The First Chicago Church Records,
1833-1844


98 acid-free pages, hardcover, 6 x 9 volume.
Limited edition. $14 plus P/H.

 

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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A compilation of several articles written in the 1920s by Rev. Joseph Thompson presenting information on the first resident priests who ministered to the Catholic faithful in Chicago and the surrounding territory from 1833 to 1844 before the Diocese of Chicago was established. A source book for genealogists and historians researching the early Catholics of northeastern Illinois, including the earliest French settlers, German immigrants and Irish immigrants. The book contains parish records of St. Mary's Church, Chicago, Illinois from 1833 to 1844 listing some 2,600 individuals.(See Note Below)

This 1988 edition includes a chronological table from 1833 to 1860 of the Illinois Catholic mission stations established in Cook, DuPage, Grundy, Kankakee, Kane, Kendall, Lake, McHenry, and Will Counties.

Included is the story of the Reverends John M.I. St. Cyr, Timothy O'Meara, Maurice de St. Palais, and Francis Joseph Fischer and several other priests who traveled daily from settlement to settlement in Northeastern Illinois and along the Illinois and Michigan Canal. Traditional use of aunts and uncles for godparents and brothers and sisters for witnesses at weddings is apparent in the records. The book is a valuable local history resource for it provides a consolidated list of the first Catholic Church records of Chicago and other Northeastern Illinois settlements in chronological order accompanied by a surname index.

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

Copyright 2006-11 Nancy Thornton