Illinois, Diocese of Belleville, Catholic Parish Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

Record Description
This Collection will include records from 1729 to 1956.

Entries are recorded in register books in columns or paragraphs without columns. The text of the records is in Latin and/or English.

Church records in the United States began in the early 1600s. They can be found in the churches, church archives, or university archives. They normally record christenings, confirmations, marriages, and deaths.

The Roman Catholic Church is the largest Christian church in the world. Traditionally, Catholic records have been kept at the parish level, so a majority of records will be found at the church where the event transpired.

Older Catholic records and records of defunct Catholic parishes have often been moved to archives, historical archives, or university libraries. Roman Catholics were numerous in Illinois after 1860, especially in the northern industrial areas.

For a list of localities currently published in this collection, select the Browse link from the collection landing page.

To know who were members, Churches were required to record the date a person was baptized in the Christian religion. Many churches also recorded the date of birth along with the date of baptism. Churches were also required to record the burial and marriage dates of the members of the local congregation. Only some churches performed confirmations and were required to record the names of those that were confirmed members of the church.

Church records are considered a primary source. They are usually reliable because they are kept by the priest or a clerk appointed by the priest, who usually recorded an event at or very near the time it occurred.

Citation for This Collection
The following citation refers to the original source of the information published in FamilySearch.org Historical Records collections. Sources include the author, custodian, publisher, and archive for the original records.

Suggested citation format for a record in this collection.

Record Content
Key genealogical facts found in the Church records usually contain the following information:


 * Name of child
 * Date and place of baptism
 * Date and place of birth
 * Parents' names
 * Names of godparents
 * Notes by priest or clerk

How to Use the Records
To search the collection, select "Browse through images" on the initial collection page ⇒ Select the County ⇒ Select the City/Town/Village ⇒ Select the Parish ⇒ Select the Record Type, and Year Range which takes you to the images.

Look at the images one by one comparing the information with what you already know about your ancestors to determine which one is your ancestor. You may need to compare the information about more than one person to make this determination.

Church records can be used for genealogical research based on the event they record:


 * Use christening and birth records of christenings (baptisms) to identify a person’s birth date and place. These are an excellent substitute for civil birth records.
 * Use confirmation records to identify a person’s birth date and place and his or her age. If only the age is given, use it to calculate the person’s death date.
 * Use death or burial records to identify a person’s birth date and place. Use age at the time of death or burial to calculate the person’s birth date. These are an excellent substitute for civil death records.
 * Use marriage records to identify a couple and the marriage date and place and to begin compiling a family group. These are an excellent substitute for civil marriage records.
 * Use church records in general to identify other family members who may have served as witnesses to an event.

Known Issues with This Collection
For a full list of all known issues associated with this collection see the attached Wiki article. If you encounter additional problems, please email them to [mailto:support@familysearch.org support@familysearch.org]. Please include the full path to the link and a description of the problem in your e-mail. Your assistance will help ensure that future reworks will be considered.

Related Websites
Genealogical information in Catholic Church records include:

Related Wiki Articles

 * Roman Catholic Church in the United States
 * Illinois
 * Illinois Church Records

Citing FamilySearch Historical Collections
When you copy information from a record, you should list where you found the information. This will help you or others to find the record again. It is also good to keep track of records where you did not find information, including the names of the people you looked for in the records.

A suggested format for keeping track of records that you have searched is found in the wiki article Help:How to Cite FamilySearch Collections.

Citation Example for a Record Found in This Collection
"Illinois, Diocese of Belleville, Catholic Parish Records, 1729-1956." digital images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org): accessed 24 March 2011). Robert Columbau Boarman, baptized June 16, 1906; Williamson&gt;Stonefort&gt;St. Frances de Sales&gt; 1893-1900 Baptisms, Marriages, Deaths&gt;image 3; Catholic Church of Southern Illinois, Belleville, Illinios.