Archdiocese of Boston: New searchable records for Boston & East Boston

Images of St. Cecilia and St. john the Baptist.
St. Cecilia and St. John the Baptist Churches from: One hundred years of progress : a graphic, historical, and pictorial account of the Catholic Church of New England, Archdiocese of Boston. Courtesy of Archive.org.

Today we have added 8 new volumes, and 2 extended volumes, to Massachusetts: Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston Records, 1789-1920. Today’s additions include the parishes of St. Cecelia in Boston, and St. John The Baptist in East Boston. This update includes over 1,700 pages, and over 66,000 searchable names.

St. Cecilia was established in 1888 in Back Bay on the corner of Belvidere and Bothnia streets with Rev. Richard J. Barry as the first pastor. Many of the congregants were Irish immigrants who worked as servants for the wealthy Protestant families who lived in that neighborhood.

St. John the Baptist in East Boston ministered to Boston’s Portuguese Catholics. In 1872 the archdiocese bought church on North Bennett Street in the North End, and in 1874 this parish became the home of the Portuguese Catholics with Rev. John Ignatius as the first pastor.

We’d like to thank our dedicated team of volunteers for their work on this, including Mirca Sghedoni, Diana Beltrao de Macedo, Debbie Lansing, Franck Bili, and Sam Sturgis. If you would like to become part of the team working on rewarding genealogical projects, please contact Rachel Adams, Database Services Volunteer Coordinator via email at rachel.adams@nehgs.org.

The new volumes are:
• St. Cecilia (Boston) Baptisms, 1919-1920
• St. Cecilia (Boston) Confirmations, 1901-1920
• St. Cecilia (Boston) Marriages, 1911-1919
• St. Cecilia (Boston) Marriages, 1919-1920
• St. John the Baptist (East Boston) Baptisms, 1893-1905
• St. John the Baptist (East Boston) Baptisms, 1873-1888
• St. John the Baptist (East Boston) Baptisms, 1888-1893
• St. John the Baptist (East Boston) Marriages, 1873-1902

The two expanded volumes have records added beyond 1900 and are:
• St. Cecilia (Boston) Baptisms, 1889-1919
• St. Cecilia (Boston) Marriages, 1888-1911

Please note: This database is available to Individual-level and above NEHGS members only. Consider membership.