The First Catholic Church in Joliet, Illinois


173 acid-free pages, hardcover, 6 x 9 volume.
Limited edition. $20 plus P/H. See the order form
 

Contents
The Illinois and Michigan Canal
The First Catholic Church in Joliet, Illinois
The First Chicago Church Records, 1833-44
St. James at Sag Bridge Catholic Church and Cemetery
SURNAME INDEXES
Gravestone Art
Professional Information
Order Form
Contact Information
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Teton County Montana Genealogy
Friends of Old Agency on the Teton Inc.
Lemont Area Historical Society

A comprehensive reader that chronicles a Catholic heritage in Northeastern Illinois from its beginnings with Jacques Marquette and Louis Jolliet through the era of building the Illinois and Michigan Canal and the establishment of St. Patrick Church in Joliet, Illinois. This valuable source book for genealogists and historians researching the early Catholics of the area and Irish immigrants is a reprint of a 1960 work by Rev. Norman Werling, the extra copies of which were destroyed in a flood. It contains parish records of St. Patrick's Church in Joliet from 1838 to 1851 listing some 4,000 individuals with over 1,800 surnames indexed. (See Note Below)

Of far wider scope than the title indicates, this book relates the story of the mission priests who traveled throughout Northeastern Illinois (outside of Chicago) ministering to the Catholic faithful. Included is the story of the forgotten pioneer of Will County, Father John Francis Plunkett, from whose early labors have grown some 120 parishes in ten counties in northeastern Illinois.

Note: Are you wondering if your relatives are listed? The surname index for the book is now available on this website. See "Surname Indexes" on left-hand "Contents."