Author Archive

Archdiocese of Boston: St. Joseph (Boston) marriages and confirmations now searchable

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Boston’s West End in the 1800s [Public domain]

Today we’ve added five new volumes to Massachusetts: Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston Records, 1789-1900 from St. Joseph in Boston. This update adds over 9,000 records and over 77,000 names to search. The baptisms for this parish are already part of the searchable collection. This parish was scanned in two parts, so now these 5 volumes complete the set up to 1900.

St. Joseph is located in Boston’s West End. The parish coalesced around 1862 as the Catholic population grew.

We’d like to thank volunteers Kathy Terkelsen, Judy Welna, Amelia Devin Freedman, Patty Ryburn , Bob Rainville, Maddy Silberman , Tim Belgrad, Patrick Henehan, Kiera Breitenbach , Meghan McDonagh , Stacey-Rae McCue, Mathew Murphy , Kathleen Oberley , Arlys LaFehr, Eldon Gay , Greg Thumith , Carolyn Jack , Maureen McCarthy and Mary Alice Yost for their help making this parish available on our site.

The new volumes are listed below:

St. Joseph (Boston) Confirmations, 1895-1900
St. Joseph (Boston) Marriages, 1862-1884
St. Joseph (Boston) Marriages, 1884-1893
St. Joseph (Boston) Marriages, 1893-1899
St. Joseph (Boston) Marriages, 1899-1900

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

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New England study projects: new sketches

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Sanborn Fire Insurance Map of Watertown, 1889 (https://www.loc.gov/item/sanborn03877_002/ [Public domain])

Today we’ve added new sketches to both Early New England Families, 1641-1700 and Western Massachusetts Families in 1790

Alicia Crane Williams’ Early New England Families, 1641-1700 highlights heads of families mentioned in Torrey’s New England Marriages to 1700. We’ve added two new sketches to this database, Richard Norcross (m. 1650, 1673) and William Shattuck (m. 1643). Both of these men lived in Watertown–Richard Norcross married William Shattuck’s widow, Susanna.

We’ve added one sketch to Western Massachusetts Families in 1790, which focuses on individual enumerated in the 1790 census in historic Berkshire and Hampshire counties, also including modern Franklin and Hampden counties. Helen Schatvet Ullmann, CG, FASG is the editor of this project. The new sketch features Noble Baggs (Belchertown).

We’d like to thank Sam Sturgis for his help adding these sketches to our database.

Please note: These databases are available to Individual-level and above NEHGS members only. Consider membership.

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Archdiocese of Boston: 9 new volumes from Sacred Heart (Boston)

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Sacred Heart, Boston from The Catholic churches of Boston and its vicinity… by William Augustine Leahy, 1892

Today we’ve added nine new volumes to Massachusetts: Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston Records, 1789-1900 from Sacred Heart in Boston. This update adds over 19,000 records and over 155,000 names to search.

Sacred Heart was Boston’s second Italian parish, established in the North End from St. Leonard of Port Maurice in about 1889. In 1890, the church building (which had formerly been a Protestant meeting house) was dedicated. From its establishment, the parish continued to grow and grow, serving mostly Northern Italian immigrants and their subsequent American families.

We’d like to thank volunteers Mary Coyne, Alison Fulmer, Debbie Lansing, Erin Lichtenstein, Angela Napolitano, Kate Porter, Diane Rogers, and Willis Whittlesey for their help making this parish available on our site. We’d especially like to thank volunteers Jane Papa and Mirca Sghedoni for their extra help with this parish. The new volumes are listed below:

Sacred Heart (Boston) Baptisms, 1888-1891
Sacred Heart (Boston) Baptisms, 1891-1893
Sacred Heart (Boston) Baptisms, 1893-1895
Sacred Heart (Boston) Baptisms, 1895-1897
Sacred Heart (Boston) Baptisms, 1897-1898
Sacred Heart (Boston) Baptisms, 1898-1900 (Part 1)
Sacred Heart (Boston) Baptisms, 1898-1900 (Part 2)
Sacred Heart (Boston) Marriages, 1889-1899
Sacred Heart (Boston) Marriages, 1899-1900

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

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Archdiocese of Boston: new searchable records from Newton and Charlestown

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St. Francis de Sales (Charlestown) from One Hundred Years of Progress by James S. Sullivan, 1895, page 122

Today we’ve added nine new volumes to Massachusetts: Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston Records, 1789-1900 from Our Lady Help of Christians in Newton and St. Francis de Sales in Charlestown. This update adds over 38,000 records and over 156,000 names to search.

Our Lady Help of Christians became an independent parish in 1878 when it separated from the Watertown church.

St. Francis de Sales is the second oldest Catholic church in Charlestown. Situated on Bunker Hill, it was established in 1862.

We’d like to thank Sam Sturgis for his help making this parish available on our site. The new volumes are listed below:

Our Lady Help of Christians (Newton) Baptisms, 1879-1885
Our Lady Help of Christians (Newton) Baptisms, 1885-1898
Our Lady Help of Christians (Newton) Baptisms, 1898-1900
Our Lady Help of Christians (Newton) Marriages, 1879-1885
Our Lady Help of Christians (Newton) Marriages, 1885-1900

St. Francis de Sales (Charlestown) Baptisms, 1861-1879
St. Francis de Sales (Charlestown) Baptisms, 1880-1893
St. Francis de Sales (Charlestown) Baptisms, 1893-1900
St. Francis de Sales (Charlestown) Marriages, 1862-1900

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

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New sketch: Western Massachusetts Families in 1790

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Map detail showing Goshen on an 1856 map of Hampshire County by http://maps.bpl.org [CC BY 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)]

Today we’re announcing one new sketch in Western Massachusetts Families in 1790, featuring Jonathan Snow of Goshen.

Jonathan Snow was born in 1730 and died in 1796. He married Mercy or Marcy Wing and they had 11 children.

This study project focuses on individuals enumerated in the 1790 census in historic Berkshire and Hampshire counties, also including modern Franklin and Hampden counties.  Sketches for this project are submitted to editor Helen Schatvet Ullmann, CG, FASG by NEHGS members and other interested researchers.  If you are interested in submitting a sketch for Volume 5, please review our project home page.

We’d like to thank Sam Sturgis for his help making this update possible.

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

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Archdiocese of Boston: new browsable records from Our Lady Star of the Sea (Marblehead)

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Scenes from Marblehead from Here and There in New England and Canada, All Along Shore p. 25 (1899)

Today we’ve added six new volumes to Massachusetts: (Image-Only) Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston Records, 1789-1900 from Our Lady Star of the Sea (Marblehead). This update adds over 500 new pages to browse.

Catholics from Marblehead originally worshiped in Salem. In 1864 Marblehead became its own parish in conjunction with Danvers.

We’d like to thank volunteers Eileen McCarthy, Tate Lehmann and Bill Wolfendale for their help making this update possible.

If you need help navigating this collection, please consult our how-to video.  The new volumes are listed below:

Our Lady Star of the Sea (Marblehead) Baptisms, 1865-1870, Grave Lots
Our Lady Star of the Sea (Marblehead) Baptisms, 1870-1874
Our Lady Star of the Sea (Marblehead) Baptisms, 1874-1882
Our Lady Star of the Sea (Marblehead) Baptisms, 1881-1900
Our Lady Star of the Sea (Marblehead) Marriages, 1865-1882
Our Lady Star of the Sea (Marblehead) Marriages, 1881-1900

Please note: This database is available to all NEHGS members.  Learn more about becoming a NEHGS guest member (free).

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Western Massachusetts Families in 1790: 4 new sketches

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Map of Massachusetts showing Dalton (red) in Berkshire County (pink) and Belchertown (dark purple) in Hampshire County (light purple), adapted from maps by Justin H. Petrosek.

Today we’re announcing four new sketches in Western Massachusetts Families in 1790, featuring heads of families from Dalton and Belchertown.

This study project focuses on individuals enumerated in the 1790 census in historic Berkshire and Hampshire counties, also including modern Franklin and Hampden counties.  Sketches for this project are submitted to editor Helen Schatvet Ullmann, CG, FASG by NEHGS members and other interested researchers.  If you are interested in submitting a sketch for Volume 5, please review our project home page.

We’d like to thank Sam Sturgis for his help making these updates possible.

The new volumes are listed below:

Benjamin Chamberlin (Dalton)

Benjamin Chamberlin, 2nd (Dalton)

Eliphalet Chamberlin (Dalton)

Orlando Root (Belchertown)

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

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Archdiocese of Boston: New browsable records from Whitman and Dorchester

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Leaf from a Byzantine Lectionary depicting St. Matthew, Cleveland Museum of Art [CC0]

Today we’ve added eight new volumes to Massachusetts: (Image-Only) Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston Records, 1789-1900 from Holy Ghost (Whitman) and St. Matthew (Dorchester). This update adds over 250 new pages to browse.

Holy Ghost (Whitman) began as a mission of St. Bridget (Abington). The town of Whitman was known as South Abington until 1886.

St. Matthew (Dorchester) was established in 1900 out of territory that belonged to the parish of St. Gregory. For each of the sacraments in this parish there are two volumes that contain overlapping records. Both volumes are presented since there seems to be some marginalia noted in one volume but not the other. In both cases, Volume 2 has an index while Volume 1 does not.

We’d like to thank volunteers Eileen McCarthy, Francis Alix, Tim Belgrad, Greta Gaffin, Tate Lehmann and Bill Wolfendale for their help making this update possible.

If you need help navigating this collection, please consult our how-to video.  The new volumes are listed below:

Holy Ghost (Whitman) Baptisms, 1887-1897
Holy Ghost (Whitman) Baptisms, 1897-1900
Holy Ghost (Whitman) Confirmations, 1898
Holy Ghost (Whitman) Marriages, 1897-1900

St. Matthew (Dorchester) Baptisms, 1900 (Volume 1)
St. Matthew (Dorchester) Baptisms, 1900 (Volume 2)
St. Matthew (Dorchester) Marriages, 1900 (Volume 1)
St. Matthew (Dorchester) Marriages, 1900 (Volume 2)

Please note: This database is available to all NEHGS members.  Learn more about becoming a NEHGS guest member (free).

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Archdiocese of Boston: new searchable records from Everett and Cambridge

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St. John the Evangelist, North Cambridge by Tim Pierce [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)]

Today we’ve added six new volumes to Massachusetts: Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston Records, 1789-1900 from Immaculate Conception in Everett and St. John the Evangelist in Cambridge. This update adds 7,773 records and 29,794 names to search.

Immaculate Conception (Everett) was initially called St. Mary’s. It began as a mission church of Chelsea. In 1885 it became a full parish along with Revere (which later split off). Before St. John the Evangelist was established, the Catholics of North Cambridge and West Somerville attended St. Peter’s. In 1893 as their numbers grew, St. John the Evangelist became its own parish.

We’d like to thank Sam Sturgis for his help making this parish available on our site. The new volumes are listed below:

Immaculate Conception (Everett) Baptisms, 1885-1893
Immaculate Conception (Everett) Baptisms, 1893-1900
Immaculate Conception (Everett) Marriages, 1885-1900

St. John the Evangelist (Cambridge) Baptisms, 1893-1900
St. John the Evangelist (Cambridge) Confirmations, 1894-1900
St. John the Evangelist (Cambridge) Marriages, 1893-1900

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

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Archdiocese of Boston: St. Joseph (Roxbury) now searchable

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St. Joseph’s Church from One Hundred Years of Progress, p.146

Today we’ve added eleven new volumes to Massachusetts: Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston Records, 1789-1900 from St. Joseph in Roxbury. This update adds 41,278 records and 163,356 names to search.

St. Joseph’s in Roxbury was established in 1845 from neighborhoods previously part of St. Patrick’s parish. The Catholic population was growing quickly in the late 1800s in this area of the city. In the years leading up to 1900, St. Joseph’s church underwent expansions and other parishes including All Saints were set off from its territory.

We’d like to thank Sam Sturgis and the students of Catholic Memorial School for their help making this parish available on our site.  Read more about our trip to Catholic Memorial School on the American Ancestors blog, Vita Brevis.

The new volumes are listed below:

St. Joseph (Roxbury) Baptisms and Confirmations, 1862-1871
St. Joseph (Roxbury) Baptisms, 1845-1856
St. Joseph (Roxbury) Baptisms, 1857-1862
St. Joseph (Roxbury) Baptisms, 1872-1881
St. Joseph (Roxbury) Baptisms, 1882-1889
St. Joseph (Roxbury) Baptisms, 1890-1900
St. Joseph (Roxbury) Marriages, 1845-1857
St. Joseph (Roxbury) Marriages, 1857-1873
St. Joseph (Roxbury) Marriages, 1873-1889
St. Joseph (Roxbury) Marriages, 1890-1900
St. Joseph (Roxbury) New England Hospital Baptisms, 1885-1900

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

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