Archdiocese of Boston: New searchable records for Boston, Cambridge, and West Roxbury

sepia photograph of large stone church
Holy Trinity, from One Hundred Years of Progress, page 137

Today we have added 11 new volumes, and 6 extended volumes, to Massachusetts: Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston Records, 1789-1920. Today’s additions include the parishes of Holy Trinity in Boston, St. Anthony of Padua in Cambridge, and St. Theresa of Avila in West Roxbury. This update includes over 3,000 pages, and over 100,000 searchable names.

Holy Trinity was the heart of the German Catholic community in Boston. The parish was established in 1836; the first Mass in their church building was said in 1844. Read more about the history of the parish in our late volunteer Michael Hager’s American Ancestors magazine article. You can learn more about the Monatsbote, their parish newsletter in Thomas Lester’s article in the Pilot..

St. Anthony of Padua was established in 1902, serving the Portuguese immigrants of East Cambridge. The history of the church specifies the congregants came from mainland Portugal, the Azores, and Madeira. Boston College’s Global Boston project provides a helpful overview of Portuguese immigration to the Boston area including East Cambridge.

St. Theresa of Avila was opened as early in about 1869, and the first building was a small wooden church dedicated October 28, 1871. This church burned down in 1874 and school-chapel building was constructed on Spring Street and opened in 1875. The then small parish was attached to Dedham, and then Roslindale before it became an independent parish again on January 1, 1896.

The eleven new volumes are:
• Holy Trinity (Boston) Baptisms, 1902-1908
• Holy Trinity (Boston) Baptisms, 1908-1920
• Holy Trinity (Boston) Burials, 1907-1920
• Holy Trinity (Boston) Marriages, 1914-1920
• St. Anthony of Padua (Cambridge) Baptisms, 1902-1913
• St. Anthony of Padua (Cambridge) Baptisms, 1913-1918
• St. Anthony of Padua (Cambridge) Baptisms, 1918-1920
• St. Anthony of Padua (Cambridge) Marriages, 1902-1920
• St. Theresa of Avila (West Roxbury) Baptisms, 1920
• St. Theresa of Avila (West Roxbury) Confirmations, 1902-1920
• St. Theresa of Avila (West Roxbury) Marriages, 1910-1920

The five expanded volumes have records added beyond 1900 and are:
• Holy Trinity (Boston) Baptisms, 1894-1902
• Holy Trinity (Boston) Deaths, 1878-1907
• Holy Trinity (Boston) Marriages, 1893-1914
• St. Theresa of Avila (West Roxbury) Baptisms, 1896-1920
• St. Theresa of Avila (West Roxbury) Marriages, 1896-1910

We’d like to thank our dedicated team of volunteers for their work on this project, especially Bob Rainville 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.

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