Illinois, Chicago, Catholic Church Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This Collection?
The collection broadly contains the following records from parishes in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Chicago:
 * Births/Christenings (1833-1899)
 * Deaths/Burials (1845-1899)
 * Marriages (1833-1899)

The Archdiocese of Chicago publishes a PDF file containing a Parish Directory and an online Parish Finder Map. The diocese also publishes a list of Catholic cemeteries in Chicago and a list of additional genealogical sources to help you locate your Catholic ancestors in Chicago.

Reading These Records
These records are written in English, Czech, German, and Latin.

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

Inventory
For a list of all the churches included in this Historical Records publication see Illinois, Chicago, Catholic Church Records - Inventory.

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

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 research your family in the state of Illinois.
 * Illinois Guided Research
 * Illinois Record Finder
 * Illinois Research Tips and Strategies
 * Step-by-Step Illinois Research, 1880-Present

Other FamilySearch Collections
These collections may have additional materials to help you with your research.

FamilySearch Catalog

 * Virginia Humling, comp. U.S. Catholic sources : a diocesan research guide.Salt Lake City, Utah : Ancestry Publishing, c1995 FS Library 973 K2hu 1995
 * Sunny Jane Morton and Harold A. Henderson, CG, How to find your family history in U.S. church records: a genealogist's guide Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Publishing Co. Inc., 2019 FS Library 973 K27m
 * Illinois Catholic historical review. 11 volumes. Chicago, Illinois : Illinois Catholic Historical Society, 1918- FS Library has v 1 & 5

FamilySearch Digital Library

 * Jack Bochar. Locations of Chicago Roman Catholic Churches, 1850-1990.(1990)
 * Illinois Historical Records Survey, Division of Community Service Programs, Work Projects Administration. Sponsored by the governor of Illinois, Guide to church vital statistics records in Illinois Chicago, Illinois : Historical Records Survey, 1942
 * John J Doyle, Genealogical use of Catholic records in North America Indianapolis, Indiana : s. n., 1978

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.