Oak Hill Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
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.<4>
The Rand McNally Atlas shows that in 1895, South Essex had a post office and no railroad service.
These communities are listed based on their distance from South Essex, with the one closest to South Essex listed first.
- Essex
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Essex is located in Essex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Essex
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,824 people
- Essex Falls
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Essex Falls is located in Essex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Essex Falls
- Manchester By The Sea
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Manchester By The Sea is located in Essex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manchester By The Sea
- Population from the 2020 Census: 5,438 people
- Manchester By The Sea has also been known as:
- Manchester
- West Gloucester
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- West Gloucester is located in Essex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Gloucester
- Hamilton
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Hamilton is located in Essex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hamilton
- Population from the 2020 Census: 8,070 people
- Beverly Farms
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Beverly Farms is located in Essex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beverly Farms
- West Manchester
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- West Manchester is located in Essex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Manchester
- Magnolia
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Magnolia is located in Essex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Magnolia
- Prides Crossing
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Prides Crossing is located in Essex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prides Crossing
- Gloucester
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Gloucester is located in Essex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gloucester
- Population from the 2020 Census: 30,539 people
- Annisquam ‑ Historic
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Annisquam is located in Essex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Annisquam
- Ipswich
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Ipswich is located in Essex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ipswich
- Population from the 2020 Census: 14,091 people
- Continue List (16 more) ...
- Asbury Grove
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Asbury Grove is located in Essex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Asbury Grove
- Wenham
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Wenham is located in Essex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wenham
- Population from the 2020 Census: 5,164 people
- North Beverly
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- North Beverly is located in Essex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Beverly
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around South Essex. See our List of 1890's Communities around South Essex.
Newspapers Published in South Essex ...
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 115 newspapers that have been published in the area around South Essex.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of South Essex, there are papers which were published within 17 miles [27.4 km]<5>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for South Essex.
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 South Essex:
- Websites specific to Massachusetts
- Pages specific to Essex County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Middlesex County
- Norfolk County
- Plymouth County
- Suffolk County
- Hillsborough County
- Rockingham County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Massachusetts
Footnotes ...
| <1> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <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> | 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> | 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 South Essex, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <5> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- South Essex) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |