Archive For The “Uncategorized” Category

Archdiocese of Boston: new searchable records from Belmont, Canton, Groton and Haverhill

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Bird’s eye map of Canton, MA in 1918 (Hughes & Bailey, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)

Today we’ve added ten new volumes to Massachusetts: Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston Records, 1789-1920 from St. Joseph (Belmont), St. John the Evangelist (Canton), Sacred Heart (Groton), and Sacred Hearts (Haverhill). This update adds over 6,200 records and over 23,000 names to search.

St. Joseph in Belmont grew out of St. Agnes in Arlington; it became an independent parish in 1900.
St. John the Evangelist in Canton was dedicated in 1867 and continued to be a place of worship for Catholics into the new century.
Sacred Heart in Groton began in 1905. See History of the archdiocese of Boston in the various stages of its development, 1604 to 1943 … by Lord, Harrington, and Sexton for a discussion of the changing parish boundaries in this area.
Sacred Hearts in Haverhill grew out of St. James in Haverhill. This new church served the former town of Bradford which was incorporated into Haverhill in 1897. This parish began in 1908.

We’d like to thank Sam Sturgis for his help making these parishes available online.

The new volumes are listed below:

St. Joseph (Belmont) Baptisms, 1900-1920
St. Joseph (Belmont) Confirmations, 1911-1920
St. Joseph (Belmont) Marriages, 1900-1920

St. John the Evangelist (Canton) Baptisms, 1901-1908
St. John the Evangelist (Canton) Marriages, 1901-1908

Sacred Heart (Groton) Baptisms, 1907-1920
Sacred Heart (Groton) Confirmations, 1920
Sacred Heart (Groton) Marriages, 1907-1920

Sacred Hearts (Haverhill) Baptisms, 1908-1920
Sacred Hearts (Haverhill) Marriages, 1908-1920

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 for Brockton, Beverly, and Cambridge

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First page of the Sacred Heart (Brockton) sketch in James S. Sullivan’s One Hundred Years of Progress

Today we have added 13 new volumes and updated 4 more for the Massachusetts: Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston Records, 1789-1920. Today’s additions include Sacred Heart in Brockton, St. Alphonsus in Beverly, St. Francis of Assisi and St. John the Evangelist of Cambridge. This update includes 16 volumes, 3,100 pages, and over 78,000 searchable names.

Sacred Heart in Brockton was the second Catholic church in Brockton; it was the French Canadian parish, established in 1891. St. Alphonsus church was established in Beverly in 1914 for the French Canadian population there. 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.

The new and updated volumes in this release are:
• Sacred Heart (Brockton) Baptisms, 1907-1918
• Sacred Heart (Brockton) Baptisms, 1917-1920
• Sacred Heart (Brockton) Marriages, 1908-1911
• Sacred Heart (Brockton) Marriages, 1911-1920
• St. Alphonsus (Beverly) Baptisms, 1917-1920
• St. Alphonsus (Beverly) Confirmations, 1919-1920
• St. Alphonsus (Beverly) Marriages, 1917-1920
• St. Francis of Assisi (Cambridge) Baptisms, 1917-1920
• St. Francis of Assisi (Cambridge) Confirmations, 1919-1920
• St. Francis of Assisi (Cambridge) Marriages, 1917-1920
• St. John the Evangelist (Cambridge) Baptisms, 1893-1908 (updated)
• St. John the Evangelist (Cambridge) Baptisms, 1908-1914
• St. John the Evangelist (Cambridge) Baptisms, 1914-1920
• St. John the Evangelist (Cambridge) Confirmations, 1893-1918 (updated)
• St. John the Evangelist (Cambridge) Marriages, 1893-1907 (updated)
• St. John the Evangelist (Cambridge) Marriages, 1908-1920

We thank our dedicated volunteer Sam Sturgis for his work on this release. 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.

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American Ancestors Magazine Volume 21 (2020) Added

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Photograph of a family crest
Cover of the first issue American Ancestors Magazine volume 21.

We have updated our American Ancestors Magazine database to include volume 21 covering the year 2020. This update contains over 280 pages and 2,400 searchable names.

The indexing for these records includes full names, Publication year (not the year of the record), and article titles and authors.

A 64-page magazine published by NEHGS beginning in 2010, American Ancestors contains a wealth of information for family historians. American Ancestors features a wide range of article topics and styles, and is designed to appeal to family historians of all levels. Topics include coverage of a particular region or group of people; case studies; descriptions of particular record sets; “how-to” articles; compelling historic accounts that illuminate the past; research strategies and methodology; and accounts of migration and immigrant groups.The indexing for these records includes full names, Publication year (not the year of the record), and article titles and authors.

The entire run of New England Ancestors is available at our NEHGS Boston research library, call number F1.N49.

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

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3 new sketches: Western Massachusetts Families in 1790

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View from Mount Holyoke, Northampton, Massachusetts, after a Thunderstorm—The Oxbow, Thomas Cole, 1836 (Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)

Today we’re announcing three new sketches in Western Massachusetts Families in 1790.  The new sketches focus on Elias Haskell of Greenwich who married Marcy Tilson, Jacob Miller of Northampton who married Mercy Johnson and Barnabas Sears of Greenwich who married Rachel Bullard.

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.

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 volumes from Sacred Heart in the North End

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Windowscape in the North End (Image Credit: ctj71081, CC BY-SA 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons)

Today we’ve added 11 new volumes to Massachusetts: Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston Records, 1789-1920 from Sacred Heart in Boston. This update adds over 20,200 records and over 68,600 names to search.

Usually we add all the records of a single parish at once. Most parishes contain less than 10 volumes for the 20 year time period we’re currently working on (1901-1920). However, Sacred Heart in Boston’s North End consists of 37 volumes. So in this special case, I am uploading this parish in pieces over a series of weeks. This week I’ve added 11 new volumes (joining the 19 previously available new volumes). I will work to be as clear as possible in each Database News post so that interested researchers know what is available in each update. This current update completes the baptism, confirmation, and first communion records for this parish. There are just 7 marriage volumes left that will be coming soon.

The new volumes are listed below:

Sacred Heart (Boston) Baptisms, 1916
Sacred Heart (Boston) Baptisms, 1916-1917
Sacred Heart (Boston) Baptisms, 1917-1918
Sacred Heart (Boston) Baptisms, 1918 (April-July)
Sacred Heart (Boston) Baptisms, 1918 (July-December)
Sacred Heart (Boston) Baptisms, 1918-1919
Sacred Heart (Boston) Baptisms, 1919-1920
Sacred Heart (Boston) Baptisms, 1920
Sacred Heart (Boston) Confirmations, 1901-1920
Sacred Heart (Boston) First Communions, 1920 (Book 1)
Sacred Heart (Boston) First Communions, 1920 (Book 2)

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

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Archdiocese of Boston: St. Patrick (Cambridge) now searchable

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Construction of the Lechmere Viaduct, 1910 (Boston Elevated Railway, Boston City Archives, CC BY-SA 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons)

Today we’ve added four new volumes to Massachusetts: Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston Records, 1789-1920 from St. Patrick in Cambridge. This update adds over 3,700 records and over 13,800 names to search.

As the Catholic population of East Cambridge grew, St. Patrick split from Sacred Heart of Jesus, becoming its own parish in 1908. On the Parish Boundary Map, you can see that St. Patrick’s served the northwestern corner of this neighborhood.

We’d like to thank Sam Sturgis for his help making these parishes available online.

The new volumes are listed below:

St. Patrick (Cambridge) Baptisms, 1908-1920
St. Patrick (Cambridge) Baptisms, 1920
St. Patrick (Cambridge) Confirmations, 1909-1920
St. Patrick (Cambridge) Marriages, 1908-1920

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

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Early New England Families: 1 new sketch

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Half Moon Beach, Gloucester (Melbourne Havelock Hardwick, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)

Today we’ve updated Early New England Families, 1641-1700adding one new sketch. This new sketch features George Blake m. 1641. George and his family lived in Gloucester and Boxford, MA. His wife’s name was Dorothy, and they had seven children.

The Early New England Families, 1641-1700 study project is led by Alicia Crane Williams. This project highlights heads of families mentioned in Torrey’s New England Marriages to 1700, focusing on individuals who immigrated from 1641 through 1700, grouped by year of marriage. Barry E. Hinman collaborated with Alicia Crane Williams to produce this sketch.

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

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 Brockton and Winthrop

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Bird’s eye map of Winthrop (Poole, A. F., 1894, LOC)

Today we’ve added five new volumes to Massachusetts: Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston Records, 1789-1920 from St. Edward in Brockton and St. John the Evangelist in Winthrop. This update adds over 5,900 records and over 22,800 names to search.

St. Edward’s parish served the Catholics of the Montello neighborhood in the northern part of Brockton. This parish grew out of St. Patrick’s, and was established in 1897. A new, formal church building was dedicated in 1916.

St. John the Evangelist in Winthrop began as a mission of St. Mary Star of the Sea in East Boston. The mission began around 1887, and it became its own parish in 1907. In 1911, they began to build a church that was finally dedicated in 1923.

We’d like to thank Sam Sturgis for his help making these parishes available online.

The new volumes are listed below:

St. Edward (Brockton) Baptisms, 1914-1920
St. Edward (Brockton) Marriages, 1917-1920

St. John the Evangelist (Winthrop) Baptisms, 1907-1920
St. John the Evangelist (Winthrop) Marriages, 1907-1920
St. John the Evangelist (Winthrop) Sick Calls, 1915-1920

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

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Archdiocese of Boston: new records from Boston and Andover

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From Boston, the place and the people (1903), page 383

Today we’ve added 12 new volumes and updated five volumes in Massachusetts: Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston Records, 1789-1920 from Sacred Heart (Boston) and St. Augustine (Andover). This update adds over 27,400 records and over 101,100 names to search.

Usually we add all the records of a single parish at once. Most parishes contain less than 10 volumes for the 20 year time period we’re currently working on (1901-1920). However, Sacred Heart in Boston’s North End consists of 37 volumes. So in this special case, I am uploading this parish in pieces over the next few weeks. This week I’ve added 10 new volumes (joining the 9 new volumes from last week). I will work to be as clear as possible in each Database News post so that interested researchers know what is available in each update. This current update includes baptisms from 1910-1916 (but the year 1916 is not yet complete–baptisms from this year continue in two more forthcoming volumes).

The new volumes are listed below. Volumes with an asterisk have been updated. Previously they were truncated to only display records from before January 1, 1901. Now they are presented on our site either in their complete form or with the records up to December 31, 1920:

Sacred Heart (Boston) Baptisms, 1910
Sacred Heart (Boston) Baptisms, 1910-1911
Sacred Heart (Boston) Baptisms, 1911-1912
Sacred Heart (Boston) Baptisms, 1912
Sacred Heart (Boston) Baptisms, 1912-1913
Sacred Heart (Boston) Baptisms, 1913-1914
Sacred Heart (Boston) Baptisms, 1914
Sacred Heart (Boston) Baptisms, 1914-1915
Sacred Heart (Boston) Baptisms, 1915
Sacred Heart (Boston) Baptisms, 1915-1916

St. Augustine (Andover) Baptisms, 1885-1909*
St. Augustine (Andover) Baptisms, 1894-1919*
St. Augustine (Andover) Baptisms, 1920
St. Augustine (Andover) Confirmations, 1894-1920*
St. Augustine (Andover) First Communions, 1895-1920*
St. Augustine (Andover) Marriages, 1892-1908*
St. Augustine (Andover) Marriages, 1908-1920

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

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Worcester, MA: Scots-Irish Settlers, 1700-1850 Updated Sketch

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Old Map
1878 Map of the city of Worcester, MA. Public Domain courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

Today we are adding a revised sketch in the database Worcester, MA: Scots-Irish Settlers, 1700-1850 for the Blair family. The newly expanded Blair sketch covers the first three generations and containes 28 pages and nearly 1,800 searchable names.

This database is the result of a study project done by Shirley (Robinson) Pizziferri , and it is organized into 21 volumes by family. The database contains 200 pages of family histories and contains over 10,000 searchable names.

Three men by the name of Blair that came to Worcester in 1718: Abraham and his nephews, William, and Robert. Another, John Blair, settled in Londonderry, New Hampshire, the following year. An accurate and thorough, but undocumented, account of the Blair Family in New England was compiled and published in 1900 by a descendant, William Blair Levitt. It was updated in 2008 and is recommended for use by the descendants of the Blair family in conjunction with this sketch. That account was very helpful and will be frequently cited. Nevertheless, consistent with the format of this article, only the first three generations will be covered here, together with the primary sources.t.

This update is made possible by the efforts of our volunteer Charlie Watson. 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.

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