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Southern New England
Research Facilities and Resources
Searching for our Irish ancestors and relatives requires some different and innovative strategies at times. We have used all of the research facilities listed below, and couldn't resist the opportunity to give our opinion. However, regardless of our preferences, we have had to use each and every one of these facilities in our quest.
One note, most of the libraries in this geographical area have a primary focus
on Mayflower, colonial and early Yankee families, of course. It has only been
within the past few years that there has been some concerted effort and interest
in collecting resources related to immigrant history. But there is quite a lot
of information that can be found using the local facilities. Generally, you must
go to the local library for each city to access the local newspaper and city
directories, and you might just be surprised at what else might be available.
Don't be afraid to ask! If you discover a good resource, let us know and we will
list it on this page.
May the luck o' the Irish be with ye in your search!
Our Ratings - 1 to 5 Shamrocks 
New Bedford MA Public Library
613 Pleasant St.
New Bedford MA 02740
(508) 991-6275
Hours: Reference Dept. - Mon. to Thurs. 9 am to 9 pm; Fri. & Sat. 9 am to 5 pm
Special Collection/Genealogy Dept. - Mon., Wed., Fri. 1 pm to 5 pm; Tues., Thurs. 1 pm to 9 pm; Sat. 9 am to 5 pm
As far as we are concerned, this is the place to go to get the most available info
in one visit, and if your research time is limited, go here first. The reference room has 7 microfilm reader/printers; copies $.25. The collection includes: Mass. State Vital Records - births, marriages & deaths to 1900, both indexes and the actual records;
RI State Vital Records, both indexes and records to 1890; New Bedford marriage
and death indexes and records beyond 1900; City directories for New Bedford,
Fall River, and some for Taunton; Federal census records for SE Mass. and RI for
1790 to 1920, and 1930 soon to be added, with the soundex for 1880; 1855 and 1865 Mass. state census; New
Bedford school/work records; Naturalization indexes to 1906 for both Mass. and
RI.; Passenger lists; New Bedford newspapers from the early 1800s; and lots of
other miscellaneous reference materials. The Special Collections room contains
primarily printed materials, photocopies $.10, and includes: printed directories
for many local cities and towns; published church records - mostly marriages
with some baptisms - for many area cities and towns, including a photocopy
of the records of the earliest New Bedford parish of St. Mary's, now called St.
Lawrence; indexes to newspaper notices of deaths and marriages; card index to
the New Bedford Seaman's Protection records; a complete set of the Mass. Vital
Records to 1850 series, Arnold's RI Vital Records, and Barbour collection of
Vital Records for Conn.; a vast collection of published family genealogies and
reference works, including The Search for Missing Friends and some
English and Irish published records and reference works. There are also some
on-line and CD resources. Staff are very helpful and very knowledgeable, and
some research for specific inquiries by mail will be undertaken.
Rhode Island
Historical Society Library
121 Hope St.
Providence, RI 02906
(401) 331-8575
http://www.RIHS.org
Hours: Tues. to Sat. 9 am to 5 pm
The RIHS library has a primary focus on RI sources, but does contain some information on the neighboring areas of Mass. and Conn.
There are several microfilm readers with 2 that are also printers; cost per copy
$.75. Photocopies are $.15. The collection includes: a large number of printed
family genealogies; Vital records of Mass. and Conn.; Arnold's Vital Records of
RI; Indexes to RI State Archives Vital Records collection; The Providence
Journal back to its earliest days in the 1800s as well as several other local
town newspapers for RI; Federal census records for 1790 to 1920, with the
Soundex for 1880, 1900 and 1920; RI State Census records for 1865, 1875 and 1885;
access to the RI Cemetery Database; a large collection of City and town
directories for RI towns and some nearby Mass. towns; lots of RI, Mass. and
Conn. town histories and varied other reference sources. Staff is very helpful.
There is not a lot of specific Irish material, but the general RI state
resources and newspaper access make it worth a visit.
Rhode Island State Archives
337 Westminster St.
Providence, RI 02903
(401) 222-2353
Hours: Mon. to Sat. 8:30 am to 4:30 pm
This is the place to go for RI vital records information after 1853. There are 3
microfilm readers/printers and 1 microfiche reader; all copies are $.15 as are
photocopies. The staff is very knowledgeable and very helpful. The holdings
include: state returns of all RI town vital records, births and marriages from
1853 to 100 years ago, currently 1902, and deaths from 1853 to 50 years ago,
currently 1952, with indexes to all vital records; Federal census records for RI
from 1790 to 1920; RI state census records for 1774, 1782, 1855, 1865, 1875,
1885, 1905 and 1915 - 1774 and 1782 have been published, and there are indexes
for 1855 - 1875 and a street finding guide for 1915 (1885 and 1905 are recorded
alphabetically by surname); card catalog and index of Revolutionary and Civil
War files; other military records; name indexes for other RI government
documents; many City Directories though not as complete a collection as the RI
Historical Society.
Providence RI Public Library
225 Washington St.
Providence, RI 02903
(401) 455-8000
Hours: Mon. to Thurs. 9 am to 8 pm; Fri. & Sat. 9 am to 5 pm
The Providence Public Library does not have a genealogical collection per se. They do have copies of Arnold's
Vital Records of Rhode Island; the Index to Providence Births, Marriages and Deaths from 1636 to 1945; and Providence City Directories from 1824 to
present; and Providence newspapers on microfilm. However, they do have one very valuable resource that is not available elsewhere - an index to the
Providence Journal, including birth notices, marriage notices, death and funeral notices, and obituaries.
Fall River MA Public Library
104 N. Main St.
Fall River, MA 02720
(508) 324-2700
Hours: Mon. thru Thurs. 9 am to 9 pm; Fri. & Sat. 9 am to 5 pm [Summer hours
on Sat. 9 am to 1 pm]
 [Thanks to Patricia Redfearn, Head of
Reference Services for the library for updating our information.] At present, the Main branch of the Fall River library is closed for renovations, and will be closed
until approximately mid-2003.
Most of its collection is stored away in warehouses, and is not available.
In the interim, the library is operating from another building just next door on
North Main Street. For the purposes of family and genealogy research, however,
there are some valuable resources available in this temporary location, and these
include: Fall River vital records (births, deaths, and marriages) from 1803 to
1889; Federal Census for Fall River for 1850, 1860, 1870, 1900, 1910, 1920 1930;
Fall River city directories from 1853 to the present; Fall River newspapers on
microfilm dating from 1826; Indices to the obituaries in the Fall River Herald
for the years since 1957 are in the process of being compiled; Microfilm draft
registration records for World War I for Fall River; Published marriages and
baptisms for Saint Anne's Church. Other
resources that we have used in the past, such as the city poll tax lists, are
currently unavailable. We have been told, however, that part of the renovation
plans include setting up a "Fall River Room" which should include the
library's collection of documents and published materials of city and local
history and family genealogies. In the past most of these materials have been in closed stacks, and if
you didn't know what to ask for, you would never have access to it. We hope this
will be one of the changes for the future, as the library certainly has valuable
resources. In our opinion, despite having played a prominent role in industry and trade in the 19th and early 20th
centuries, the city of Fall River has paid little attention to preserving this rich
history, and the City is not very supportive of the library. Staff can be
helpful. There are 3 microfilm reader/printers; two brand-new microform reader
printers (delivered in 6/02) and one which was the best of the previous older
ones. Copies are $.25; the new microfilm reader/printers do a nice copy, even of
photographs copied
from the newspapers. Photocopies are $.10.
Catholic Diocese of Providence RI
www.dioceseofprovidence.com
We have only dealt with the Providence Diocese office once or twice, and our inquiries have been related to cemetery records. It is our understanding that parish records are still kept at the individual churches. However, our questions related to burials at the Catholic cemeteries were answered cheerfully by phone. I would suggest, however, that inquiries are best sent by mail. Some of the churches that had large French-Canadian congregations have had some records
published by the American French Genealogical Society, and most of these are
available at the RI Historical Society. But the earlier and primarily Irish churches have no such published compilations.
Inquiries related to Baptisms and Marriages should be written and sent by mail
to the individual parish church office.
Catholic Diocese of Fall River MA
www.fallriverdiocese.org
There is no centralization of records in the Fall River Diocese. All sacramental records are kept by the individual parish churches. Our personal experience has been that responses to inquiries are subject to the whims of the church pastor and office staff. Some of the churches that had large French-Canadian congregations have had some records
published by the American French Genealogical Society, and most of these are
available at the RI Historical Society. But the earlier and primarily Irish churches have no such published compilations.
Your best bet is to send written inquiries by mail to the specific parish church
office. If you do not receive a response within a reasonable time, follow-up
with a phone call.
Fall River MA Catholic Cemeteries
St. Patrick's Cemetery Office
2233 Robeson St.
Fall River, MA 02720
(508) 679-2535
The Cemetery Office holds the existing records for burials at St. Patrick's, St. Mary's and St. John's Cemeteries in Fall River.
There are very few remaining records for burials in St. Mary's. Apparently,
perhaps in the 1920s, a number of graves at St. Mary's were moved to St.
Patrick's, but there is no information about these re-burials. There are some
records for St. John's, but they are certainly not complete. Records for St.
Patrick's begin in 1891, although there were burials prior to that date. Records
from 1891 to 1915 contain very little information. After 1915, the records are
more complete and contain a great deal more information. The staff at the
cemetery office are very willing, accommodating and helpful. They do request,
however, that requests for information be in writing and sent by mail. They do
respond pretty quickly.
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