Published Histories
Published area histories
Researchers may find their ancestors mentioned in published histories and other works. The most likely to mention individuals are listed below.
Early Dorchester vital records
Dorchester births, marriages, and deaths to the end of 1825. Boston, 1891.
Available in libraries or as an eBook on Google
Early Dorchester town records are available at
Dorchester Atheneum website. You may search for individual names in the search box at
General Histories
There are two general histories of Dorchester:
History of the Town of Dorchester, Massachusetts. By a Committee of the Dorchester Antiquarian and Historical Society. Boston: E. Clapp, Jr., 1859
This book was issued in parts from 1851 to 1859. The preface to the complete volume was dated 1859.
Copies of this work may be found in libraries. Reprints are available. The book is also available as an eBook on Google (with an offprint from the New England Historic Genealogical Register, October, 1890, entitled Authors of the History of Dorchester, Massachusetts)
Orcutt, William Dana. Good Old Dorchester. A Narrative History of the Town, 1630-1893. Cambridge, 1893.
Copies of this work may be found in libraries. The book is also available as an eBook on Google
Jones Hill and Ashmont Hill/Carruth Street area
In addition, there are two books that cover the history of smaller sections of Dorchester:
- Jones Hill
Tucci, Douglas Shand. The Second Settlement: a Case Study in the Development of Victorian Boston. Boston, 1974.
Copies are available in libraries.
- Ashmont Hill and the Carruth Street area
Tucci, Douglas Shand. Ashmont: an Historical Guide to Peabody Square, Carruth's Hill, and Ashmont Hill and the Architecture of Edwin J. Lewis, Jr., and John A. Fox. Dorchester: Dorchester Historical Society, 1991.
Copies may be purchased from the Dorchester Historical Society.
Church Histories
Church histories and records may provide information about individuals. Researchers may want to consult the following published material as well as contacting the churches directly.
First Church
First Church (Dorchester, Boston, Mass.) Records of the First Church at Dorchester, in New England, 1636-1734. Boston: G.H. Ellis, 1891.
Available in libraries as well as an eBook on Google
All Saints (Episcopal)
Floyd, A.P. History of the Parish of All Saints. 1945.
Tucci, Douglas Shand. All Saints, Ashmont: a Centennial History. 1974.
Tucci, Douglas Shand. All Saints' Church, Boston: An Introduction to the Architecture of Ralph Adams Cram (vol. 2 of The Gothic Churches of Dorchester). Ann Arbor, 1975.
Tucci, Douglas Shand. Boston Bohemia,1881-1900. Volume one of Ralph Adams Cram: Life and Architecture. Amherst: University of Massachusetts Press, 1995.
Tucci, Douglas Shand. Ralph Adams Cram, American Medievalist. Boston, 1975.
Methodist Memorial
Our Golden Jubilee, 1891-1941. Dorchester, 1941.
Dorchester Temple Baptist Church
Dorchester Temple Baptist Church, 670 Washington Street, Dorchester 24, Massachusetts. Seventy-fifth Anniversary. Dorchester, 1961.
First Methodist Episcopal Church
Chaffee, John R. History of the First Methodist Episcopal Church, Dorchester, Mass. Boston, 1917.
The One Hundredth Anniversary of the First Methodist Episcopal Churchy, Dorchester, Massachusetts. Dorchester, 1916.
Twenty-five Years of Methodism in Dorchester First Church, 1916-1941. Dorchester, 1941.
Greenwood Memorial Church
Berry, Lawrence F. Greenwood Memorial Church (Methodist Episcopal) Dorchester, Massachusetts. Dorchester, 1936.
Parkman Street Methodist Church
50th Anniversary, 1874-1924, History and Souvenir. Dorchester, 1924.
75th Anniversary, 1875-1950, Parkman Street Methodist Church. Dorchester, 1950.
Pilgrim Church
Installation Services Pilgrim Curch, Dorchester, June 10, 1891 for Rev. William H. Allbright]. Dorchester, 1891.
Manual of the Pilgrim Congregational Church, Dorchester, Boston, Mass. Boston, 1891.
Services of Dedication & Commemoration, Pilgrim Church, Dorchester District, Boston, Mass., October Fourth ... Dorchester, 1903.
Second Church
Allen, William. Historical Discourse, Delivered in Dorchster, January 2, 1848, on Occasion of the Fortieth Anniversary of the Gathering ... Boston: Press of T.R. Marvin, 1848.
Means, James Howard. Historical Discourse on Occasion of the Fiftieth Anniversary of the Gathering of the Second Church, Dorchester ... Boston: Press of Tr. R. Marvin & Son, 1858.
Means, James Howard. Historical Discourse on Occasion of the Seventieth Anniversary of the Gathering of the Second Church, Dorchester ... Boston: Frank Wood, 1878.
Packard, Edward N. Sermon and Addresses Commemorative of the Seventy-fifth Anniversary of the Second Church, Dorchester ... Boston: Frank Wood, 1883.
Robertson, Janet L. Puritan Heritage: A Brief History of Second Church in Dorchester. Boston, 1955.
Saint Gregory's Church (Roman Catholic)
Parise, Michael. History of Saint Gregory's Parish, Lower Mills, Dorchester and Milton, 1862-1987. Dorchester, 1987.
St. Mary's Church (Episcopal)
Copeland, Guild A. St. Mary's Church: Its Year Book of 1907 and Its History, 1847 to 1907. Dorcheser, 1907.
Fiftieth Anniversary of the Foundation of St. Mary's Parish, Dorchester, 1847-1897. Boston, 1898.
Saint Peter's Church (Roman Catholic)
Annual Reunion of St. Peter's Parish, Dorchester. Boston, 1907.
Emery, S.L. A Catholic Stronghold and Its Making. A History of St. Peter's Parish, Dorchester, Massachusetts and of Its First Rector ... Boston, 1910.
St. Peter's Church, 1872-1972. Boston: Fandel Press, 1972. A Centennial History.
Third Religious Society (Unitarian)
Memorial of the Proprietors of the New South Meeting-House in Dorchester. Boston: Watson & Banks, 1813.
Lawrance, William Irvin. History of the Third Religious Society of Dorchester, 1813-1888. Boston, 1888.
Stanton Avenue Methodist Episcopal Church
Chapman, Grace Olive. Stanton Avenue Methodist Episcopal Church, Dorchester, Mass. 1937.
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