Statue of St. Vincent de Paul found in the South Boston church in 1895, p. 57 of One Hundred Years of Progress
Today we’ve added seven new volumes to Massachusetts: (Image-Only) Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston Records, 1789-1900 from St. Vincent de Paul in South Boston. This update adds over 1,700 images to browse and brings our total number of available volumes to 700!
St. Vincent de Paul was established in 1848 as part of the Cathedral parish. It became an independent parish in 1862. It was initially located in the Fort Hill neighborhood, which had many immigrants. Fort Hill was on the southern end of the Shawmut peninsula–it is not the same as the Fort Hill neighborhood in Roxbury. In the 1860s the city of Boston decided to level the hill and “revitalize” the neighborhood, replacing homes with warehouses and businesses. The dirt of the leveled hill was used to build more land along the harbor edge. The forced relocation of this neighborhood caused some dispersal of the parishioners, but many moved to the same area in South Boston, where new territory was set off from Sts. Peter and Paul parish in 1872. St. Vincent’s parish continued in this new location. The history of this parish continued to reflect the growth of Boston as a city–in 1895 James S. Sullivan described the location of the church at the time of its construction: “The lot was situated at the corner of E and Third Streets and then but one block removed from tide water. The water has since receded before the march of improvement and now several blocks intervene.” (p.57). If you look at a map now, there are many blocks between that intersection and the harbor!
We’d like to thank the following volunteers for their help with this parish: Francis Alix, Eileen McCarthy, Angela Napolitano, and Ross and Linda Weaver.
If you need help navigating this collection, please consult our how-to video. The new volumes are listed below:
St. Vincent de Paul (South Boston) Baptisms and Marriages, 1862-1897
St. Vincent de Paul (South Boston) Baptisms and Marriages, 1872-1885
St. Vincent de Paul (South Boston) Baptisms, 1862-1871
St. Vincent de Paul (South Boston) Baptisms, 1872-1882
St. Vincent de Paul (South Boston) Baptisms, 1898-1900
St. Vincent de Paul (South Boston) Confirmations, 1870-1900
St. Vincent de Paul (South Boston) Marriages, 1880-1900
Please note: This database is available to all NEHGS members. Learn more about becoming a NEHGS guest member (free).