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Where'd they go? My People left Lithuania and went to Massachusetts

South Boston, Brockton, Cambridge....these were just some of the Lithuanian hotspots in Mass.

City Directories:
The 1925 Boston City Directory.
The Cambridge, MA "Blue Book" (Directory) for 1910.
The Mass. Election Dept. produced directories of residents for the various voting districts. These have been scanned by the Boston Public Library and put on www.archive.org. Roughly speaking, from 1930 onward, South Boston (East side) is ward 7 and South Boston (West side) is ward 6. However, before that, voting districts moved often. I'll be posting links to the directories here, focusing on South Boston addresses. If you click on the book image, you can search for your relatives in the upper right corner by typing in the first few letters of their surname.

Ward 7 (East side): 1925, 1926, 1927, 1928, 1930, 1931, 1932, 1933, 1934, 1935,
1936, 1937, 1938, 1939, 1940, 1941, 1942, 1943, 1944, 1945, 1946, 1947, 1948, 1949, 1950

Ward 6 (West side): 1925, 1926, 1927, 1928, 1930, 1931, 1932, 1933, 1934, 1935
1936, 1937, 1938, 1939, 1940, 1941, 1942, 1943, 1944, 1945, 1946, 1947, 1948, 1949, 1950

1924: Ward 10

1910: Ward 13, Ward 15

Government Resources:
The Massachusetts State Archives 220 Morrissey Boulevard, Boston, MA 02125
Phone: (617) 727-2816
E-mail: archives@sec.state.ma.us

Massachusetts Registry of Vital Records and Statistics
For birth, death certificates, etc.

Local Resources:
Brockton: The USGenWeb page for Brockton, including info on libraries, historical societies, cemeteries, etc.

Lithuanian Catholic Churches/Diocese Information:
The Archives of the Diocese of Boston might be helpful in finding some Catholic marriages and baptisms. Also, here is a list of the closed and merged parishes within the Boston Diocese.
The Diocese of Fall River.
The Diocese of Springfield.
The Diocese of Worcester.

There is no online resource for St. Augustine's Cemetery, South Boston, where I think many Boston area Lithuanians are buried. It's an old cemetery, pre-dating Lithuanian immigration. You'll have to contact the old-fashioned way: St. Augustine Cemetery
Established in 1818
225 Dorchester St, South Boston, MA 02127-2876
Phone: (617)269-9506
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Saint_Augustine_Chapel_and_Cemete...

Lithuanian Catholic Parishes:

St. Francis
105 Main Street
Athol, MA 01331
Phone: 978-249-2738
Fax: 978-249-0447
Email: ourladyrectory@hotmail.com
http://www.nqcatholic.org/Information.htm

St. Casimir, South Boston, MA. 1895-1908. Replaced by St. Peter's, founded 1904.
St. Peter's, founded 1904.
50 Orton-Marotta Way
South Boston, MA, 02127-2006
Phone: 617-268-0353
Fax: 617-268-2585
Email: klebonas@me.com
Email: Daiva, Church Secretary donavickas95@hotmail.com
http://www.stpeterlithparish.catholicweb.com/

St. Casimir, founded 1898. CLOSED?
21 Sawtell Avenue
Brockton, MA 02402
Phone: 508-586-2226
Fax: 508-559-2761
Article about history & closure
Records possibly at St. Michael's, 87 N. Main Street, Avon, MA 508-586-7210/fax: 508-586-7211

Immaculate Conception, founded 1910. CLOSED
432 Windsor Street
Cambridge, MA, 02141-1343
Records at:
Sacred Heart Parish Rectory
49 Sixth Street
Cambridge, MA 02141-1594
Phone: 617-547.0399
Fax: 617-441-8648

St. George, Haverhill, MA. Founded 1917. CLOSED
Records at:
All Saints Parish Rectory
120 Bellevue Ave., Haverhill, MA, 01832-4711
Phone: 978-372-7721
Fax: 978-372-2085
Email: sjshav@comcast.net
http://www.sjshav.com/

St. Francis of Assisi, founded 1903. CLOSED
94 Bradford Street
Lawrence, MA
Records at:
Holy Rosary/Corpus Christi Parish Rectory
35 Essex Street
Lawrence, MA 01840
Phone: 978-685-1711
Fax: 978-691-5927
pastor@corpuschristilawrence.org
http://www.corpuschristilawrence.org/

St. Joseph, Founded 1908. MERGED
151 Rogers Street
Lowell, MA, 01852
Records at:
Immaculate Conception
3 Fayette Street, Lowell, MA 01852-1234
Phone 978-458-1474
Fax 978-446-0790
EMail: Immconparish@aol.com
http://world.std.com/~icp/index.html

St. George, founded 1912. CLOSED>
36 St. George Avenue
Norwood, MA
Records at:
Saint Catherine of Siena Parish Rectory
547 Washington Street
Norwood, MA 02062-0547
Phone: 781-762-6080 (8:30 a.m.-9:00 p.m., weekdays and weekends / closed holidays)
Fax: 781-255-9312
Email: parish@stcatherinenorwood.org
http://www.stcatherinenorwood.org

St. Casimir's Church, Westfield, MA. CLOSED.
Records at:
St. Peter's
22 State Street
Westfield, MA 01085-3814‎

Our Lady of Vilna, Worcester. CLOSED.

St. Casimir, founded 1894. CLOSED 2009.
41 Providence Street
Worcester, MA
http://www.stcasimirworc.org/ --the website is still there with detailed history.
Records at:
St. John's
44 Temple Street
Worcester, MA
(508) 756-7165

http://stjohnsworcester.org/

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Christopher J. Valin on March 23, 2010 at 2:01pm

Thanks, Richie! I knew you'd be able to give me some guidance on that.

Permalink Reply by Jim Zuis on February 10, 2010 at 7:06pm

Hi Chris -

If your parents were baptised in a Lithuanian church (e.g., St George's in Norwood), their record would likely have the original spelling recorded. Any baptismal or marrage records of your grandmother or her siblings would also be a good source for this information. You could find your grandmother's families' listing in the census, which can give you at least a ballpark idea of when they came into the US, and from the port of entry listing (e.g., Ellis Island), you might be able to find the name of the village in Lithuania where her family was from. If the census lists any family member's immigration status as "NA" or naturalized, even better. The naturalization papers would have the name and where they were from.

Let me give an example...my father's parents were vauge on all paperwork on where they were from and even what year they were born. I searched for a long time to find something more specific than "Vilnius" without luck. Then I found my father's brother's natualization papers which listed the name AND villiage in Lithuania where he was born. I had a place to start, and was able to trace this side of the family back with this one starting point.

Sorry for the long post, but hope it gives you some ideas...

- Jim Z.

Permalink Reply by Christopher J. Valin on March 19, 2010 at 4:30pm

Jim,

Thanks for the info! Sorry it took me so long to reply--I missed this earlier for some reason.

-Chris

Permalink Reply by Chrystine Jordan on January 22, 2010 at 9:04am

My great grandmother came to America in 1922 and settled in the Stoughton/Brockton area. She lived in Dorchester and Boston for awhile where she worked as a seamstress. She eventually settled in Holbrook, where she ran a chicken farm. I have many memories of spending time in the Lithuanian Village of Brockton with my grandparents. My favorite stop was the Lithuanian bakery during the holidays when we were treated to the most delicious pastries! I also remember attending Lithuanian Mass at St. Casmir and having no idea of what was being said, but being expected to sit still and be attentive!

Permalink Reply by Richie C. on January 22, 2010 at 10:35am

Chrystine,
I remember going to Lithuanian Mass with my grandmother...all I could do was stand, sit and kneel when everyone else did!

Permalink Reply by Jim Zuis on February 10, 2010 at 6:46pm

Like many others here, I spent time sitting through a Mass said in Lithuanian with family, and was one of the few who only recognized a stray word here and there. This experience was in St Peters in Southie, St George's in Norwood, and St Casmir's in Brockton (the latter two are now gone). As I understand it, the records for St Casmir's are now at St Michaels in Avon. My family started out in Southie, but moved to the Norwood-Brockton area a few years before my time. Until it closed about 5 years ago, I used to make trips for Lith bread to the Montello Bakery, and Zinkievich's Market before it (for Kilkus Bakery's Lith bread). Also the annual picnic at Our Lady of sorrows Convent in Brockton, which just started again this past Labor Day...

- Jim Z.

Permalink Reply by Richie C. on February 11, 2010 at 2:07pm

Jim,
I added St. Michael's contact info under St. Casimir Brockton on this Massachusetts discussion page. Thanks for the possible heads up.

Permalink Reply by Jim Zuis on February 19, 2010 at 9:21am

Hi Rich -

Thanks for posting that. I suspect there will be others who will find it helpful to know where to find the records for St. Casmir's in Brockton. Here is a link to a list of all of the supressed parishes & where their records went:

http://www.bostoncatholic.org/uploadedFiles/BostonCatholicorg/Paris...

Unfortunately, they have not updated it with the status of St Casmir's in Worcester.

BTW, Rich, do you happen to have any sense of what newspaper(s) a Lithuanian immigrant who lived in your fair city of Chelsea MA in 1938 would have used for an obituary? I'm trying to link someone who I suspect is related, and looking for any information I can get. I spoke with this person's son, who noted his family knew little of their family history or extended relatives beyond they were Lithuanian. My Aunt recalled my father and uncle taking turns driving their mother to visit a relative in Chelsea, but was never clear as to who it was.

Thanks
- Jim Z.

Permalink Reply by Richie C. on February 19, 2010 at 10:02pm

Jim,
I added the parish list to the links at the top of the Massachusetts forum. As for Chelsea newspapers circa 1938, there would only have been two, The Chelsea Record or the Daily Leader. This link to the Chelsea Historical Society tells about the newspapers in the city's history. The Chelsea Historical Society website it pretty detailed for such a small city, so surf around it if it can help your investigation. Perhaps the old newspapers are held by the Chelsea Public Library .

Permalink Reply by Jim Zuis on February 19, 2010 at 10:04pm

Hi Rich -

Thanks for the lead!

- Jim Z

Permalink Reply by Richie C. on February 19, 2010 at 10:12pm

Sure thing. Where are you? When you have the info, let me know, I could check for obit for you.

Permalink Reply by Jim Zuis on February 20, 2010 at 9:18am

I'm in Sharon, MA (down near where the Pats play). I have enough information to look up the obit, it's just finding the time to make it up to Chelsea on a Saturday (the kids are at that age of needing their chauffer ;). Do you anticipate stopping by the library in the near future? I'd hate to put you out of your way otherwise.

Thanks
- Jim Z

Where'd they go? My People left Lithuania and went to Massachusetts

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