Author Archive
Sunflower at Red Fire Farm, Granby, August 2018
Today we’re announcing five new sketches in Western Massachusetts Families in 1790, featuring heads of families from Adams, Granby, Springfield, and Belchertown.
This study project focuses on individual 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. The new sketches are listed below:
Aaron Bowen
Charles Ferry
Jonathan Dwight
Josiah Cowles
John Cowles, Jr
Please note: This database is available to Individual-level and above NEHGS members only. Consider membership.
Madonna of Humility, Fra Angelico c. 1430
Today we’ve added 12 new volumes to Massachusetts: Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston Records, 1789-1900 from St. Mary (Lawrence). This update adds 246,365 names and 70,139 records to search. St. Mary was the second Catholic church in Lawrence, coalescing in the year 1848. This church ultimately formed the backbone of Lawrence’s burgeoning Catholic community, splitting into many more parishes.
We’d like to thank so many volunteers for their help with this parish, including Sam Sturgis, Matthew Murphy, Stacey-Rae McCue, Elizabeth Handler, Arlys LeFehr, Kathleen Oberley, Bob Rainville, Pat Snyder, Pat Harney, Elise Weir, Loretta Brown-Aldrich, Erin Nantais, Sarah Collins, Nancy Johnson, Margaret Parker, Toni Lattimer, Judy Welna, Amelia Devin Freedman, Gig Moineau, Barbara Macken, Mary Alice Yost, Conall O’Cathain, Rick Lagueux, Eldon Gay, Meghan McDonagh, Sara Stinson, Carolyn Jack, Maureen McCarthy, Susie Souza, Jane Papa, Sage Suorsa, and Ethan Pike for their work on this parish.
The new volumes are listed below:
St. Mary (Lawrence) Baptisms and Confirmations, 1848-1852
St. Mary (Lawrence) Baptisms, 1853-1861
St. Mary (Lawrence) Baptisms, 1861-1866
St. Mary (Lawrence) Baptisms, 1866-1892
St. Mary (Lawrence) Baptisms, 1892-1900
St. Mary (Lawrence) Baptisms, 1900
St. Mary (Lawrence) Confirmations, (undated)
St. Mary (Lawrence) Confirmations, 1860-1900
St. Mary (Lawrence) Index to Baptisms, 1848-1887
St. Mary (Lawrence) Marriages, 1849-1860
St. Mary (Lawrence) Marriages, 1861-1884
St. Mary (Lawrence) Marriages, 1884-1900
Please note: This database is available to Individual-level and above NEHGS members only. Consider membership.
Patronage of St. Joseph (Somerville), February 2019
Today we’ve added eight new volumes to Massachusetts: (Image-Only) Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston Records, 1789-1900. These eight volumes come from the Patronage of St. Joseph (Somerville) and St. Brigid (Maynard). This update adds over 1,400 new images to browse.
The Patronage of St. Joseph was the original Catholic parish in Somerville, off of which St. Ann and St. Catherine of Genoa would later split. Prior to the establishment of this church in Union Square, Somerville’s Catholics often attended Mass at St. Mary (Charlestown) or St. Peter (Cambridge).
St. Brigid (Maynard) was variously a mission of Marlborough and Concord before becoming its own parish in the 1890s.
We’d like to thank scanners Angela Napolitano, Linda Weaver, Francis Alix, John Phlo and Eileen McCarthy 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:
Patronage of St. Joseph (Somerville) Baptisms, 1869-1895
Patronage of St. Joseph (Somerville) Baptisms, 1896-1900
Patronage of St. Joseph (Somerville) Confirmations, 1873-1900
Patronage of St. Joseph (Somerville) First Communions and Confirmations, 1896-1900
Patronage of St. Joseph (Somerville) First Communions, 1878-1895
Patronage of St. Joseph (Somerville) Marriages, 1869-1900
St. Brigid (Maynard) Baptisms, 1871-1900
St. Brigid (Maynard) Marriages, 1871-1900
Please note: This database is available to all NEHGS members. Learn more about becoming a NEHGS guest member (free).
A gravestone in St. Augustine Cemetery, August 2018
St. Augustine Chapel and Cemetery in South Boston is celebrating its bicentennial this year! This chapel is the oldest surviving Catholic place of worship in Massachusetts; it was established to be the final resting place of Father Francis Matignon, one of the pioneering figures who helped establish the Catholic church in Boston. As part of the bicentennial celebrations, we have partnered with the Archdiocese of Boston, and in particular the the Gate of Heaven and St. Brigid Parish Collaborative (of which the chapel is a part) to offer this new database: Boston, MA: St. Augustine Cemetery Records, 1819-1859.
This database contains a mix of original records and copied volumes that include lot sales, burials, deaths, and gravestone inscriptions. The volumes labelled “Gravestone Inventory” were created during a preservation study of the cemetery undertaken in the 1980s. There are more than 15,000 records and 62,000 names available to search in this database.
You can read more about the celebrations and the history of the chapel and cemetery on Gate of Heaven and St. Brigid’s website. The bicentennial celebrations started in September 2018 and will continue through July 2019.
So many of our wonderful volunteers helped make this database possible, including Sally Sparrow, Matt Murphy, Becki Clarke, Arlys LeFehr, Nancy Johnson, Loretta Brown-Aldrich, Katherine Marshall-Mayer, Stacey-Rae McCue, Sara Stinson, Barbara Macken, Amelia Devin Freedman, Beverly Kolek, Sarah Collins, Bob Rainville, Janet Essency, Kathy Oberley, Patty Ryburn, Jane Papa, Maureen McCarthy, Sage Suorsa, Mary Alice Yost, Jannet Urrego, Sandy Murphy Mauer, Paul McCool, Angela Napolitano, Jim Alcauskas, Eileen McCarthy, Francis Alix, and Ross and Linda Weaver.
Please note: This database is available to all NEHGS members. Learn more about becoming a NEHGS guest member (free).
Dorchester Town Seal by Dorchester Historical Society [Public domain]
This database is based on a portion of a manuscript from the R. Stanton Avery Collections, call number MSS 624, donated by the Dorchester Antiquarian and Historical Society. The Dorchester Antiquarian and Historical Society was in existence from 1843-1907. The purpose of the Society was to collect and preserve “books, pamphlets, manuscripts and curiosities, bearing on the biography and history of men and things in the United States, from the earliest period”.
“Sub-group III Material concerning the town of Dorchester, Series E Vital and other records, Folders 35-41” is the portion of the manuscript upon which this database is based. It consists of small record books containing marriage intentions and marriages as well as slips of paper upon which more intentions and marriages were recorded.
This database update is possible through the work of our wonderful volunteer Sam Sturgis.
Please note: This database is available to Individual-level and above NEHGS members only. Consider membership.
St. Bernard (Concord) by Victorgrigas [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)]
St. Bernard’s records in Concord begin in 1868. In One Hundred Years of Progress, James S. Sullivan recounts the slow but steady growth of this parish compared to other parishes in more industrial towns.
St. John the Evanglist (Hopkinton) began as part of the parish of St. Mary of the Assumption in Milford, which is now part of the Diocese of Worcester. In 1851, St. Malachi’s Church was built in Hopkinton, giving Hopkinton’s Catholics a place to worship. As the Catholic population grew, construction on a new church commenced in 1876, which would become St. John the Evangelist.
We’d like to thank volunteers Angela Napolitano, Max Agigian, Ross Weaver, Francis Alix, and Eileen McCarthy for their help scanning these volumes.
If you need help navigating this collection, please consult our how-to video. The new volumes are listed below:
St. Bernard (Concord) Baptisms, 1868-1900
St. Bernard (Concord) Marriages, 1868-1900
St. John the Evangelist (Hopkinton) Baptisms and Marriages, 1851-1866
St. John the Evangelist (Hopkinton) Baptisms and Marriages, 1866-1871
St. John the Evangelist (Hopkinton) Baptisms, 1870-1881
St. John the Evangelist (Hopkinton) Baptisms, 1881-1900
St. John the Evangelist (Hopkinton) Confirmations, 1867-1882
St. John the Evangelist (Hopkinton) First Communions and Confirmations, 1885-1900
St. John the Evangelist (Hopkinton) Marriages, 1870-1881
St. John the Evangelist (Hopkinton) Marriages, 1881-1900
Please note: This database is available to all NEHGS members. Learn more about becoming a NEHGS guest member (free).
The Virgin and Child (The Madonna of the Book) by Sandro Botticelli [Public domain]
If you need help navigating this collection, please consult our how-to video.
Please note: This database is available to all NEHGS members. Learn more about becoming a NEHGS guest member (free).
Detail from the title page of Sacred Heart (Watertown) Confirmations, 1898-1900 (Book 2)
Today we’ve added seven new volumes to Massachusetts: (Image-Only) Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston Records, 1789-1900. These new volumes come from Our Lady of Pity (Cambridge) and Sacred Heart (Watertown). This update adds over 300 new images to browse.
Also known as Notre Dame de Pitie, Our Lady of Pity was the French parish in North Cambridge, established in 1892.
Sacred Heart (Watertown) was established in 1896 as the Catholic population grew in Watertown; it was previously part of the parish of St. Patrick. It is located across the road from the Mount Auburn Cemetery.
We’d like to thank scanners John Phlo, Ross and Linda Weaver, Angela Napolitano, and Eileen McCarthy for their help with these volumes. If you need help navigating this collection, please consult our how-to video. The new volumes are listed below.
Our Lady of Pity (Cambridge) Baptisms, 1892-1900
Our Lady of Pity (Cambridge) Confirmations, 1897-1900
Our Lady of Pity (Cambridge) Marriages, 1892-1900
Sacred Heart (Watertown) Baptisms, 1896-1900
Sacred Heart (Watertown) Confirmations, 1898-1900 (Book 1)
Sacred Heart (Watertown) Confirmations, 1898-1900 (Book 2)
Sacred Heart (Watertown) Marriages, 1896-1900
Please note: This database is available to all NEHGS members. Learn more about becoming a NEHGS guest member (free).
St. Catherine of Genoa (Somerville), January 2019
Today we’ve added five new volumes to Massachusetts: (Image-Only) Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston Records, 1789-1900. These new volumes come from St. Catherine of Genoa (Somerville) and St. Catherine of Siena (Norwood). This update adds over 500 new pages to browse.
St. Catherine of Genoa in Somerville was established in 1890 as the Catholic population grew. This parish in the Spring Hill neighborhood was created out of land that used to belong to St. Joseph in Somerville.
St. Catherine of Siena in Norwood was established as a mission of St. Mary (Dedham) in 1863. It became its own parish in 1890.
We’d like to thank Angela Napolitano and Linda Weaver for their help scanning these parishes. If you need help navigating this parish, be sure to watch our how-to video. The new volumes are listed below:
St. Catherine of Genoa (Somerville) Baptisms, 1892-1900
St. Catherine of Genoa (Somerville) Marriages, 1892-1900
St. Catherine of Siena (Norwood) Baptisms, 1890-1900
St. Catherine of Siena (Norwood) Confirmations, 1890-1900
St. Catherine of Siena (Norwood) Marriages, 1890-1900
Please note: This database is available to all NEHGS members. Learn more about becoming a NEHGS guest member (free).
From the September 10, 1900 issue of the Boston Daily Globe, depicting the dedication of St Mary’s Church in Dedham, Massachusetts, Image by M. Glaskey [Public domain]
Priests traveled to the Boston Harbor Islands to say Mass and administer sacraments. They recorded their work in two volumes which may have some overlapping content.
There is overlapping content in the Immaculate Conception (Lowell) volumes. Baptisms and Marriages 1868-1878, Baptisms 1879-1895, and Marriages 1879-1895 appear to be the original records which are unindexed. The other volumes are typewritten, and overlap these volumes. However, the typewritten volumes are indexed. We have provided all the volumes here so that researchers can find the information more easily using the indexes, but also view the original records. Immaculate Conception in Lowell was run by the Oblate Order. The church was dedicated in 1877 as Lowell’s Catholic population grew.
St. Lawrence (Brookline) was established in 1897 as the Catholic population in Brookline expanded. It was created from an area that was previously part of St. Mary of the Assumption (Brookline).
St. Mary (Dedham) was established as its own parish in 1866. It had previously been a mission of St. Joseph in Roxbury since 1846. The mission volumes for this parish also include records for St. Raphael (East Dedham) and St. Theresa of Avila (West Roxbury).
We’d like to thank the following volunteers for their help scanning these volumes: Eileen McCarthy, Francis Alix, Mary Hagearty, Angela Napolitano, Ross and Linda Weaver and Kim Bonner. If you need help navigating this collection, be sure to watch our how-to video. The new volumes are listed below:
Boston Harbor Islands Baptisms, 1877-1900 (Mission) (Book 1)
Boston Harbor Islands Baptisms, 1877-1900 (Mission) (Book 2)
Immaculate Conception (Lowell) Baptisms and Marriages, 1868-1878
Immaculate Conception (Lowell) Baptisms, 1868-1870
Immaculate Conception (Lowell) Baptisms, 1871-1875
Immaculate Conception (Lowell) Baptisms, 1876-1880
Immaculate Conception (Lowell) Baptisms, 1879-1895
Immaculate Conception (Lowell) Baptisms, 1881-1886
Immaculate Conception (Lowell) Baptisms, 1887-1895
Immaculate Conception (Lowell) Baptisms, 1896-1900
Immaculate Conception (Lowell) Marriages, 1868-1895
Immaculate Conception (Lowell) Marriages, 1879-1895
Immaculate Conception (Lowell) Marriages, 1896-1900
St. Lawrence (Brookline) Baptisms, 1898-1900
St. Lawrence (Brookline) Marriages, 1898-1900
St. Mary (Dedham) Baptisms, 1866-1876
St. Mary (Dedham) Baptisms, 1877-1880 (Mission)
St. Mary (Dedham) Baptisms, 1877-1885
St. Mary (Dedham) Baptisms, 1885-1900
St. Mary (Dedham) Baptisms, 1900
St. Mary (Dedham) Marriages, 1866-1876
St. Mary (Dedham) Marriages, 1877-1879 (Mission)
St. Mary (Dedham) Marriages, 1877-1900
Please note: This database is available to all NEHGS members. Learn more about becoming a NEHGS guest member (free).