Worcester Hibernian Cultural Center
19 Temple St. Worcester
Thursday Night Lecture Series
The Tatnuck Burial Ground
A PowerPoint presentation by local amateur historians John Canavan, Thomas Canavan and Mary Ellen Radziewicz
Nov. 1, 2007
7:00 pm
2007 marks the one hundredth anniversary of the re-internment of some of Worcester’s earliest Catholic settlers. Moved from the “Tatnuck Burial Ground” to the St. John’s Cemetery in 1907, little was known of the some two thousand or so people that once rested there, until now. Local researchers John and Thomas Canavan, and Mary Ellen Radziewicz will talk at the Hibernian Cultural Centre on Thursday, November 1st at 7:00pm about their efforts to learn more about what was once the area’s oldest Catholic cemetery.
When was it established, when was it moved? Where was the burial ground? Where are they now? Why was it moved, and what were the stipulations placed on the diocese and were they met? Were there records (no, which made meeting the state's stipulations difficult)? And of course, Who was buried there?
In 1876, Irish-born, local historian, Richard O'Flynn, and his son Thomas, transcribed the legible epitaphs from some 81 markers in the small, neglected burial ground that was Tatnuck during the last half of the 19th century. O’Flynn’s work is less than 100 names, and some wonderful epitaphs. In 2005, John and Tom Canavan searched the Worcester death records and found over 800 Tatnuck burials. Most of the entries contained name, date of deaths, age, causes of death, spouse or parents etc., however the records kept prior to 1845 were less comprehensive. This information was used to create a large database that now includes information from Worcester’s birth, death and marriage records, as well as from vital records for some other Worcester County towns. The database also contains information from church records, naturalization records, census returns, Worcester directories and two St. John’s Cemetery epitaph transcription projects; one by O’Flynn in 1886, one by Mary Ellen Radziewicz and Frank and Marion Conery in the 21st century. Ms. Radziewicz’s contributions to the database also include much “place of origin” information gleaned through her work with O’Flynn’s notebooks and the “Search for Missing Friends” columns published in the Catholic newspaper of the day, The Pilot. The database enables us to examine Catholics in Worcester County to 1850. With it we see the individuals and the larger immigrant community.
Come to Hibernian Cultural Centre on Thursday, November 1st at 7:00pm to learn where they were from; where they lived; who they married (and at what age); what they did for work; what was killing them; and was that common back then?
www.aohworcester.com fiddlersgreen2007@yahoo.com
There is no charge for admission (although donations are gratefully accepted). Additional information about any of the Centre’s events can be obtained by calling (508)792-3700 or at
http://www.socialweb.net/Places/4922.lasso.
