Illinois, Chicago, Catholic Church Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This Collection?
The collection contains the following records: The Parish Directory covers parishes in the Archdiocese of Chicago. The records are 95% in English with the remaining 5% distributed in Czech, Latin, and German. See also Genealogical Sources.
 * Births/Christenings (1833-1899)
 * Deaths/Burials (1845-1899)
 * Marriages (1833-1899)

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 included records of 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.

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.

What Can These Records Tell Me?
Baptism
 * Child's name
 * Birth date and place
 * Christening date
 * Names of parents and their origin
 * Godparents' names

Marriage
 * Date and place of marriage
 * Names of bride and groom
 * Residences of bride and groom
 * Groom's baptismal date
 * Bride's baptismal date
 * Groom's parents' names
 * Bride's parents' names
 * Witnesses' names

Death / Burial
 * Date and place of interment
 * Name and age of deceased
 * Residence of deceased
 * Death date
 * Cause of death

How Do I Search This Collection?
Before searching this collection, it is helpful to know:
 * The name of your ancestor
 * The type of event: baptism, marriage or death
 * The date the event occurred
 * The names of family members and their relationships

View the Images
View images in this collection by visiting the :
 * 1) Select the Parish or Town
 * 2) Select the Record Type and Year Range to view the images

How Do I Analyze the Results?
Compare each result from your search with what you know to determine if there is a match. This may require viewing multiple records or images. Keep track of your research in a research log.

What Do I Do Next?
When you have located your ancestor’s church record, carefully evaluate each piece of information given. These pieces of information may give you new biographical details such as a title, an occupation, or land ownership. Add this new information to your records of each family. You should also look for leads to other records about your ancestors.

I Found the Person I Was Looking For, What Now?

 * Add any new information to your records
 * Use christening (baptismal) and birth records to identify a person’s birth date and place. These are an excellent substitute for civil birth records
 * 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
 * Church records are considered a primary source. They are usually reliable because they are kept by the minister, or a clerk appointed by the minister, who usually recorded an event at or very near the time it occurred

I Can't Find the Person I'm Looking For, What Now?

 * Look for variant spellings of the names or for nicknames
 * Check the records of other congregations in the area or nearby communities

Research Helps
The following articles will help you in your research for your family in the state of Illinois.
 * Illinois Guided Research
 * Illinois Record Finder
 * Research Tips and Strategies
 * Step-by-Step Research

Citing This Collection
Citations help you keep track of places you have searched and sources you have found. Identifying your sources helps others find the records you used.