Author Archive
Today we have added 14 new volumes to Massachusetts: Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston Records, 1789-1920. Today’s additions include 5 different parishes: Holy Ghost in Whitman, St. Joseph in Holbrook, St. John the Baptist in Peabody, St. Joseph in Ipswich, and St. Mary in Lowell. This update provides over 1,600 new pages, and nearly 200,000 searchable names.
The Church of the Holy Ghost in Whitman was originally a mission of Abington. The church was erected by Father McQuaid in 1880 and dedicated by Archbishop John J. Williams. Williams was the first Archbishop of Boston.
On March 13, 1887 Holbrook became a parish independent of St. Mary’s of Randolph. Construction began almost immediately, and on May 3, 1888 Father Kelley had completed St. Joseph’s church and it was dedicated by Archbishop Williams.
Peabody held a fair in May of 1870 to raise funds to aid the new parish in Peabody. St. John’s church was sufficiently completed by Christmas of 1871 for Father Gray to celebrate a Mass there. The church was officially dedicated on November 30, 1879, and Archbishop Williams dedicated the altar that morning.
Construction of St. Joseph Church in Ipswich began in 1871 under the direction of Father Shahan. It was dedicated by Archbishop Williams in 1872.
St. Patrick (Lowell) was the first Catholic church in Lowell, established in the 1830s. As the Catholic population grew, St. Peter (Lowell) became the second Catholic church in the area. By 1847, the parishioners of St. Patrick’s were ever greater in number. A new building was purchased, and St. Mary (Lowell) was dedicated by Bishop Fitzpatrick. When St. Patrick’s church was enlarged, it enveloped St. Mary (Lowell) and the church was closed. This volume contains the marriages for St. Mary’s parish from 1847-1861. The baptisms for St. Mary’s are already available online, as part of the volume St. Patrick (Lowell) Baptisms 1847-1878, Part 2.
We’d like to thank out dedicated team of volunteers for their work on this update, including; Shaune-Marie Berg, Lisa Butler, Lesley Chidester, Michelle Cohen, Gail Delfosse, Amelia Devin Freedman, Eldon Gay, Nina Hayes, Paula Hines, Carolyn Jack, Nancy Johnson, Arlys LaFehr, Rick Lageux, Aidan Largey, Barbara Macken, Katherine Marshall-Mayer, Stacey-Rae McCue, Therese Mosorjak, Matt Murphy, Daria O’Connor, Kathy Oberley, Bob Rainville, Julie Roffo, Sara Stinson, Sam Sturgis, Alicia Svenson, Rhonda Wilson, and Mary Alice Yost. 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 listed below:
- Holy Ghost (Whitman) Baptisms, 1887-1897
- Holy Ghost (Whitman) Baptisms, 1897-1920
- Holy Ghost (Whitman) Confirmations, 1898-1920
- Holy Ghost (Whitman) Marriages, 1897-1908
- Holy Ghost (Whitman) Marriages, 1908-1920
- St. John the Baptist (Peabody) Baptisms, 1874-1877
- St. John the Baptist (Peabody) Baptisms, 1874-1906
- St. John the Baptist (Peabody) Marriages, 1875-1908
- St. Joseph (Holbrook) Baptisms, 1887-1914
- St. Joseph (Holbrook) Confirmations, 1890-1904
- St. Joseph (Holbrook) Marriages, 1887-1907
- St. Joseph (Ipswich) Baptisms, 1889-1910
- St. Joseph (Ipswich) First Communions and Confirmations, 1896-1925
- St. Mary (Lowell) Marriages, 1847-1861
Please note: This database is available to Individual-level and above NEHGS members only. Consider membership.
Today we have added 11 new volumes to Massachusetts: Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston Records, 1789-1920 from St. Ann in Gloucester and St. Mary in Winchester. This update adds over 2,100 pages, and over 250,000 new names to search.
St. Ann’s Parish in Gloucester was originally established in 1855 in a refitted Baptist church. Father Healy initiated the building of St. Anne’s Church, which cost about $100,000 at that time. The church was dedicated on July 31, 1881 by Archbishop Williams.
St. Mary’s Parish in Winchester was originally a mission of the Woburn church. The architect was P.C. Keely of Brooklyn, NY. The original church building was smaller than it is today, and it was enlarged by Father Daley.
We’d like to thank out dedicated team of volunteers for their work on this, including; Gail Delfosse, Becki Clarke, Bill Fenton, Loretta Brown-Aldrich , Alida Baker, Sara Calautti, Bob Rainville, Rick Lageux, Bruce McKeeman, Stacey-Rae McCue, Amelia Devin Freedman, Rhonda Wilson, Kim Bonner, Patty Ryburn, Kathy Oberley, Toni Lattimer, Nancy Johnson, Matt Murphy, Marie Wells, Arlys LaFehr, Carolyn Jack, Katherine Marshall-Mayer, Mary Alice Yost, Jane Papa, and Carolyn Jack. 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 listed below:
- St. Ann (Gloucester) Baptisms, 1863-1868
- St. Ann (Gloucester) Baptisms and Marriages, 1855-1866
- St. Ann (Gloucester) Baptisms and Marriages, 1866-1870
- St. Ann (Gloucester) Baptisms, 1871-1879 and Marriages, 1908-1909
- St. Ann (Gloucester) Baptisms, 1879-1897 and Marriages, 1908-1910, and 1923
- St. Ann (Gloucester) Marriages, 1857-1867
- St. Ann (Gloucester) Marriages, 1868-1871
- St. Ann (Gloucester) Marriages, 1872-1907
- St. Mary (Winchester) Baptisms, 1875-1908
- St. Mary (Winchester) Marriages, 1875-1908
Please note: This database is available to Individual-level and above NEHGS members only. Consider membership.
We have revamped the database Madison, CT: Church Records, 1791-1827. This database now contains the page images of the original manuscript, and it is searchable by first name and last name, record type, and family members (where available).
The Madison, CT: Church Records, 1791-1827 database is based on the church records transcribed by Louise R. Allen in 1935. The records represent the years 1791 to 1827. Madison was first settled in 1641, and was known as East Guilford until it was incorporated as a separate town in 1826.
This database contains 68 pages and approximately 7,500 names. The records from this manuscript are in volume 1. Volume 2 contains the original typed index. All of the records are for the location: Madison, New Haven, Connecticut.
This update is made possible by the efforts of our team our volunteers, and in particular David Anderson, Greta Gaffin, and Tate Lehmann. We appreciate the work of all our volunteers. If you would like to join the team please contact Rachel Adams, Database Services Volunteer Coordinator via email at rachel.adams@nehgs.org.
The original manuscript is part of the R. Stanton Avery Collections, call number Mss A 2397.
Please note: This database is available to Individual-level and above NEHGS members only. Consider membership.
Today we’ve added four new volumes to Massachusetts: Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston Records, 1789-1920 from All Saints in Roxbury and Sacred Heart in Weymouth. This update adds over 450 pages, and over 79,000 new names to search. The new volumes are:
- All Saints (Roxbury) Baptisms, 1896-1908
- All Saints (Roxbury) Marriages, 1896-1908
- Sacred Heart (Weymouth) Baptisms, 1870-1895
- Sacred Heart (Weymouth) Marriages, 1870-1892
Construction of the All Saints Church in Roxbury started in 1893. This was the thirteenth church erected by Rev. Hugh P. Smyth. The site of All Saints’ Church was formerly part of the estate of Governor Bradley, one of the early governors of the New England colony, whose family occupied it for many years, making it a notable spot in Roxbury.
The Parish of the Sacred Heart was also built by Rev. Hugh P. Smyth. Located at 55 Commercial Street, the construction of this church was started in 1876, and was built to accommodate the growing number of Catholic parishioners who could no longer be accommodated by the Church of St. Francis Xavier in South Weymouth.
The volunteers who indexed All Saints (Roxbury) include; Greta Gaffin, Tate Lehmann, Tim Belgrad, Kathy Oberley, Bob Rainville, Lisa Butler, Matt Murphy, Arlys LaFehr, and Mary Alice Yost. The volunteers who produced Sacred Heart (Weymouth) include; Loretta Brown-Aldrich, Nancy Johnson, Bob Rainville, Rick Lageux, Kim Bonner, Cathy Corricelli, Bernadine Bernavil, Stacey-Rae McCue, Sara Stinson, Kathy Oberley, Amelia Devin Freedman, Matt Murphy, Carolyn Jack, Katherine Marshall-Mayer, Judy Welna, Arlys LaFehr, Mary Alice Yost, Jane Papa, and Katie McNally. 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.
Today we are announcing a new database: The Genealogical Advertiser. The Genealogical Advertiser was a quarterly magazine published from March 1898 to 1901 by Lucy Hall Greenlaw in Cambridge Mass.
This publication produced a variety of useful content including; local vital record extracts, probate records, family histories, and genealogical book reviews.
All the published volumes are included in this database. The database contains approximately 839 pages and over 20,000 searchable names. The indexing for this database includes full names, Publication year (not the year of the record), and article titles and authors. The Vermont Genealogy database is part of the Journals & Periodicals category, and results are included in that category search page.
This update is made possible by the efforts of our volunteers: David Anderson, Kim Bonner, Angela Napolitano, and Ross Weaver. If you have some time and would like to get involved in the database digitization and indexing process 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.
We are very happy to add Volume 11 to our database Dutchess County, NY: The Settlers of the Beekman Patent. This series of books is an invaluable resource for researching the early settlers of Dutchess county, New York. Volume 11 contains over 1,000 pages and is focused on families with last names between Rood and Sly. Over 20,000 names have been added to this database.
Note that this database has a name only index, derived from the book index itself. Search terms should be focused on First and Last names. You may select a specific volume to restrict your search results.
The Settlers of the Beekman Patent series, by Frank J. Doherty, contains data on over thirteen hundred families who settled in the Beekman Patent, an original land grant given to Col. Henry Beekman in 1697 by the English Crown and the second largest patent in present-day Dutchess County, New York. Many emigrants from New England lived in and passed through the Beekman Patent on their way west. Others, such as the Palatines and Quakers (almost all from New England), were early settlers and remained for several generations or more. Mr. Doherty has published a total of 13 volumes in this series, we are now adding volume 11 in accordance with our agreement to make them available as searchable database after 7 years have passed.
The printed index is also available at the end of this volume, starting on page 845. As noted in the book (see here .)
This update is made possible by the efforts of our team our volunteers, particularly David Anderson. If you have some time and would like to get involved 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.
Today we are releasing a new database; Massachusetts: Earle Report of Native Americans, 1861. This database provides an index to the Appendix of 1861 Massachusetts Earle Report of Native Americans from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The index was created in 2020 by David Allen Lambert, Chief Genealogist of American Ancestors & New England Historic Genealogical Society. It includes the names, tribal membership, tribe/race, and location where the Native Americans resided in Massachusetts in 1861. The database is searchable by name, location, and tribe. The index contains nearly 1,700 searchable names.
The 1861 Massachusetts Earle Report of Native Americans from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts., is a unique census substitute is the only attempt by the Commonwealth to identify those associated with Native Americans in the Commonwealth, and those formerly of the Commonwealth residing outside of Massachusetts. It has been used as a genealogical reference by many Massachusetts area tribes to determine if someone may qualify as a member on the current tribal membership rolls as a descendant.
John Milton Earle was born at Leicester, Massachusetts, 13 April 1794 and died at Worcester, Mass. 8 February 1874. Earle was a Massachusetts politician, and editor of the Massachusetts Spy and later the Daily Spy newspapers from 1823-1857 in Worcester. He was an avid abolitionist in rallying support for the end of slavery in the Commonwealth as a Whig. Earle served as a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives 1844-46, and 1850-52. He would later serve in the Massachusetts Senate in 1858. Earle would be appointed the Commissioner of Indian of Affairs of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It was during his tenure as Commissioner that the Senate passed an Act of April 6, 1859 to complete a report on the Native American population of the Commonwealth.
Under this Act the Commissioner was tasked “to examine into the condition of all Indians and the descendants of Indians domiciled in this Commonwealth, and make report to the governor, for the information of the general court, on the following matters, namely:
- The number of all such persons, their place of abode, their distribution, whether by tribes or otherwise, classifying them by age and sex, and distinguishing between the married and single; and also the number of persons reputed Indians, who are of mixed or other race.
- The social and political condition of all such persons, including their municipal, religious, and educational organization, and their relation, individual and municipal, to the counties, town, or districts in when they dwell.
- The economical state of all such persons, including the specification of all property of theirs in lands, and whether the same is held in severalty or in common, and whether now in their own possession, or unlawfully possessed by others, and, in the latter case, by what color of alleged title; and also what proportion of such persons are paupers, dependent on towns in which they dwell, or in the State.
- All such facts in the personal or social condition of the Indians of the Commonwealth, as may enable the general court to judge whether they can, compatibly with their own good and that of the other inhabitants of the State, by placed immediately and completely, or only gradually and partially, on the same legal footing as the other inhabitants of the Commonwealth.”
Under this criteria Earle investigated the living conditions of the Native American population of the Commonwealth. His work included correspondence with local guardians of the various tribes, town officials and members of the various tribes around the state. His work would be published in 1861 as Massachusetts Senate Report No. 96. Report to the Governor and Council concerning the Indians of the Commonwealth, under the Act of April 6, 1859 (Boston: William White, Printer to the State, 1861). The detailed report of nearly one hundred and fifty pages contained additional appendix at the end. The first part of this contains the list of those Native Americans and their families Earle reported upon to the Governor John Albion Andrew (President of NEHGS, 1866-1867) and his council in 1861.
Please note: This database is available to all NEHGS members. Membership options.
We are very happy to announce a new database that is part of celebration of the 175th anniversary of the founding of the New England Historic Genealogical Society (NEHGS); NEHGS Membership Applications, 1845-1900.
American Ancestors and New England Historic Genealogical Society is America’s founding genealogical organization and the most respected name in family history. Since its founding in 1845, NEHGS has had a written membership process that typically includes written biographical and genealogical information about each new member. As part of the 175th anniversary of its founding, American Ancestors has indexed the membership application forms and correspondence for those who joined between the years 1845 and 1900. The first member was former President John Quincy Adams, and the database contains membership information for several other Presidents and other famous individuals.
The 52 volumes in this database are organized by the year that the member joined NEHGS. The records indexed in this database are generally between the years 1620 to 1900, though some will be found outside this range. The most common record types are Birth, Baptism, Marriage, and Death. There are also many Residence records, as records include where the member lived when they joined NEHGS. This database contains over 11,000 pages of applications and correspondence, and 121,000 searchable names.
We’d like to thank out dedicated team of volunteers including; Shaune-Marie Berg, Kim Bonner, Nancy Borman, Loretta Brown-Aldrich, Erin Canzano, George Carter, Becki Clarke, Tom Clements, Fran Danico, Amelia Devin Freedman, Elizabeth Handler, Nancy Johnson, Michelle Kearns, Arlys LaFehr, Toni Lattimer, Don LeClair, Jan Lundquist, Eileen McCarthy, Maureen McCarthy, Marilyn Moffitt, Matt Murphy, Angela Napolitano, Nell Nies, Liz Odell, Jane Papa, Margaret Parker, Julie Roffo, Kay Sencabaugh, Wendy Sheppard, Renda Smith, Sara Stinson, Sam Sturgis, Charlie Watson, Ross Weaver, Judy Welna, Bill Wolfendale, Rich Wood, and Mary Alice Yost. Their efforts made this update possible. 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.
Today we are releasing volume 10 (1856) of the in-depth re-indexing of all the genealogical records in the database Vital Records from The NEHGS Register. This update includes 9,100 records and 36,000 searchable names, and is about seven times the number of records previously indexed for these volumes.
This ongoing project will unlock the value of all the information captured in the New England Historical and Genealogical Register since the first publication in 1847. We are reviewing every published article add extracting a broad set of records for those articles that are genealogical in nature. So, in addition to birth, marriage, and death records there are now records of type; residence, immigration, military records, church dismissals, and more. The indexing we create is at the same level we have used for the Archdiocese of Boston and the Mayflower Silver Books. It includes spouses, parents, and locations.
Users of American AncesTREES will also benefit by being able to get hints from the newly indexed volumes in their family trees.
We will release each re-indexed volume of the register as it is completed. If you would like to become part of the team working on this rewarding project to revamp the index to the NEHGS Register, please contact Rachel Adams, Database Services Volunteer Coordinator via email at rachel.adams@nehgs.org. This update is made possible by the efforts of our volunteers: Nancy Borman, Tom Clements, Pat Dalpiaz, Fran Danico, Randy Hube, Kit Loomis, Jan Lundquist, Ginny Marshall, Julie Nathanson, Margaret Parker, Karen Ristic, Ray Ristic, Kay Sencabaugh, Renda Smith, Gale Stevenson, Susan Van Allen, and Charlie Watson.
Published quarterly since 1847, The New England Historical and Genealogical Register is the flagship journal of American genealogy and the oldest journal in the field. The Register has featured articles on a wide variety of topics since its inception, including vital records, church records, tax records, land and probate records, cemetery transcriptions, obituaries, and historical essays. Authoritative compiled genealogies have been the centerpiece of the Register for more than 150 years. Thousands of New England families have been treated in the pages of the journal and many more are referenced in incidental ways throughout. These articles may range from short pieces correcting errors in print or solving unusual problems to larger treatments that reveal family origins or present multiple generations of a family. The indexing for these records includes full names, Publication year (not the year of the record), and article titles and authors.
Please note: This database is available to Individual-level and above NEHGS members only. Consider membership.
Today we’ve added five new volumes to Massachusetts: Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston Records, 1789-1920 for Immaculate Conception of Stoughton. This update adds over 490 pages, 9,000 records and over 36,000 new names to search.
The new volumes are listed below:
- Immaculate Conception (Stoughton) Baptisms and Marriages, 1859-1884
- Immaculate Conception (Stoughton) Baptisms, 1859-1907
- Immaculate Conception (Stoughton) Baptisms, 1884-1898
- Immaculate Conception (Stoughton) Confirmations, 1898-1920
- Immaculate Conception (Stoughton) Marriages, 1872-1908
Masses were celebrated in Stoughton as early as 1840. In 1848, the first regular Mass was performed to a congregation of 14 people in a private home. In 1859 land was purchased for a church building, and the church was completed in November that same year.
We’d like to thank out dedicated team of volunteers including; Liz Barnett, Kim Bonner, Loretta Brown-Aldrich, Becki Clarke, Helen Fredell, Eldon Gay, Julie Bliss Hammons, Sue Hurlbut, Carolyn Jack, Nancy Johnson, David Lambert, Katherine Marshall-Mayer, Sandy Murphy Mauer, Eileen McCarthy, Maureen McCarthy, Jack McCellan, Paul McCool, Stacey-Rae McCue, Meghan McDonagh, Matt Murphy, Angela Napolitano, Kathy Oberley, Jane Papa, Bob Rainville, Marie Wells, Judy Welna, and Mary Alice Yost. Their efforts made this update possible. 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.