Dorchester, Norfolk County, Massachusetts Genealogy

United States Massachusetts  Norfolk  Dorchester Dorchester (1630-1870) Dorchester was  a town in Norfolk County before it was annexed to Boston in Suffolk County. This guide discusses the records created by this town and includes references to material of present-day Dorchester (the neighborhood of Boston) as well. Be careful of the time period you are researching here as the records you need may be in one of two counties or one of two towns.

Brief History
Members of the Dorchester Company set sail on the Mary and John and arrived at Mattapan in 1630 where all her 140 passengers settled. The place was soon renamed Dorchester. The settlement was granted several large tracts of land that would later become the towns of Milton in 1662 and Stoughton in 1726, but the concentration of the population was always near the shore. Many notable events happened here, including the first town meeting in America in 1633 and the introduction of chocolate in 1765. The town became a place for the Boston Elite to summer in the late nineteenth century and Columbia Point was still a pasture. The town became intertwined with Boston and was annexed in pieces until it was all one with Boston. The first to go was Dorchester Heights in 1804 and then renamed South Boston. The bulk of the town was annexed in 1870 and the remaining parts that became Hyde Park were annexed in 1912. This section of the city is home to the oldest house, the James Blake House in Edward Everett Square, built around 1650.

Historical Data
The basic data is from the "Historical Data" publication series with additions from various sources. Associated names Dorchester at one time was called Mattapan, Mennens Moone, and Squantums Neck.

Village or section names include Commercial Point, Dorchester Heights, Dorchester Neck, Harrison Square, Hyde Park, Lower Mills, Meeting House Hill, Neponset, Pine Garden, Port Norfolk, and Upper Mills.

City neighborhoods include Adams Village, Annapolis, Ashmont Hill, Cedar Grove, Clam Point, Codman Hill, Codman Square, Columbia Point, Everett Square, Fields Corner, Five Streets, Four Corners, Franklin Field, Freeport, Harbor Point, Jones Hill, Lower Mills, Mattapan, Meeting House Hill, Melville Park, Mount Bowdoin, Neponset, Peabody Square, Pope's Hill, Port Norfolk, Savin Hill, and Uphams Corner. Border changes Top of Page

Town Histories
Works written on the town include:

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 * James Blake, Annals of the Town of Dorchester by James Blake. 1750 (Boston, 1846), being pages 7-95 of the Collections of the Dorchester Antiquarian and Historical Society, no. 2. Digital versions at Internet Archive and Google Books. WorldCat (Other Libraries);.
 * Ebenezer Clapp Jr. et al., History of the Town of Dorchester, Massachusetts (Boston, 1851-1859; rep. Boston, 1859), xii, 672 pp. Digital versions at Internet Archive and Google Books. WorldCat (Other Libraries);.
 * Dorchester Antiquarian and Historical Society collection, 1635-1874 (bulk: 1720-1870), a manuscript collection at the New England Historic Genealogical Society that includes town records, marriage intentions, church records (First Church and Second Parish), other original and published material, 8.5 linear ft.
 * David Clapp, The Ancient Proprietors of Jones's Hill: including brief sketches of the Jones, Stoughton, Tailer, Wiswall, Moseley, Capen and Holden families, the location and boundaries of their estates, etc. (Boston, 1883), vi, 68 pp. Digital versions at Internet Archive, Google Books, Hathi Trust, and Ancestry ($). WorldCat (Other Libraries); (with digital link).
 * William Dana Orcutt, Good Old Dorchester. A Narrative History of the Town, 1630-1893 (Cambridge, Mass., 1893; 2nd ed. 1908), xv, 496 pp. Digital versions at Internet Archive, Google Books, and Ancestry ($). WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FHL.
 * Maude Pinney Kuhns, The "Mary and John;" a story of the founding of Dorchester, Massachusetts, 1630 (Rutland, Vt., [1943]; rep. Rutland, Vt., 1971), xii, 254 pp. Contains the passenger list of the "Mary and John," a brief account of the passengers, and genealogical tables of their descendants. WorldCat (Other Libraries);.
 * Rodney L. Clark, "Dorchester: An English Plantation 1630-1640. A report on the first English inhabitants of Dorchester Plantation" (S.l., 2004). Manuscript at the New England Historic Genealogical Society. WorldCat (Other Libraries).
 * Dorchester Wikipedia page.

Vital Records
The town's vital records are available in many locations: Original records Published records Top of Page
 * Boston Registry Division 1 City Hall Square Room 213 Boston MA 02201 Phone 617-635-4175 Email [mailto:Registry@cityofboston.gov Registry@cityofboston.gov]
 * Microfilm of the originals created by the Family History Library, Vital Records and Indexes (1631-1869),.
 * Microfiche of the originals created by Archive Publishing covering town vital records, 1631-1869, and First Church of Dorchester, 1729-1845, on 72 fiche. Part of Massachusetts, Town Vital Collections, 1620–1988 at Ancestry ($); Index.
 * Official state copy of vital records starting in 1841: Massachusetts Archives 220 Morrissey Blvd. Boston MA 02125 Phone 617-727-2816 Email [mailto:archives@sec.state.ma.us archives@sec.state.ma.us] Hours and Directions See the online guide for more information.
 * A Report of the Record Commissioners of the City of Boston, containing Dorchester Births, Marriages, and Deaths to the end of 1825 (Boston, 1891), iv, 392 pp., being volume 21 of the series. This volume was microfiched by the Family History Library, and in digital versions at Internet Archive, Google Books, and Ancestry ($). In a database at American Ancestors ($) [for both volumes]. WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not in book format at FHL.
 * Sanford Charles Gladden, An index to the Vital Records of Dorchester, Massachusetts through 1825 (Boulder, Colo., 1970), ii, 148 pp. WorldCat (Other Libraries);.
 * Vital Records of the Town of Dorchester from 1826 to 1849 (Boston, 1905), [7], 288 pp., being volume 36 of the Boston Record Commissioners' series. This volume was microfiched by the Family History Library, and in digital versions at Internet Archive, Google Books, and Ancestry ($). In a database at American Ancestors ($) [for both volumes]. WorldCat (Other Libraries);  (with digital link).

City Directories
Dorchester was published in 1848 and 1850 (business only), and 1868/9.

The Library of Congress (Washington, D.C.) has one of the largest collections of city directories in the country. They are likely to own most of the years listed above. Their collection is in microfiche, microfilm, and books, but there is no online inventory of their holdings except for microfilm. See their guide online.

Other holdings:

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 * Ancestry ($) has 1850 and 1868/9.
 * Boston Public Library has 1850 and 1868/9.
 * Family History Library (Salt Lake City) has 1848, 1850, and 1868/9 on various film records.
 * fold3 ($) has none.
 * Massachusetts State Library has 1848 and 1868/9.
 * New England Historic Genealogical Society (Boston) ($) has 1850 and 1868/9.

Cemeteries
The following is a list of cemeteries within the old borders of the town of Dorchester. For more details regarding these cemeteries, see the state guide under cemeteries for books on the subject.


 * Cedar Grove Cemetery, 1867. Robert Baynard Severy is the author of several books: Guide to section 5 Cedar Grove Cemetery, Dorchester, Massachusetts ([Dorchester, Mass.], 2010). WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FHL. Guide to section 6 Cedar Grove Cemetery, Dorchester, Massachusetts ([Dorchester, Mass.], 2009). WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FHL. Guide to section 7 Cedar Grove Cemetery, Dorchester, Massachusetts ([Dorchester, Mass.], 2007). WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FHL. Guide to section 9 Cedar Grove Cemetery, Dorchester, Massachusetts ([Dorchester, Mass.], 2009). WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FHL. Guide to section 10 Cedar Grove Cemetery, Dorchester, Massachusetts ([Dorchester, Mass.], 2010). WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FHL.. Guide to section 11 Cedar Grove Cemetery, Dorchester, Massachusetts ([Dorchester, Mass.], 2008). WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FHL. Guide to section 12 Cedar Grove Cemetery, Dorchester, Massachusetts ([Dorchester, Mass.], 2008). WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FHL. Guide to the Oak Hill Section 18 Cedar Grove Cemetery, Dorchester, Massachusetts ([Dorchester, Mass.], 2011). WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FHL. Guide to the Oak Hill Section 19 Cedar Grove Cemetery, Dorchester, Massachusetts ([Dorchester, Mass.], 2012). WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FHL. Guide to the Maple Lot section 21 Cedar Grove Cemetery, Dorchester, Massachusetts ([Dorchester, Mass.], 2007). WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FHL.
 * Codman Burial Ground, 1848. Manuscript at the New England Historic Genealogical Society, Boston. Manuscript at the NSDAR Library.
 * Dorchester North Cemetery, 1634. Daniel Davenport, The Sexton's Monitor, and Dorchester Cemetery Memorial (Roxbury, Mass., 1826; rep. Boston, 1838), x, 38 pp. (for 1826) and 35, [1] pp. (for 1838). [Note: A transcript by the sexton of the inscriptions that are almost worn away together with some of curious note.] Digital versions of the 1826 edition at Internet Archive and the Hathi Trust. Harlow E. Woodward, Epitaphs from the Old Burying Ground in Dorchester, Massachusetts (Boston Highlands, Mass., 1869), 21 pp. [Note: Not complete] Digital versions at Internet Archive and the Hathi Trust. WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FHL. Annual Report of the Cemetery Department for the year 1904-1905 (Boston, 1905), p. 30-266, "Historical Sketch of The First Burying Place in Dorchester [Dorchester North Ground] including town records, records of all tombs, all epitaphs now in ground and of many stones now missing, and record of many of those buried in the ground with no gravestones standing." Digital versions at Internet Archive and Google Books. WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FHL.
 * Dorchester South Cemetery / South Burying Ground, 1771. Manuscript at the New England Historic Genealogical Society, Boston.
 * St. Mary's Cemetery, 1851.

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Churches
The following is a list of churches established in town in order of organization date (if known) and condition of records in the 1889 survey if listed. It is a record of churches up to 1920 only. For a list of churches of Boston in 2000, see the Emmanuel Gospel Center's Boston Church Directory (Millennium Edition) or the history of churches at the Dorchester Atheneum website.

This list is for churches that fell within the old town borders of Dorchester that include the current neighborhoods of Dorchester, Mattapan, and Hyde Park (above Readville), though these modern divisions do not exactly match the old town borders.


 * First Church (in England, 1630), reorganized / new church First Parish of Dorchester [first Congregational and then Unitarian] (now First Parish Church in Dorchester Unitarian Universalist), 1636, records good. Note: Memorandum in the records reads "Second Church of Dorchester." The fifth building was burned in 1896. First Parish Church in Dorchester Records, 1636-1981, held at the Massachusetts Historical Society. Church records, 1636-1845, . Records of the First Church at Dorchester, in New England, 1636-1734 (Boston, 1891), xxvi, 270 pp. Digital versions at Internet Archive and Google Books. WorldCat (Other Libraries);.
 * Church in the South Precinct of Dorchester, 1717. Note: This church became part of Stoughton when it was created as a town in 1736, see Stoughton.
 * Second Congregational Church [split off from the First Church and sometimes called the South Meeting House] (now Second Church in Dorchester, a Church of the Nazarene), 1808-1987, records good. Second Church, records, 1922-1987 (gaps), at the Congregational Library, Boston. Janet L. Robertson, Puritan Heritage: A Brief History of Second Church in Dorchester (Boston, 1955), [18] pp. WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FHL.
 * Third Religious Society in Dorchester [split off from the Second Congregational Church and called the New South Meeting House or Dorchester South Church] (by 1817 Third Congregational Church of Dorchester, now Unitarian), Lower Mills, 1813-1946, records good. Church records, 1815-1946, held at the Andover-Harvard Theological Library, Harvard Divinity School. Memorial of the Proprietors of the New South Meeting-House in Dorchester (Boston, 1813). WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FHL. William Irvin Lawrance, History of the Third Religious Society of Dorchester, 1813-1888 (Boston, 1888). WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FHL.
 * Dorchester First Methodist Episcopal Church, 1816-1965 [the Fourth Parish], records good. Note: Merged with Stanton Avenue and Parkman Street to form Wesley United Methodist Church in 1965. John R. Chaffee, The History of the First Methodist Episcopal Church, Dorchester, Massachusetts (Boston, 1917), 247 pp. WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FHL. Twenty-five Years of Methodism in Dorchester First Church, 1916-1941 (Dorchester, Mass., 1941).
 * Village Congregational Church, Mattapan, 1829-1966, records good. Note: Members from the Second Church were dismissed to for this new church in the south part of town. Merged with First Congregational Church of Milton in 1968. History of the Village Congregational Church, Dorchester, Massachusetts (Dorchester, Mass., 1929), 32 pp. WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FHL.
 * First Baptist Church in Dorchester (later Neponset Avenue Baptist Church and discontinued name), Neponset, 1837, records good.
 * Mattapan Methodist Episcopal Church (renamed Methodist Episcopal Church in 1875), 1845-extinct. Note: No information regarding this church has been found.
 * North Baptist Church of Dorchester (after 1870, Stoughton Street Baptist Church), 1845-aft. 1930 (extinct), records good. Note: No further details about this church or its records have been found.
 * St. Mary's Protestant Episcopal Church (now St. Mary's Episcopal Church), 1847, records good. Fiftieth Anniversary of the Foundation of St. Mary's Parish, Dorchester, 1847-1897 (Dorchester, Mass., 1898), 152 pp. WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FHL. Guild H. Copeland [?], St. Mary's Church: Its Year Book of 1907 and Its History, 1847 to 1907 (Dorchester, Mass., 1907). No WorldCat entry; Not at FHL.
 * Third Unitarian Society (by 1852, Harrison Square Society, by 1894, Christ Church of Dorchester), 1848-extinct, records good. Christ Church, Dorchester, Cash book, 1848-1850, held by the Andover-Harvard Theological Library, Harvard Divinity School.
 * Second Methodist Episcopal Church, 1850-1858. Re-organized in 1860 (see below).
 * Church of the Unity [Unitarian], Neponset, 1859-1924, records good. Church of the Unity, Neponset, parish records, 1859-1924, held by the Andover-Harvard Theological Library, Harvard Divinity School.
 * Trinity Congregational Church (federated with the Second Methodist Episcopal Church to form the Community Church of Neponset in 1927 [current, no website]), Neponset, 1859, records good.
 * Second Methodist Episcopal Church of Dorchester (after 1870, Appleton Methodist Episcopal Church, then federated with the Trinity Congregational Church to form the Community Church of Neponset in 1927 [current, no website]), Neponset, 1861, records poor.
 * Washington Union Village Church, by 1861. Note: This church was said to be later called the Channing Church in Dorchester. It is not listed in the Dorchester City Directory, 1868/9. Church records, 1836-1935, held at the Andover-Harvard Theological Library, Harvard Divinity School.
 * Church of Jesus Christ [non-denominational] (changed to Cottage Street Congregational Church in 1871, named changed to Pilgrim Church in 1877, moved to Upham's Corner in 1890 and now called the Pilgrim Trinitarian Congregational Church), 1862, records good. Note: The Romsey Street Congregational Church was an offshoot of this church from 1893 to 1930. Manual of the Pilgrim Congregational Church, Dorchester, Boston, Mass. [various titles] (Boston, various dates). No digital version available. WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FHL.
 * St. Gregory's Catholic Church, 1863, records good. Michael Parise, The History of Saint Gregory's Parish, Lower Mills, Dorchester and Milton, 1862-1987 (Dorchester, Mass., 1987), 142 pp. WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FHL.
 * Methodist Episcopal Church (renamed Greenwood Memorial Church in 1913, now called Greenwood Memorial United Methodist Church), 1869. [not in 1889 survey] Lawrence F. Berry, Greenwood Memorial Church (Methodist Episcopal), Dorchester, Massachusetts: Its Ancestry and Growth with the Neighborhood (Dorchester, Mass., 1936), 120 pp. WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FHL.
 * Bethany Baptist Church, 1871-extant in 1930, but now extinct. [not in 1889 survey] Note: No further details about this church or its records have been found.
 * Mount Pleasant Church (Dudley St. and North Ave.), 1871-1876, moved and renamed Howard Avenue Methodist Church, 1876-1888. Note: This area is now considered Roxbury, but then was within the old town borders of Dorchester. Note: There are no known records for the first church. The church continued as the Baker Memorial Methodist Church, 1889-1943, in Upham's Corner. See below for those records. Howard Avenue Methodist Church records, 1876-1890, held by the School of Theology Library, Boston University.
 * St. Peter's Catholic Church, 1873, condition not stated. Baptisms to 1895, Marriages to 1897, and Confirmations, 1894-1915, held by the Archdiocese of Boston Archives. S. L. Emery, A Catholic Stronghold and Its Making. A History of St. Peter's Parish, Dorchester, Massachusetts and of Its First Rector (Boston, 1910), 95 pp. No digital version available. WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FHL. St. Peter's Church, 1872-1972, A Centennial History (Boston, 1972), 51 pp. WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FHL.
 * All Saints' Protestant Episcopal Church (now All Saints' Ashmont Episcopal Church), 1874, records good. Church records, 1874-1915, . Alice P. Floyd, The History of the Parish of All Saints (Ashmont) Dorchester, Boston, Massachusetts (Dorchester, Mass., 1945), 89 pp., [32] p. of plates. WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FHL. Douglass Shand Tucci, All Saints' Ashmont, Dorchester, Boston. A Centennial History of the Parish (Boston, 1974), 83 pp. WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FHL.
 * Parkman Street Methodist Episcopal Church, 1874-1965, records well kept. Note: Merged with First Methodist and Stanton Avenue in 1965 to form the Wesley United Methodist Church in Dorchester. Records held by the School of Theology Library, Boston University. Church records, 1874-1898, . 50th Anniversary, 1874-1924: History and Souvenir (Dorchester, Mass., 1924). 75th Anniversary, 1875-1950 (Dorchester, Mass., 1950). Note: Neither history found in WorldCat and not at FHL.
 * St. John's Universalist Church, Upham's Corner, 1874-extinct between 1910-1920, records good. Note: Further information regarding this church or its records has not been found. See 1891 for a possible continuation of this church or a duplicate entry.
 * Mattapan Methodist Church, 1874-1926. Note: Not found in any guides and just mentioned in notes from collections at Boston University's School of Theology website. The church organized in 1874 on Norfolk Street and bought an Episcopalian church in 1875, though the former owners used it sporadically from 1879 to 1883. The Methodist society reorganized in 1884 and moved to Milton in 1926 where it became the Parkway Church.
 * St. Ann's Protestant Episcopal Church, 1877, records good. Note: This was an offshoot of St. Mary's Church. The Dorchester Antheneum says "The mission of St. Anne's on Cottage Street, near Dudley, was begun in a barber shop in 1876 by the Rev. W. W. Silvester. In 1879, it was placed under the control of the parish of St. James, Roxbury, and later became a separate parish." Nothing more is known about this church except it was listed in the 1921 directory without a rector.
 * Grove Hall Universalist Parish (changed to "Church" in 1913), 1877-1968, records good. Records, 1907-1968, held by the Andover-Harvard Theological Library, Harvard Divinity School.
 * Blaney Memorial Baptist Church, 1882-after 1930. Note: Not in the 1889 survey and the building was demolished in 1980s. Location of its records is unknown.
 * Lower Mills Baptist Church, 1882. Note: No further record of this church, though perhaps it is the same as the entry above which was given its name in 1886.
 * Protestant Episcopal Congregation in Mattapan (after 1896 and now Church of the Holy Spirit [Episcopal]), 1883.
 * Dorchester Temple Baptist Church, 1886-2000s. [By 2005, it was the Global Ministries Christian Church. Early congregants were predominantly Nova Scotian. Dorchester Temple Baptist Church, 670 Washington Street, Dorchester 24, Massachusetts. Seventy-fifth Anniversary (Dorchester, Mass., 1961). WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FHL.
 * Stanton Avenue Methodist Episcopal Church (later called Stanton Avenue Methodist Church), 1886-1965. Note: This church suffered a major fire in 1911. Merged with First Methodist and Parkman Street in 1965 to form the Wesley United Methodist Church in Dorchester. Records, 1886-1962, held by the School of Theology Library, Boston University. Grace Olive Chapman, Stanton Avenue Methodist Episcopal Church, Dorchester (Boston) Massachusetts, 1886-1936 (Dorchester, Mass., 1937), 117 pp. WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FHL.
 * Harvard Congregational Church, 1887-bet. 1930-1940. Note: Information regarding this church and its records are unknown.
 * Baker Memorial Methodist Episcopal Church, 1888-1943. Note: Formed from the Mount Pleasant Methodist Church (1871-1876) that moved and was called the Howard Avenue Methodist Church (1876-1888) that closed in 1888. See those records above. This congregation moved and started meeting in Upham's Corner where they built their church in 1891. The church tower was condemned in 1940 and the church closed in 1943. Records held by the School of Theology Library, Boston University. Church records, 1889-1943, . Our Golden Jubilee, 1891-1941 (Dorchester, Mass., 1941). Note: This booklet is not in WorldCat and not at FHL.
 * Bethany Congregational Church (after 1891, Central Congregational Church), 1888-19??. Note: Merged wtih Second Congregational Church after 1946 and disbanded in 1987.
 * Norfolk Unitarian Church, 1889-before 1921. Note: Little is known about this church except for its beginning. It was listed in the city directory for 1915, but not in 1921. So it was either closed or merged with another congregation. The records have not been located.
 * St. Ann's Catholic Church, Neponset, 1889. [not in 1889 survey] Note: It was a ward of St. Gregory's Catholic Catholic from 1881 to 1889. Baptisms to 1904 and Deaths, 1933-1942 (closed) are held by the Archdiocese of Boston Archives.
 * Upham's Corner Universalist Church, 1891. Note: Further information regarding this church or its records has not been found. This church is not listed in the 1910 city directory. See the 1874 entry for St. John's - is this a duplicate entry?
 * Ashmont Universalist Parish of Boston, 1892-before 1915. Note: The little that is known about this church is from the Dorchester Atheneum website. It was listed in the 1910 city directory, but not the 1915 edition. Location of its records is unknown.
 * St. John's Chapel, 1892. Note: The Archdiocese of Boston considers this chapel to be in Roxbury, though it is physically in Dorchester. What little is known of this chapel is from the Dorchester Atheneum website.
 * St. Margaret's Catholic Church, 1893-2004. Note: It was part of the closures by the Archdiocese to pay legal expenses. This parish was merged with St. William under the name of Blessed Mother Teresa Parish and using the St. Margaret's Church. Baptisms to 1918, Marriages to 1919, and Confirmations to 1915 are held by the Archdiocese of Boston Archives.

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