Archive For The “Uncategorized” Category
Today we’re announcing two new sketches in Western Massachusetts Families in 1790. The new sketches focus on Josiah Whiting of New Marlborough, wife Sarah Loomis and Benjamin Griggs of Sheffield, wife Sarah Johnson and their families.
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.
Today we’ve added three new volumes to Massachusetts: Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston Records, 1789-1920 from Gate of Heaven in South Boston. This update adds over 7,600 records and over 11,400 names to search.
Gate of Heaven Church is located on the corner of E. 4th and I Streets in South Boston. It grew out of Sts. Peter and Paul parish in 1862. In 1865 it became an independent parish. This parish continued to grow into the 20th century.
We’d like to thank Sam Sturgis for his help making this parish available online.
The new volumes are listed below:
Gate of Heaven (South Boston) Baptisms, 1913-1919
Gate of Heaven (South Boston) Baptisms, 1919-1920
Gate of Heaven (South Boston) Marriages, 1916-1920
Please note: This database is available to Individual-level and above NEHGS members only. Consider membership.
Today we’ve added four new sketches to Early Vermont Settlers, 1700-1784, highlighting families who lived in Brattleboro. The new sketches are listed below:
Field, Bennett (Brattleboro)
Field, Israel (Brattleboro)
Field, Reuben (Brattleboro)
Field, Silas (Brattleboro)
With this study project, Scott Andrew Bartley researches heads of families who lived in Vermont prior to the Revolutionary War. These sketches illustrate major players on political and religious fronts, uncover the migration patterns for this period in the region, and identify all those just looking to better their lives on the new frontier. This project is proceeding in two series, settlers to 1771 and 1772-1784. The work so far has been geographical, focusing on Windsor and Windham Counties.
Six sketches have been updated recently including: Bourne, Nathaniel (Manchester); Smith, Steel (Windsor); Church, Timothy (Brattleboro); Church, Jonathan (Brattleboro); Church, Malachi (Brattleboro) and Curtis, Israel (Windsor).
Please note: This database is available to Individual-level and above NEHGS members only. Consider membership.
Today we’ve added four new volumes and updated three volumes in Massachusetts: Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston Records, 1789-1920 from St. Joseph in Roxbury. This update adds over 14,700 records and over 52,600 names to search.
The parish of St. Joseph’s in Roxbury was created in 1846 from area that had previously been part of St. Patrick’s in South Boston. In the beginning, this church served the Catholics of many neighboring towns and neighborhoods. By 1860, the parish had already grown enough to need a larger church building. While many parishes split off from the initial area of this parish, the Catholic community here continued to grow into the 20th century.
We’d like to thank Sam Sturgis for his help making this parish available online.
The new and updated 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 in their complete form:
St. Joseph (Roxbury) Baptisms. 1890-1901*
St. Joseph (Roxbury) Baptisms, 1901-1911
St. Joseph (Roxbury) Baptisms. 1911-1920
St. Joseph (Roxbury) Confirmations, 1903-1920
St. Joseph (Roxbury) Marriages, 1890-1901*
St. Joseph (Roxbury) Marriages, 1901-1920
St. Joseph (Roxbury) New England Hospital Baptisms. 1885-1901**
Please note: This database is available to Individual-level and above NEHGS members only. Consider membership.
Today we’ve added 26 new volumes and updated 7 volumes in Massachusetts: (Image-Only) Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston Records, 1789-1920 from Sacred Heart (Amesbury), St. Alphonsus (Beverly), St. Andrew (Billerica), St. Colman of Cloyne (Brockton), St. Francis de Sales (Roxbury), St. James the Apostle (Arlington), St. Joseph (Belmont), St. Joseph (Roxbury), and St. Margaret of Scotland (Beverly). This update adds over 3,600 new pages to browse.
We’ve also added three new volumes to Massachusetts: Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston Records, 1789-1920 from St. Francis de Sales in Roxbury. This update adds over 9,000 records and 39,100 new searchable names. We’d like to thank Sam Sturgis for his help making this parish available online. The new volumes include St. Francis de Sales (Roxbury) Baptisms and Baptisms of Converts, 1904-1928, St. Francis de Sales (Roxbury) Baptisms, 1911-1920 and St. Francis de Sales (Roxbury) Marriages, 1914-1920.
If you need help navigating the image-only collection, please consult our most recent webinar, Archdiocese of Boston Catholic Records Project: We’re Expanding!
The new volumes in Massachusetts: (Image-Only) Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston, 1789-1920 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 (Amesbury) Baptisms, 1903-1917
Sacred Heart (Amesbury) Baptisms, 1918-1920
Sacred Heart (Amesbury) Confirmations, 1908-1920
Sacred Heart (Amesbury) Deaths, 1907-1920
Sacred Heart (Amesbury) First Communions, 1905-1920
Sacred Heart (Amesbury) Marriages, 1908-1920
St. Alphonsus (Beverly) Baptisms, 1917-1920
St. Alphonsus (Beverly) Confirmations, 1919-1920
St. Alphonsus (Beverly) Marriages, 1917-1920
St. Andrew (Billerica) Baptisms and Marriages, 1904-1914
St. Colman of Cloyne (Brockton) Baptisms, 1911-1920
St. Francis de Sales (Roxbury) Baptisms, 1897-1904*
St. Francis de Sales (Roxbury) Baptisms and Baptisms of Converts, 1904-1920
St. Francis de Sales (Roxbury) Baptisms, 1911-1920
St. Francis de Sales (Roxbury) Index to Baptisms, 1861-19044*
St. Francis de Sales (Roxbury) Confirmations, 1876-1920*
St. Francis de Sales (Roxbury) Marriages, 1861-1913*
St. Francis de Sales (Roxbury) Marriages, 1914-1920
St. James the Apostle (Arlington) Baptisms, 1914-1920
St. Joseph (Belmont) Baptisms, 1900-1920
St. Joseph (Belmont) Confirmations, 1911-1920
St. Joseph (Belmont) Marriages, 1900-1920
St. Joseph (Roxbury) Baptisms, 1890-1901*
St. Joseph (Roxbury) Baptisms, 1901-1911
St. Joseph (Roxbury) Baptisms, 1911-1920
St. Joseph (Roxbury) Confirmations, 1903-1920
St. Joseph (Roxbury) Marriages, 1890-1901*
St. Joseph (Roxbury) Marriages, 1901-1920
St. Joseph (Roxbury) New England Hospital Baptisms, 1885-1901*
St. Margaret of Scotland (Beverly) Baptisms, 1905-1920
St. Margaret of Scotland (Beverly) Confirmations, 1908-1920
St. Margaret of Scotland (Beverly) Marriages, 1905-1920
Please note: Massachusetts: (Image-Only) Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston, 1789-1920 is available to all NEHGS members. Learn more about becoming a NEHGS guest member (free).
Massachusetts: Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston, 1789-1920 is available to Individual-level and above NEHGS members only. Consider membership.
Today we have added 10 new volumes and updated 5 volumes for the Massachusetts: Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston Records, 1789-1920. Today’s additions include two parishes: Most Holy Redeemer in East Boston, and St. Mary in Lynn. This update includes 15 volumes, over 4,000 pages, and over 160,000 searchable names.
Most Holy Redeemer was established in East Boston in 1844 as Catholics came to work in the area. The large stone church was completed in 1857 and dedicated by Bishop Fitzpatrick.
St. Mary’s Parish in Lynn was the first parish in Lynn, established in 1851 under the care of Rev. Charles Smith. In 1862 the church pictured above was opened.
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.
Thee 5 volumes that were updated in this release:
• Most Holy Redeemer (East Boston) Baptisms, 1883-1908
• Most Holy Redeemer (East Boston) Confirmations, 1896-1920
• Most Holy Redeemer (East Boston) Marriages, 1851-1908
• St. Mary (Lynn) Baptisms, 1897-1903
• St. Mary (Lynn) Marriages, 1893-1906
The 10 new volumes are listed below:
• Most Holy Redeemer (East Boston) Baptisms, 1908-1916
• Most Holy Redeemer (East Boston) Baptisms, 1916-1920
• Most Holy Redeemer (East Boston) Marriages, 1908-1920
• St. Mary (Lynn) Baptisms, 1904-1905
• St. Mary (Lynn) Baptisms, 1906-1908
• St. Mary (Lynn) Baptisms, 1908-1913
• St. Mary (Lynn) Baptisms, 1914-1920
• St. Mary (Lynn) Marriages, 1907-1908
• St. Mary (Lynn) Marriages, 1908-1920
• St. Mary (Lynn) Sick Calls, 1906-1920
Please note: This database is available to Individual-level and above NEHGS members only. Consider membership.
Today we’ve added three new volumes and updated two volumes in Massachusetts: Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston Records, 1789-1920 from Sacred Heart in Roslindale. This update adds over 6,000 records and over 25,300 names to search.
The parish of Sacred Heart in Roslindale was created in 1893. The church building was completed and blessed in 1910.
We’d like to thank Sam Sturgis for his help making this parish available online.
The new and updated volumes are listed below:
Sacred Heart (Roslindale) Baptisms, 1893-1908 (updated)
Sacred Heart (Roslindale) Marriages, 1893-1908 (updated)
Sacred Heart (Roslindale) Baptisms, 1908-1917
Sacred Heart (Roslindale) Baptisms, 1917-1920
Sacred Heart (Roslindale) Marriages, 1908-1920
Please note: This database is available to Individual-level and above NEHGS members only. Consider membership.
Today we have added 15 new volumes to Massachusetts: Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston Records, 1789-1920. Today’s additions include two parishes: St. Mary in Charlestown, and St. Peter in Dorchester. This update includes 14 volumes, over 3,600 pages, and nearly 122,000 searchable names.
St. Mary’s was the first parish established as a separate parish from the Cathedral of the Holy Cross, in 1828. The Boston Public Library has a Charlestown Flickr page with images of St. Mary’s interior, repairs to the roof, and a fire that occurred in the building. Scroll about three quarters of the way down the page to view these images.
St. Peter (Dorchester) began in 1872 as an offshoot of St. Gregory in Dorchester. In James Sullivan’s One hundred years of progress, Joseph Byrne enthusiastically describes the appearance of the church which was dedicated in 1884, “No technical description can do more than faintly suggest the grandeur of St. Peter’s church which is a poem of architectural beauty” (175). The Dorchester Athenaeum’s history of the church has a very helpful paragraph (the sixth on the page) that explains the evolution of the Catholic parishes in Dorchester.
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.
There are 5 volumes that were updated in this release:
• St. Mary (Charlestown) Baptisms, 1897-1904
• St. Mary (Charlestown) Marriages, 1869-1907
• St. Peter (Dorchester) Baptisms, 1895-1908
• St. Peter (Dorchester) Confirmations, 1882-1920
• St. Peter (Dorchester) Marriages, 1897-1920
The 9 new volumes are listed below:
• St. Mary (Charlestown) Baptisms, 1904-1908
• St. Mary (Charlestown) Baptisms, 1908-1914
• St. Mary (Charlestown) Baptisms, 1914-1918
• St. Mary (Charlestown) Baptisms, 1918-1920
• St. Mary (Charlestown) Confirmations, 1908-1910
• St. Mary (Charlestown) Confirmations, 1913-1920
• St. Mary (Charlestown) Marriages, 1907-1909
• St. Mary (Charlestown) Marriages, 1908-1920
• St. Peter (Dorchester) Baptisms, 1908-1920
Please note: This database is available to Individual-level and above NEHGS members only. Consider membership.
The Archive Department of the Archdiocese of Boston is announcing a new tool to help researchers determine which parish their ancestors attended. This new map will be incredibly useful when used in conjunction with the Historic Catholic Records Online project hosted here at AmericanAncestors.org.
The Boston Catholic Parish Map depicts the Archdiocese of Boston ca. 1955 when a concerted effort was made to document the boundaries of each parish, and reflects the height of the Archdiocese in terms of number of parishes.
At this time, the map features territorial parishes whose boundaries are shaded in various colors, and within the boundary the parish church plotted in the same color. National or other non-geographic churches are plotted in black.
An exciting feature is the box in the top right corner of the map, allowing users to enter an address which will then be plotted on the map. The parish in which the address is located will be the parish their families most likely attended. Researchers can then search the free-to-browse database Massachusetts: (Image only) Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston Records, 1789-1920, or the fully searchable database Massachusetts: Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston Records, 1789-1920. It will also show nearby neighboring parishes which may have encompassed the address depending on the time period; if the parish in which the address falls did not yet exist.
Clicking within a parish boundary will provide the name of the parish and address of the parish church. Clicking on a church marker will provide the name of the church, address, date the parish was created and, where applicable, the date the parish was suppressed or merged. In the future, we hope to add additional content such as depictions of the churches, details about the location of parish records and links to the online records.
Links to access the map are available on the Archdiocese of Boston Archive Department’s Online Resources page and within the database descriptions for Massachusetts: (Image only) Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston Records, 1789-1920 and Massachusetts: Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston Records, 1789-1920. For guidance on how to use the map, consult the how-to video.
Finally, we would like to acknowledge Violet Hurst, archivist at the Archdiocese of Boston, for her extraordinary efforts to compile and input the data to make this tool a reality.
Please submit any suggestions or feedback related to this announcement to the Archive Department of the Archdiocese of Boston by emailing archive@rcab.org or to us here at NEHGS at webmaster@nehgs.org.
We are very happy to announce a brand-new database today, Worcester, MA: Scots-Irish Settlers, 1700-1850.
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 nearly 200 pages of family histories and contains over 12,000 searchable names.
Shirley (Robinson) Pizziferri was living in Rutland in Worcester County, Massachusetts, in 1976, doing research on her own family when the American Antiquarian Society in Worcester asked her to respond to the many messages they were receiving from people asking about their “roots.” Most of those who eventually became her clients were descendants of a group of Scots-Irish who settled in Worcester in 1718; Shirley quickly became fascinated with their families and their culture. Raising a family, part-time work, and late enrollment in college kept her busy, but recently Shirley decided that someone should put the research on these families together in a comprehensive format.
This study project is not an exhaustive work, but a primer for those with roots in this group of people who intermarried and left a mark on the towns in Worcester County. Shirley has used as her basis a list compiled by historian William Lincoln1 of those who remained in Worcester in the 1730s after many had moved and founded other towns such as Pelham and Colrain. She has supplemented that list with information from Ethel Stanwood Bolton’s Immigrants to New England, 1700-1775,2 vital records, deeds, probates, and other sources.
Each sketch is based, as a starting point, on Ethel Stanwood Bolton’s excellent collection of early New England immigrants, and will be supplemented by family histories, county and state histories, probates, deeds, and vital records from the pertinent towns. Each sketch will cover the first and second generations in America and list the children of the third generation. These sketches are intended as comprehensive sources on which researchers can base further study.
When asked about the Scots-Irish, most genealogists would first think of the Carolinas, or Nova Scotia, where many immigrated in the mid- to late 1700s. However, the Scots were in this country from the beginning, and those Scots who were banished to Ireland in the 1600s began immigrating here in the early 1700s.
J. P. MacLean writes, “Early in the spring of 1718, Rev. William Boyd arrived in Boston as an agent of some hundreds of people of Northern Ireland who had expressed a desire to come to New England should suitable encouragement be offered them. With him he brought a brief memorial to which was attached three hundred and nineteen names, all but thirteen of which were in a fair and vigorous hand. Governor Shute gave such general encouragement and promise of welcome, that on August 4, 1718, five small ships came to anchor at the wharf in Boston, having on board one hundred and twenty Scotch-Irish families, numbering in all about seven hundred and fifty individuals,” primarily of the Presbyterian persuasion. Some were from the Bann Valley in Ireland and others, mainly the ones who went to Worcester, were from the Foyle Valley. Some went north to the Casco Bay area and settled in what is now Portland, Maine. Others stayed for a while in Haverhill, Massachusetts, and its surroundings. Most ended up in Nutfield, New Hampshire, later Londonderry, settled in 1719, with their pastor, George McGregor.
In Scotch Irish Pioneers in Ulster and America, Charles Bolton writes that after the settlement at Londonderry [New Hampshire], Rutland and Pelham [Massachusetts], “the New England Scotch Irish spread gradually into other towns, Windham [Vermont], Antrim [New Hampshire], Peterborough [New Hampshire], Coleraine, Blandford and Palmer [Massachusetts] and many more.” The families that traveled west, probably along what was later to become the Boston Post Road, to Worcester, Massachusetts, are the subjects of this project.
Shirley (Robinson) Pizziferri currently lives in Florida but is a New England native. She has served as Executive Secretary of the Massachusetts Society of Mayflower Descendants, as Assistant Editor of the Mayflower Descendant journal, and as Library Chairman and past president of the Martin County, Florida, Genealogical Society. Shirley has been researching her own family tree since 1974 and has contributed articles to the Mayflower Descendant and the Register.
This update is made possible by the efforts of our volunteers; Nancy Borman, Alexandra Kiristy, Margaret Parker, Isabelle Watkins, and Richard Wood. 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.