Archive For The “Uncategorized” Category

Enhanced New Hampshire Gazette: Vital Records, 1756-1800

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Portsmouth Harbor — detail of 1893 U. S. Geological Survey map. Courtesy of the Dimond Library, Documents Department & Data Center, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH. This shows Seavey’s Island before it was conjoined with Fernald’s Island, site of the Navy Yard. Public Domain in the United States.

We have updated the index to New Hampshire Gazette: Vital Records, 1756-1800 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 marriage and death records published in the New Hampshire Gazette newspaper continues to be searchable via Keyword search.

The New Hampshire Gazette claims the distinction of being the nation’s oldest newspaper and was established in 1756. These records were compiled by Otis G. Hammond, former director of the New Hampshire Historical Society. They were abstracted by Priscilla Hammond in 1937, and this manuscript is part of the R. Stanton Avery Collections at NEHGS.

This is update is made possible by the invaluable efforts of our team of volunteers, particularly; Elizabeth Handler and Marie Wells. We genuinely appreciate the work of all our volunteers. If you would like to join the team, please contact Bianca Renzoni, Database Services Volunteer Coordinator bianca.renzoni@nehgs.org.

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

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St. Margaret and St. Ann (Dorchester) New to Archdiocese Searchable Database

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By Walling, H. F. [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

We’ve added two new parishes to Massachusetts: Archdiocese of Boston Records, 1789-1900: St. Margaret and St. Ann, both in Dorchester.  St. Margaret branched off from an existing church, St. Peter’s in Dorchester in the late 1800s.  The plans for constructing this church were officially embarked upon on June 10, 1893, the feast of St. Margaret.  The parish of St. Ann celebrated its first Mass on Christmas in 1880 after breaking off from St. Gregory’s (records coming soon!).  This update consists of five volumes:

St. Margaret (Dorchester) Baptisms, 1893-1899
St. Margaret (Dorchester) Baptisms, 1893-1900
St. Margaret (Dorchester) Confirmations, 1894-1900
St. Margaret (Dorchester) Marriages, 1893-1900

St. Ann (Dorchester) Baptisms, 1889-1900

You may notice an overlap in years of the St. Margaret baptism volumes.  St. Margaret (Dorchester) Baptisms and Marriages, 1893-1900 is a single physical volume which is actually two separately paginated volumes bound together.  The baptisms half, what we’re calling St. Margaret (Dorchester) Baptisms, 1893-1900 is a duplicate of the other baptism volume, but it is included for your convenience (and a complete representation of the physical holdings of the archive).

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

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St. Mary (Lynn) and St. Augustine (South Boston) Volumes Available

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St. Augustine Cemetery and Chapel By Jameslwoodward (Own work) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

We’ve added two new parishes to Massachusetts: (Image-Only) Archdiocese of Boston Records, 1789-1900, a total of 21 volumes.  St. Mary’s in Lynn was the first Catholic church founded there; previously the Catholics of Lynn had worshiped in other towns like Salem or Chelsea.  St. Augustine’s Chapel in South Boston dates to 1819, and the purchase of a Catholic cemetery in South Boston.  It is the oldest Catholic structure in Massachusetts.  Some Catholics worshiped there for awhile, until their congregation grew big enough to build another church (Saints Peter and Paul).  The old chapel fell out of regular use.  By 1868 the Catholic population continued to grow, so that they were again in need of another church.  The pastor suggested that the old chapel be used until a new church could be built.  The first Mass in the new church was offered in 1871, and they named the new parish in honor of the old chapel.

The new volumes are listed below:

St. Augustine (South Boston) Index to Baptisms, 1868-1900
St. Augustine (South Boston) Baptisms, 1868-1883
St. Augustine (South Boston) Baptisms, 1883-1894
St. Augustine (South Boston) Baptisms, 1894-1899
St. Augustine (South Boston) Baptisms, 1899-1900
St. Augustine (South Boston) Confirmations, 1896-1900
St. Augustine (South Boston) First Communions, 1895
St. Augustine (South Boston) Marriages, 1868-1899
St. Augustine (South Boston) Marriages, 1900-1900

St. Mary (Lynn) Baptisms and Marriages, 1837-1841
St. Mary (Lynn) Index to Baptisms, 1851-1893
St. Mary (Lynn) Baptisms and Marriages, 1851-1861
St. Mary (Lynn) Baptisms and Marriages, 1862-1872
St. Mary (Lynn) Baptisms, 1872-1893, Part 1
St. Mary (Lynn) Baptisms, 1872-1893, Part 2
St. Mary (Lynn) Index to Baptisms, 1894-1963
St. Mary (Lynn) Baptisms, 1893-1897
St. Mary (Lynn) Baptisms, 1897-1900
St. Mary (Lynn) Marriages, 1872-1893
St. Mary (Lynn) Marriages, 1893-1906
St. Mary (Lynn) First Communions and Confirmations 1881-1900

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Enhanced Index for the Springfield [MA] Republican: Marriages and Deaths, 1847

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Springfield Armory National Historic Site; James Langone, Photographer. Public Domain in the United States, courtesy of Wikimedia.org.

We have updated the index to Springfield [MA] Republican: Marriages and Deaths, 1847 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 marriage and death records published in the Springfield Republican newspaper continues to be searchable via Keyword search.

This update is made possible by the invaluable efforts of our team of volunteers, particularly; Connie Beattie and Barbara Holt. We appreciate the work of all our volunteers. If you would like to join the team please contact Bianca Renzoni, Database Services Volunteer Coordinator bianca.renzoni@nehgs.org.

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

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Eleven new sketches for Western Massachusetts Families in 1790

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By http://maps.bpl.org (A plan of Hatfield) [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

We’re announcing eleven new sketches to Western Massachusetts Families in 1790.  This database focuses on families listed in the 1790 census in historic Berkshire and Hampshire counties, an area which includes parts of modern Franklin and Hampden counties as well. Sketches are submitted by NEHGS researchers and members and edited by Helen Schatvet Ullmann, CG, FASG.  Many of the new sketches focus on heads of families from Belchertown, established in 1731 and previously known as Cold Spring and Belcher’s Town. The new sketches are listed below:

Asaph Stebbins (Granby)
Daniel Smith (Belchertown)
Eldad Parsons (Belchertown)
Elijah Bardwell (Belchertown)
Israel Cowles (Belchertown)
John Cowles, Sr. (Belchertown)
Joseph Bardwell (Belchertown)
Joseph Bardwell, Jr. (Belchertown)
Martin Bardwell (Belchertown)
Obadiah Bardwell (Belchertown)
Timothy Cowles (Hatfield)

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Richard Warren Added to Mayflower Families Fifth Generation Descendants, 1700-1880

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Plymouth, MA town square in 1910. Public Domain, courtesy of Wikimedia.org.

We have added the Richard Warren part 2 new volume to the searchable database of authenticated Mayflower Pilgrim genealogies, Mayflower Families Fifth Generation Descendants, 1700-1880, which now contains these Warren volumes:

  • Warren, Richard (Vol. 18, part 2)
  • Warren, Richard (Vol. 18, part 3)

This addition adds 399 pages, 8,700 records and over 25,000 searchable names related to the descendants of Richard Warren, which in total now has nearly 42,000 names.

This database is being constructed from the General Society of Mayflower Descendants (GSMD) very well-known series of books Mayflower Families Through Five Generations: Descendants of the Pilgrims who landed at Plymouth, Mass., December 1620 which document the first generation of descendants of the Pilgrims. Through our partnership with GSMD, American Ancestors is delivering this database with a full index of the fifth-generation descendants, and their children, coupled with the page images for those people.

Richard Warren was born probably around 1585 in Hertfordshire, England. He traveled on Mayflower, in advance of his wife Elizabeth and five daughters, who arrived on the ship Anne in 1623. Richard and Elizbeth had two more sons after they were reunited. Their daughter Sarah married passenger John Cooke, son of Francis Cooke. Richard died in Plymouth in 1628, and his widow lived on in Plymouth until her death in 1673 at the age of ninety. This biography is also available on our Mayflower 2020 site here.

This database index includes birth, baptism, marriage, death, and deed records for these individuals, and where available, the names of parents and spouses.

This update is made possible by the invaluable efforts of our growing team of volunteers, including; Charlie Watson, Julie Nathanson, Margaret Parker, Richard Wood, and David Anderson. We really appreciate their dedication. If you are interested in joining the team, please contact Bianca Renzoni, Database Services Volunteer Coordinator bianca.renzoni@nehgs.org.

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

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Updated Databases: Greenfield, MA and Lyme, NH

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Historic American Buildings Survey Aubrey P. Janion, Photographer August 1959 FRONT OR SOUTH SIDE – Lyme Congregational Church, The Green, Lyme, Grafton County, NH

Today we’re announcing two updated databases, Greenfield, MA: Records, 1775-1911 and Lyme, NH: Congregational Church Records, 1774-1867.  Many of our databases, including these are based on manuscripts held in our library collection.  We recently had these two manuscripts scanned, then re-indexed by our volunteers.  They now include images and are now searchable by all available fields, including first name, last name, spouse’s name, parents’ names, location, date, and year.   Greenfield, MA: Records, 1775-1911 includes three major types of records: abstracts of probate records, church records, and Bible records.  You can use the keyword field to search for probate case number, church, cemetery, or source (family Bible).  We especially want to thank the following volunteers: Margo Blank, Barbara Holt, Carole Livingston, Susan Hurlbut, Pat Dalpiaz, Philip Gross, Diane Arbuckle, Julie Bliss Hammons, and Barbara Macken.

 

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Lowell French Catholic Records: St. Jean Baptiste

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The left image comes from One Hundred Years of Progress, James S. Sullivan’s 1895 archdiocesan history. The image on the right of St. Jean Baptiste was taken in 2011. (Image Credit: By Emw (Own work) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons)

We’ve added 16 new volumes to Massachusetts: (Image Only) Archdiocese of Boston Records, 1789-1900, from St. Jean Baptiste in Lowell.  St. Jean Baptiste grew out of St. Joseph, the original parish serving French Catholics in Lowell.  Both churches were founded under the leadership of Father André-Marie Garin, an Oblate from France who served as a missionary in Canada before coming to Lowell.  In 1888, the cornerstone was laid for St. Jean Baptiste, and its dedication Mass was held in 1890.  There was a large fire in the church in the 1912, but the church was reopened by 1916.  Author Jack Kerouac’s funeral was held at this church in 1969.  In 1993 the parish closed.  The sixteen new volumes are listed below:

St. Jean Baptiste (Lowell) Baptisms 1895-1897
St. Jean Baptiste (Lowell) Baptisms 1897-1899
St. Jean Baptiste (Lowell) Baptisms 1899-1900
St. Jean Baptiste (Lowell) Baptisms 1900
St. Jean Baptiste (Lowell) Index to Baptisms and Marriages 1868-1894
St. Jean Baptiste (Lowell) Baptisms and Marriages 1868-1879
St. Jean Baptiste (Lowell) Baptisms and Marriages 1879-1886
St. Jean Baptiste (Lowell) Baptisms and Marriages 1886-1890
St. Jean Baptiste (Lowell) Baptisms and Marriages 1891-1894
St. Jean Baptiste (Lowell) Index to Marriages A-I 1895-1900
St. Jean Baptiste (Lowell) Index to Marriages J-Z 1895-1900
St. Jean Baptiste (Lowell) Marriages 1895-1900
St. Jean Baptiste (Lowell) Confirmations 1870-1894
St. Jean Baptiste (Lowell) Confirmations 1870-1900
St. Jean Baptiste (Lowell) Confirmations 1895-1900
St. Jean Baptiste (Lowell) Deaths 1896-1900

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Isaac Allerton Added to Mayflower Families Fifth Generation Descendants, 1700-1880

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Landing of the Pilgrims stamp from 1920. United States Public Domain, courtesy of Wikimedia.

We have added a new volume to the searchable database of authenticated Mayflower Pilgrim genealogies, Mayflower Families Fifth Generation Descendants, 1700-1880:

  • Allerton, Isaac (Vol. 17)

This update adds 191 pages with 3,300 supporting records and 10,300 searchable names related to the descendants of Isaac Allerton.

This database is being constructed from the General Society of Mayflower Descendants (GSMD) very well-known series of books Mayflower Families Through Five Generations: Descendants of the Pilgrims who landed at Plymouth, Mass., December 1620 which document the first generation of descendants of the Pilgrims. Through our partnership with GSMD, American Ancestors is delivering this database with a full index of the fifth-generation descendants, and their children, coupled with the page images for those people.

Isaac Allerton, born in 1586, was a merchant and a tailor. He embarked on Mayflower with his first wife Mary Norris, their 3 living children, and his apprentice, John Hooke. His sister Sarah was also a passenger, married to Degory Priest. Isaac was chosen as assistant to Governor Bradford in 1621. Members of the colony became dissatisfied with how he managed the finances of the colony, increasing debt and mixing his own business with the colony’s finances. He was eventually banished from the colony for his unscrupulous dealings, going on to live in Marblehead, New Amsterdam, and New Haven. Around 1626 he married his second wife, Fear, who was the daughter of passenger William Brewster. They had two children. He later married a third wife, Joanna Swinnerton, in New Haven, where he died in 1659. This information is also available on our Mayflower 2020 site here.

This database index includes birth, baptism, marriage, death, and deed records for these individuals, and where available, the names of parents and spouses. We thank our volunteers for all their efforts in bringing this newly searchable data to you!

This update is made possible by the invaluable efforts of our team of volunteers, including; Karen Ristic, Ray Ristic, and David Anderson. We appreciate the work of all our volunteers. If you would like to join the team please contact Bianca Renzoni, Database Services Volunteer Coordinator bianca.renzoni@nehgs.org.

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

Read more »

Immaculate Conception (Marlborough) Records Added

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By http://maps.bpl.org (View of Marlborough, Mass. Uploaded by tm) [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

We’ve updated Massachusetts: (Image Only) Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston Records, 1789-1900 with 10 new volumes from Immaculate Conception in Marlborough.  Marlborough’s Catholics were initially ministered to by missionaries in private homes, and then the Town Hall.  By 1854, they had grown so numerous that the cornerstone was laid for the Church.  Immaculate Conception largely served Marlborough’s Irish Catholics, but in the earlier records there may also be French Canadian Catholics.  The new volumes are listed below:

Immaculate Conception (Marlborough) Baptisms, 1854-1861

Immaculate Conception (Marlborough) Baptisms, 1861-1869

Immaculate Conception (Marlborough) Baptisms, 1861-1869 Index

Immaculate Conception (Marlborough) Baptisms, 1869-1896

Immaculate Conception (Marlborough) Baptisms, 1875-1886

Immaculate Conception (Marlborough) Baptisms, 1897-1900

Immaculate Conception (Marlborough) Baptisms and Marriages, 1854-1869

Immaculate Conception (Marlborough) Confirmations, 1897-1900

Immaculate Conception (Marlborough) Marriages, 1854-1869

Immaculate Conception (Marlborough) Marriages, 1869-1896

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