How To

Overview

When and Where in Boston is made up of thousands of individual Entries – short descriptions of all that has happened in and to Boston throughout its history.  When possible, entries are accompanied by illustrations.

Each entry is classified as either an Event, Building, or created Work.

Entries are usually accompanied by Sources, which tell where the facts came from.  They are sometimes accompanied by Links, which suggest other places to go for more information.

Each entry is ranked as either Most Significant (1% of the total), Significant (30%) or All (100%).  Admittedly a subjective practice, this is done to allow users to control whether they want to look through a greater or lesser number of entries.

The same information can be found in one of three ways.  Search finds entries based on Key Words or Subject.  Browse finds entries based on their being grouped in the various Collections.  Explore locates them on a map of Boston.

Once found, groups of entries can be displayed either on a Map or in a Slideshow.

Step-by-Step Instructions

To Search by Key Word or Subject:

  1. Insert exact terms in the Search box or select the Subject Menu.
  2. If the subject menu, choose from the available Subjects, Topics or Subtopics.
  3. To narrow your search, choose from among the Filter boxes in the left-hand column.
  4. Select Apply at the bottom of the column to create a list of relevant entries that will appear in chronological order.
  5. Select any entry from the list for a description of that event.

You may also:

  1. Select Sources to find out the source material for that entry.
  2. Select Links for local websites that provide more information.

You may also:

  1. Select check boxes to the left of the list of entries to plot them on a Map or group them in a Slideshow.

To Browse the Collections: 

  1. Select from the Who, What, When, Where or Works drop-down menus.
  2. Select one of the Collections from the short list that appears.
  3. Follow the same procedures as in Search.

To Explore the Map:

  1. Select the Map.
  2. Allow your phone or other device to provide its location – or let it default to a location in Downtown Boston.
  3. Select a Blue Pin to read about an entry that occurred at that location.
  4. Select a Colored Circle that indicates multiple entries that occurred at a location.
  5. When the map enlarges, select from among the blue pins to read about an entry that occurred there.

Text Legend

Dates are searched by dd/mo/year, but written out as Month, Day, Year.
Dates are New Style, with some Old Style dates (prior to 1752) appearing in parentheses.
Dates at the end of each month – when that month appears in parentheses in the text – are approximate and  indicate the event happened sometime in that month.
Dates with only a year are approximate and indicate that the event happened sometime in that year.
(ca.) denotes approximate dates; (ra.) denotes a date range for when buildings were constructed.
Dates in brackets [  ] denote alternate dates used by other sources.
Dates followed by an asterisk (*) indicate that a subsequent, related entry happened in that year.