St. Patrick's Cemetery on Robeson Street in Fall River, Massachusetts, is a Catholic burial ground connected to the city's immigrant heritage. Its history reaches back to the late nineteenth century, when Fall River's industrial growth brought expanding communities and a growing need for burial space.

The cemetery has a strong connection to Irish families. Many early gravestones preserve Irish surnames and family relationships, reflecting the community that helped build the city's Catholic institutions. Portuguese and French families are also represented among its earlier burials.

The surviving burial records have limitations. Early records are incomplete, and entries from 1891 through 1915 often contain relatively little information. Records after 1915 are generally more detailed, making the gravestones especially valuable for understanding earlier generations.

Family plots connect generations through shared monuments and individual markers. Read together, their inscriptions preserve marriages, childhood losses, long lives, and the continuity of families rooted in Fall River. The cemetery serves as both a religious landscape and a record of community life.

St. Patrick's remains an active cemetery within the Catholic cemetery system of the Diocese of Fall River. Traditional graves and burial options for cremated remains continue to play a role as a place of remembrance, prayer, and family visitation.

Grave of Dr. William Dolan

Dr. William Andrew Dolan was born on July 28, 1858, in Shirley, Massachusetts, to Andrew and Jane Dolan. His family relocated to Fall River during his childhood, and he received his early education in the city's schools. He graduated from St. Joseph's College in New York in 1879 before earning his medical degree from the University of Pennsylvania in 1882.

After completing his education, Dolan returned to Fall River to practice medicine. In 1883, he married Nellie B. Hussey, a Fall River native. He joined the medical staff when Fall River Hospital was established and helped organize the Fall River Medical Society. He was also active in the Massachusetts Medical Society.

At the time of the Borden murders, Dolan served as medical examiner for the Third District Court in Bristol County. He arrived at the Borden residence around 11:45 a.m. on August 4, 1892, and examined the bodies of Andrew and Abby Borden. During his testimony at Lizzie Borden's preliminary hearing and trial, he explained that Abby's blood had already coagulated while Andrew's was still dripping, leading him to conclude that Abby had died first.

On August 11, Dolan conducted a second examination of the victims at Oak Grove Cemetery, removing their heads for closer study of the hatchet wounds. An account of his examination describes him boiling the skulls in the basement of his home, using a pot belonging to his wife, to prepare them for further analysis.

Dolan died unexpectedly at his Fall River home on October 1, 1922. He was survived by four children. His daughters, Ellen B. C. Dolan and Mary A. Dolan, were teachers in Fall River. His son Thomas worked for the State Registry of Motor Vehicles in Boston, while William A. Dolan taught at a vocational school for disabled veterans. His funeral took place at St. Mary's Cathedral, followed by burial at St. Patrick's Cemetery in Fall River.