In partnership with the Archdiocese of Boston, American Ancestors has launched a multi-year Historic Catholic Records Online Project to create an online searchable database of millions of sacramental records from over 100 parishes across greater Boston. This is the first time a significant number of sacramental records from any U.S.-based archdiocese has been made available in an online digital format. Making these records accessible to the public in one online location will facilitate the work of countless family historians and other researchers.

The project spans parish records from 1789 to 1920, a period of significant growth for the Catholic Church in Boston and surrounding towns. The records to be digitized predate the founding of the first Catholic Church in Boston. They document several sacraments of the Catholic Church, including baptism, confirmation, holy communion, marriage, and the anointing of the sick.

To enable this project to proceed in a timely matter over the next several years, American Ancestors has created the Historic Catholic Records Fund with a goal of $1 million to support the preservation, digitization, and indexing of the church records. Please consider a tax-deductible gift that will allow this extraordinary history to be made publicly available.

If you would like to make a donation to support the project, please contact Steve Solomon, Senior Philanthropy Officer, ssolomon@nehgs.org.