New database: Massachusetts: Roman Catholic Parish Cemetery Records, 1866-1940

St. Mary Cemetery in Quincy, Norfolk County, Massachusetts, photograph by John Phelan, 2010 (public domain via Wikimedia Commons).

Today, American Ancestors and the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston (RCAB) are announcing a new database of Catholic cemetery records: Massachusetts: Roman Catholic Parish Cemetery Records, 1866-1940.

The cemeteries selected for this database are administrated by local parishes, which are distinct from those managed by the Catholic Cemetery Association. Most of the volumes contain records of lot sales or interments, and may include lot owners, date of burial and location of burial. This includes information for some people who no longer have, or may never have had, headstones, making this collection essential for research into Catholic burials in this region. This database offers records through 1940, with the exception being St. Joseph Cemetery (Plymouth) which offers records through 1970.

This database currently features eight parishes administered in eastern Massachusetts. Today we’re releasing 45 volumes from eight cemeteries, including nearly 25,000 records and over 70,000 searchable names. Records from additional parishes will be added in the future as we expand our collaboration.

Records are currently available from the following cemeteries:

  • St. Mary (Ayer)
  • St. Mary (Canton)
  • Annunciation Cemetery (Danvers)
  • St. Mary (Middleborough)
  • St. Joseph (Plymouth)
  • St. Mary (Quincy)
  • St. Joseph (Roxbury)
  • St. Anthony of Padua (Shirley)

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