A gravestone in St. Augustine Cemetery, August 2018
St. Augustine Chapel and Cemetery in South Boston is celebrating its bicentennial this year! This chapel is the oldest surviving Catholic place of worship in Massachusetts; it was established to be the final resting place of Father Francis Matignon, one of the pioneering figures who helped establish the Catholic church in Boston. As part of the bicentennial celebrations, we have partnered with the Archdiocese of Boston, and in particular the the Gate of Heaven and St. Brigid Parish Collaborative (of which the chapel is a part) to offer this new database: Boston, MA: St. Augustine Cemetery Records, 1819-1859.
This database contains a mix of original records and copied volumes that include lot sales, burials, deaths, and gravestone inscriptions. The volumes labelled “Gravestone Inventory” were created during a preservation study of the cemetery undertaken in the 1980s. There are more than 15,000 records and 62,000 names available to search in this database.
You can read more about the celebrations and the history of the chapel and cemetery on Gate of Heaven and St. Brigid’s website. The bicentennial celebrations started in September 2018 and will continue through July 2019.
So many of our wonderful volunteers helped make this database possible, including Sally Sparrow, Matt Murphy, Becki Clarke, Arlys LeFehr, Nancy Johnson, Loretta Brown-Aldrich, Katherine Marshall-Mayer, Stacey-Rae McCue, Sara Stinson, Barbara Macken, Amelia Devin Freedman, Beverly Kolek, Sarah Collins, Bob Rainville, Janet Essency, Kathy Oberley, Patty Ryburn, Jane Papa, Maureen McCarthy, Sage Suorsa, Mary Alice Yost, Jannet Urrego, Sandy Murphy Mauer, Paul McCool, Angela Napolitano, Jim Alcauskas, Eileen McCarthy, Francis Alix, and Ross and Linda Weaver.
Please note: This database is available to all NEHGS members. Learn more about becoming a NEHGS guest member (free).