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.

 * 1824-1940 at FamilySearch; Index — How to Use this Collection


 * 1837-1995 at FamilySearch; Index and images — How to Use this Collection


 * 1790-1869 Illinois Marriages, 1790-1860 at Ancestry, Index ($)
 * 1791-1850 Illinois Marriages 1791 to 1850 at Ancestry, Index ($)
 * 1805-1985 at FamilySearch; index — How to Use this Collection
 * 1815-1935 at FamilySearch; Index — How to Use this Collection
 * 1749-1999 at FamilySearch; index — How to Use this Collection

Illinois Statewide Marriage Index

 * 1763-1900 Illinois Statewide Marriage Index, 1763–1900

Genealogy Trails

 * Information by Illinois County Use the clickable map to select a county, then click on the "Churches" option.

Catholic

 * 1729-1956 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection
 * 1853-1975 Illinois, Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield Sacramental Records, 1853-1975 at Ancestry ($) Index and images.
 * 1833-1925 at FamilySearch; index and images — How to Use this Collection

Catholic Heritage Archive

Lutheran

 * 1781-1969 U.S., Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Church Records, 1781-1969 at Ancestry; index and images, incomplete.($)

Methodist

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

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

 * The FamilySearch Library (FS Library) 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 FamilySearch 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. for Primitive Baptist Churches in Illinois by County. Lists churches, their history, and surnames of member families.
 * Inventory of the church archives of Illinois, Presbyterian church ... Presbytery of Springfield
 * The Primitive Baptist Library of Carthage, Illinois Church and Family History Research Assistance

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.

'''Here you will find archive information unique to the state. Many more archives are kept by denomination. For denominational archives, go to  Searching for Church Records by Denomination.

Illinois State Genealogical Society P. O. Box 10195 Springfield, IL 62791-0195 Telephone: (217) 789-1968 Email: isgsoffice@ilgensoc.org
 * Research Tools

Illinois State Archives
 * Global Database Search
 * 1763-1900 Illinois Statewide Marriage Index, 1763–1900

St. Louis County Library
History & Genealogy St. Louis County Library 1640 South Lindbergh Boulevard St. Louis, Missouri 63131 Phone: 314-994-3300
 * Lutheran Church Holdings
 * United Church of Christ Holdings
 * Look-ups and Other Services
 * Contact Us

Baptist
for Primitive Baptist Churches in Illinois by County. Lists churches, their history, and surnames of member families.
 * 1750-1899 U.S., Southern Baptist Church Records, 1750-1899 at Ancestry - index & images, ($)
 * The Primitive Baptist Library of Carthage, Illinois Church and Family History Research Assistance

Disciples of Christ

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

Evangelical

 * History of the Illinois Conference of the Evangelical Church 1837-1937 ICE Church Records 1837-1937: This index names persons who were associated with the development of this German-speaking church denomination within the northern part of Illinois from the 1840s to 1937 and the capacity in which they were associated. Those persons were primarily clergymen, but early church founding members and others are often named.

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

History & Genealogy St. Louis County Library 1640 South Lindbergh Boulevard St. Louis, Missouri 63131 Phone: 314-994-3300
 * Lutheran Church Holdings
 * Look-ups and Other Services
 * Contact Us

ELCA Region 5 Archives Wartburg Theological Seminary 333 Wartburg Place Dubuque, IA 52003-5004 Phone:(563) 589-0320 E-mail:Region5archives@wartburgseminary.edu
 * Archives hold records for closed churches. For open churches write directly to the local church.

Methodist
Illinois Great Rivers Annual Conference United Methodist Church Historical Society 1211 North Park Street Bloomington, Illinois 61701 Phone: (309) 828-5092, ext. 227
 * 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. Selected records of the archive have been microfilmed and are in the FamilySearch Library collection.

Roman Catholic
Joseph Cardinal Bernardin Archives and Records Center of the Archdiocese of Chicago Attn: Assistant Research Archivist 711 West Monroe Chicago, Illinois 60661 Phone: (312) 534-4400 Fax: (312) 831-0610


 * 1833-1925 at FamilySearch; index and images — How to Use this Collection
 * Genealogy Resources
 * Request a Record The archives has records for some closed parishes. For open parishes, contact the local parish.

The diocese includes the counties of Cook and Lake

Diocese of Belleville Catholic Pastoral Center 2620 Lebanon Avenue, Building 6 Belleville, IL 62221 Phone: 618-722-5057 Fax: 618-235-7115 E-mail: mflynn@diobelle.org 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
 * 1729-1956.
 * The archives has records for some closed parishes. For open parishes, contact the local parish.

Diocese of Joliet 425 Summit St. Joliet, IL 60435 Phone: 815-221-6100 Email: archivist@dioceseofjoliet.org 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.
 * The archives has records for some closed parishes. For open parishes, contact the local parish.

Catholic Diocese of Peoria 419 NE Madison Avenue Peoria, IL 61603 Phone: (309) 671-1568 The archives has records for some closed parishes. For open parishes, contact the local parish. 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.
 * Historical or Genealogical Research

Diocese of Rockford 555 Colman Center Drive P.O. Box 7044 Rockford, IL 61108 (815) 399-4300 The archives has records for some closed parishes. For open parishes, contact the local parish. The diocese includes the counties of:Boone, Carroll, DeKalb, Jo Daviess, Kane, Lee, McHenry, Ogle, Stephenson, Whiteside, and Winnebago.

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. -
 * 1853-1975 Illinois, Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield Sacramental Records, 1853-1975 at Ancestry ($) Index and images.
 * To contact a local parish: Parish Directory

United Church of Christ
History & Genealogy St. Louis County Library 1640 South Lindbergh Boulevard St. Louis, Missouri 63131 Phone: 314-994-3300
 * United Church of Christ Holdings
 * Look-ups and Other Services
 * Contact Us

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.

Next, go to the Wiki article for your ancestors' denomination.
There are frequently additional, nationwide or regional archives and online collections for each denomination. Find the article for your ancestors' denomination and follow the instructions there to access these sources.

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.