Archive For The “Uncategorized” Category
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).
New Print page range button on the Record Detail Page
The most requested feature for our search capabilities over the last couple of years is to be able to print more than one page from a database at a time. This is most valuable when your search results are from one of the Probate File Papers databases or from one of our Journal databases, since the information you want is typically spread over multiple pages.
We are very happy to make the Print Page Range capability available today. With it, you can simply enter the number of consecutive pages you would like to print and press Print! So now for those multi-page articles or Probate case files you can get all the images at once. Also, you also have the option of producing a PDF; if your browser supports that as a print option. The screen below describe how you can use this new capability.
Button location: This new option appears on the Record Detail (see above) and the Image page as shown below.
Print Page range on the Image display page.
Enter the number of pages to print: When you click the Print Page range button, you will have the opportunity to specify the number of pages you would like to have printed. Just enter the number and select Print. You will need to know the number of pages to print. The cover of each Probate File papers indicates the number of pages in it. For journal articles you will need to read to the end, the return the the beginning. lease remember that it takes time to download multiple large image files, so be patient.
Form to enter the number of pages to print.
Pages appear in a pop-up: When the pages have been formatted, they appear in a new Tab. So, you must have pop-ups enable on your browser or you will not get to see the results. After the pages have appeared, the browser print window will allow you to print the pages.
Print page range apears in a separate tab
Print to PDF: Most web browsers provide you a print to PDF option. So, if you change the browser print option to that you can produce a PDF of the article or probate case file. Here is a sample of possible options from the Chrome browser.
Chrome option to print to PDF
We hope that you enjoy this new capability. Please contact us at webmaster@nehgs.org if you have any questions.
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).
Drawing/wood engraving of the Reformed (Dutch) Church at 5th Avenue and 48th Street in New York City, published 1879. Public Domain, courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
We have updated the index to Christian Intelligencer: Death reports of Reformed Dutch Church, 1830-1871 so that it is now searchable by first name and last name, location, record type, and family members (where available). The text of these extracted death records published in the Christian Intelligencer newspaper continues to be searchable via Keyword search.
With this update, there are now over 11,000 searchable names in the database. The Christian Intelligencer published death reports from literally around the world, and the database includes reports for 35 of the United States and 30 different countries.
In 1830 the Association of Members of the Reformed Dutch Church in New York City began publishing the Christian Intelligencer. From 1830 to 1871 the paper published notices of death sent by readers across the country. Many of the obituaries contain historical and other information of interest, which was uncommon in newspapers of this era. This database represents seven volumes of death records compiled and edited by Ray C. Sawyer in 1931.
This update is made possible by the efforts of our volunteer Tim Belgrad, Kiera Breitenbach, Pat Harney, Barbara Holt, Meghan McDonagh, Meg Mill, and Liz Odell. 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.
The original text is part of the R. Stanton Avery Collections, call number Mss 905.
Please note: This database is available to Individual-level and above NEHGS members only. Consider membership.
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).
St. Charles Borromeo giving Communion to St. Aloysius Gonzaga (tapestry) image by G.dallorto, via Wikimedia Commons
Today we’re announcing eight new volumes in Massachusetts: Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston Records, 1789-1900 from St. Charles Borromeo in Woburn. There are 21,261 new records and 82,907 names included in this update. St. Charles Borromeo was the Archbishop of Milan in the 1500s who was known for his Counter-Reformation work within the Catholic Church. St. Charles Borromeo in Woburn was established around 1852. We’d like to thank Sam Sturgis for his work on this parish. The new volumes are listed below:
St. Charles Borromeo (Woburn) Baptisms, 1857-1878
St. Charles Borromeo (Woburn) Baptisms, 1878-1888
St. Charles Borromeo (Woburn) Baptisms, 1888-1895
St. Charles Borromeo (Woburn) Baptisms, 1895-1899
St. Charles Borromeo (Woburn) Baptisms, 1899-1900
St. Charles Borromeo (Woburn) Confirmations, 1898-1899
St. Charles Borromeo (Woburn) Marriages, 1857-1895
St. Charles Borromeo (Woburn) Marriages, 1895-1900
Please note: This database is available to Individual-level and above NEHGS members only. Consider membership.