Illinois Church Records

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Historical Background
In the decades following statehood, the largest religious groups in Illinois were the Methodist, Episcopal, Baptist, and Presbyterian churches. These groups came primarily from the southern states. At the same time, Congregationalists, Lutherans, and members of the Reformed faiths came from the eastern states. Roman Catholics became numerous in Illinois after 1860, especially in the northern industrial areas. Several counties in the northeastern part of the state became havens for Lutheran Scandinavians.

Information Found in the Records
To effectively use church records, become familiar with their content. Click on these links to learn about a specific record type:

Look for online records.
'''Ancestry.com, FindMyPast.com, and MyHeritage.com can be searched free of charge at your local family history center or the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah.


 * Index only.


 * Illinois, Church Records, 1837-1995, Index and images, incomplete.


 * Illinois Marriages, 1790-1860 Index only ($)
 * Illinois Marriages 1791 to 1850 Index only ($)
 * — index
 * Index only.
 * , index.

Catholic

 * Illinois, Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield Sacramental Records, 1853-1975, ($) Index and images.
 * , index and images.
 * , index and images.

Methodist

 * Illinois, Select United Methodist Church Records, 1824-2009, ($). Images/index.

Look for digital copies of church records listed in the FamilySearch Catalog.

 * The Family History Library (FHL) has a substantial collection of original church records and transcripts on microfilm for churches in the United States.
 * Online church records can be listed in the FamilySearch Catalog under the state, county, or town.
 * If you find a record that has not yet been digitized, see How do I request that a microfilm be digitized?
 * Some records might have viewing restrictions, and can only be viewed at a Family History Center near you, and/or by members of supporting organizations.
 * To find records:
 * a. Click on the records of United States, Illinois.
 * b. Click on Places within United States, Illinois and a list of counties will appear.
 * c. Click on your county if it appears.
 * d. Click on the "Church records" topic. Click on the blue links to specific record titles.
 * e. Click on Places within United States, Illinois [COUNTY] and a list of towns will appear.
 * f. Click on your town if it appears, or the location which you believe was the parish which served your town or village.
 * g. Click on the "Church records" topic. Click on the blue links to specific record titles.
 * h. Some combination of these icons will appear at the far right of the listing for the record. FHL icons.png. The magnifying glass indicates that the record is indexed. Clicking on the magnifying glass will take you to the index. Clicking on the camera will take you to an online digital copy of the records.

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Consult available finding aids.
These aids generally provide lists of records that are known to exist and information on their location.

Correspond with or visit the actual churches.
Some records are still held in the local churches. Contact the current minister to find out what records are still available.
 * Make an appointment to look at the records. Or ask the minister of the church to make a copy of the record for you.
 * To find church staff available, you might have to visit on Sunday.
 * Ask for small searches at a time, such as one birth record or a specific marriage. Never ask for "everything on a family or surname".
 * A donation ($25-$40) for their time and effort to help you would be appropriate.
 * If the church has a website, you may be able to e-mail a message.
 * See the Letter Writing Guide for Genealogy for help with composing letters.
 * Each denomination page offers an online address directory of local churches for that denomination.

Check the church records collections in archives and libraries.
Some church records have been deposited for preservation in government archives or in libraries. Watch for links to digitized, online records offered by the archives. Some archives provide research services for a fee. For others, if you cannot visit in person, you might hire a researcher.

Baptist
The website of Primitive Baptist Churches in Illinois have prepared guides for genealogists who wish to learn about their religious ancestors, see, for example: Church and Family History Research Assistance for Gallatin County, Illinois Primitive Baptists.

Disciples of Christ

 * History of the Disciples of Christ in Illinois, 1819-1914 Online (1915)

Lutheran
A bibliography of Illinois Lutheran Church Records and Histories can be found at The Genealoger.com Lutheran Genealogy.

Methodist
Illinois Great Rivers Annual Conference United Methodist Church Historical Society 1211 North Park Street Bloomington, Illinois 61701 Phone: (309) 828-5092, ext. 227

The Illinois Great Rivers Conference UMC Historical Society was recently created through the merger of the Southern and the Central conferences and its records cover central and southern Illinois as well as records of some disbanded congregations. Members of the staff will do some searching of those records for a small fee.

Garrett Evangelical Theological Seminary Attn: Archives 2121 Sheridan Road Evanston, Illinois 60201 Phone: (847) 866-3909

The Archive of the Garrett Evangelical Theological Seminary houses the records of the Northern Illinois Conference of the Evangelical Methodist Church. In addition to records of disbanded churches, it has records of many Scandinavian congregations. The archive has no direct phone line, so you will need to make inquiries by mail. Selected records of the archive have been microfilmed and are in the Family History Library collection.

Archdiocese of Chicago
Archives of the Archdiocese of Chicago Joseph Cardinal Bernadine Archive and Record Center Attn: Assistant Research Archivist 711 West Monroe Chicago, Illinois 60661 Phone: (312) 831-0711 The diocese includes the counties of Cook and Lake  The telephone number of the Archive and Record Center accesses a voice mail menu. Selecting the "reference" option allows a caller to place a request for genealogical research. The Family History Library has microfilm copies of parish records from the Archdiocese of Chicago to 1915. These may be accessed by typing Chicago, Illinois at the Place-names Search of the library catalog. Once at the list of subjects for Chicago, choose "Church records."

Diocese of Belleville
Diocese of Belleville 222 South Third Street Belleville, IL 62220 Phone: (618) 277-8181 The diocese includes the counties of: Alexander, Clay, Clinton, Edwards, Franklin, Gallatin, Hamilton, Hardin, Jackson, Jefferson, Johnson, Lawrence, Marion, Monroe, Perry, Pope, Pulaski, Randolph, Richland, Saline, St. Clair, Wabash, Washington, Wayne, White, and Williamson

Many of the Catholic Church records in the Belleville Diocese are available online through FamilySearch in the collection. These records are also available at the St. Louis County Library and the Belleville Public Library.

The book A Time of Favor: The Story of the Catholic Family of Southern Illinois by Betty Burnett contains a great deal of historical context that will help genealogists better understand their ancestors' lives.

A wiki article describing an online collection is found at:

Ilinios Belleville Catholic Church Records (FamilySearch Historical Records)

Diocese of Joliet
Diocese of Joliet 425 Summit St. Joliet, IL 60435 Phone: (815) 722-6606 The diocese includes the counties of: DuPage, Ford, Grundy, Iroquois, Kankakee, Kendall, and Will. The 1859 records of St. Anne’s Church, which stood in what is now Richton Park, along with the two Mission churches of St. James in Strassburg and St. Boniface in Monee, are included in this Diocese's records.

Diocese of Peoria
Catholic Diocese of Peoria 419 NE Madison Avenue Peoria, IL 61603 Phone: (309) 671-1568 The diocese includes the following counties: Bureau, Champaign, DeWitt, Fulton, Hancock, Henderson, Henry, Knox, LaSalle, Livingston, Logan, Marshall, Mason, McDonough, McLean, Mercer, Peoria, Piatt, Putnam, Rock Island, Schuyler, Stark, Tazewell, Vermilion, Warren and Woodford.

Diocese of Rockford
Diocese of Rockford 555 Colman Center Drive P.O. Box 7044 Rockford, IL 61108 (815) 399-4300 The diocese includes the counties of:Boone, Carroll, DeKalb, Jo Daviess, Kane, Lee, McHenry, Ogle, Stephenson, Whiteside, and Winnebago.

Diocese of Springfield
Diocese of Springfield Catholic Pastoral Center 1615 West Washington St. P.O. Box 3187 Springfield, Illinois 62708-3187 Phone: (217) 698-8500 The diocese includes the counties of: Adams, Bond, Brown, Calhoun, Cass, Christian, Clark, Coles, Crawford, Cumberland, Douglas, Edgar, Effingham, Fayette, Greene, Jasper, Jersey, Macon, Macoupin, Madison, Menard, Moultrie, Pike, Sangamon, Scott, and Shelby.

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Correspond with genealogical or historical societies.
Some church records have been given to historical societies. Also, historical societies may be able to tell you where the records are being held. To find a society near you, consult these lists:
 * Society Hill List of STATE Societies

Carefully compare any record you find to known facts about the ancestor
You will possibly find many different people with the same name as your ancestor, especially when a family stayed in a locality for several generations, and several children were named after the grandparents or aunts and uncles. Be prepared to find the correct church records by organizing in advance as many of these exact details about the ancestor as possible:
 * name, including middle name and maiden name
 * names of all spouses, including middle and maiden name
 * exact or closely estimated dates of birth, marriage, and death
 * names and approximate birthdates of children
 * all known places of residence
 * occupations
 * military service details

Carefully evaluate the church records you find to make sure you have really found records for your ancestor and not just a "near match". If one or more of the details do not line up, be careful about accepting the entry as your ancestor. There are guiding principles for deciding how to resolve discrepancies between records that are seemingly close. For more instruction in evaluating evidence, read the Wiki article, Evaluate the Evidence.