Though some may think that Catholic records are an unlikely topic for this column, there are several reasons for describing them. First, the chances of finding Catholic ancestors increase as research extends further back in time. Also, some unique records are kept by some parishes, social service agencies, and institutions that I have not seen described elsewhere. And, Catholic records are often extremely difficult to track down; thus, they are frequently unused.
In Guide to the Archives of the Archdiocese of Boston (New York: Garland Publishing, 1982), James M. O'Toole notes: "Archival records are a reflection of the persons and administrative structures that produce them." To understand the records and documents of a diocese, therefore, it is necessary to understand something of the history of the Catholic Church in Boston and New England. O'Toole mentions a three-volume History of the Archdiocese of Boston 1604-1943, by Robert H. Lord, John E. Sexton, and Edward T. Harrington. The importance of this history of a religious community cannot be overstated. To find and understand records, the researcher must know where, when, and how they were created. In her upcoming U.S. Catholic Sources: A Diocesan Research Guide (Salt Lake City: Ancestry, 1995), Virginia Humling cites more than 100 such diocesan histories, together with addresses, geographical boundaries, access policies, and the name and address of the newspaper for each diocese.
Under Kentucky, for example, Humling lists the 24 counties in the Archdiocese of Louisville and explains that "Sacramental records for the Archdiocese of Louisville are found at the parish level, where certificates are issued. Requests should be directed to the parish, if know." She further notes that copies of The Record (the newspaper of the Archdiocese of Louisville) are housed at the University of Kentucky Library in Lexington, Bellarmine College in Louisville, the main branch of the Louisville Public Library, and at the newspaper office; that not all years are available and that The Record is not indexed.
Religious newspapers were often the key to solving difficult genealogical problems when I engaged in research. For example, I searched all major Chicago daily newspapers for Thomas Murphy's obituary. All noted the date of his death and the funeral details, but none provided biographical information. Hopes of learning his birthplace were fading when someone suggested the Chicago Catholic newspaper (called Then New World when he died in 1898). This newspaper contained a detailed account, including his birthplace and when he had immigrated, his children's names, and his occupation.
The newspaper was found at chancery offices of the Archdiocese of Chicago in the early 1980s. Since a reader-printer was not available to make copies from the microfilm, I could provide only a handwritten copy for my client. I learned, however, that Notre Dame University had many diocesan newspapers and diocesan and parish histories on microfilm. Through interlibrary loan, I obtained a photocopy of the actual Murphy obituary. The microfilmed copies have since been moved to the archives of the Archdiocese of Chicago.
How to Find Church Records
As noted for the Archdiocese of Louisville, the vast majority of sacramental records (baptisms, marriages, funerals, confirmations, and first communions) for virtually every dioceses and archdiocese in the world are kept at the parish level. It is therefore appropriate to write or visit the parish first. If an event took place years ago, however, the parish in which it took place may be hard to find. Many churches have moved or closed, and records may have been moved to another church in the same area, to a diocesan office, or to an archives.
Addresses of individual Catholic parishes, schools, hospitals, social service institutions, headquarters of religious orders, and lists of priests can be obtained from The Original Catholic Directory, published annually by P.K. Kenedy and Sons. It is available in most Catholic churches and institutions and in many large public libraries. A Catholic Directory Anno Domini 1978, from a used bookstore, though dated, contains a wealth of information. The section on the Diocese of Brooklyn (New York) describes the 234 parishes in the diocese in 1978. It tells me, for example, that Our Lady of Mercy at Debevoise and DeKalb Avenue was closed in 1908; that the second Our Lady of Mercy at Schermorhorn and Bond, closed 20 April 1930; and that the records (in 1978) were at the chancery (official diocesan office).
Seeing that Holy Family Church at Naussau and N. 15th Street is Slovak may be helpful, depending on what is known of the family's ethnic origins. Most immigrants chose to worship where their mother language was heard and Old World religious customs were observed. Frequently, records are not found in the church nearest ethnic or "national" church. Without the directory or a chronological parish listing (often obtained by writing to an archdiocese or diocese), I might not know that St. George's is Lithuanian, and that Our Lady of Peace is an Italian community.
When requesting copies from church registers, ask them to include any special notations on the transcript. My grandmother's name is recorded on her marriage record as Emma R. Chouanniere. The priest making the copy thoughtfully added on the certificate, "She calls herself after her step-father, her own father's name was Miller."
A more complicated tactic was used to obtain the European origins of another individual. The subject of the search was found in birth records in a small Catholic Church in Indiana. The priest looked at the ledgers (most of which were written in Latin, and parts in German). While European town origins were provided for many individuals, no birthplace was provided for our subject. By carefully studying the parish registers, the priest/genealogist noted that many individuals listed acted as sponsors for each other for baptisms and as marriage witnesses. He thought that they might all have come from the same area in Germany. He noted every town name listed in the relatively short time frame in which this "bonus" information was included in the parish ledgers. He then located the towns on a map contemporary to the time the church records were made.
Was it coincidence that all the towns were within thirty miles of Trier? The priest turned the question over to a German genealogy specialist, who knew which records to use next. Our subject was located on German emigration lists—along with other individuals whose records had been located in the Indiana church register. Since many immigrants came to American in groups, when all else fails, look for records of others connected to a community.
For genealogical purposes, Catholic baptisms and marriage records are among the most helpful. Registers usually provide dates of baptism and birth, and names of parents and sponsors. Marriage records include names of bride, groom, witnesses, and the officiating priest, and sometimes identify the parish(es) in which the bride and groom were baptized. Records of deaths (funerals), confirmation, and communions are not generally as detailed. Though some are only name lists, they document a family's residence in a parish at a given time. Most churches took a census of parishioners, though many have not been saved. Some parishes also kept records of men's and women's parish organizations, though these are also often discarded.
Cemetery Records
While diocesan officials cannot conduct individual searches, they can usually provide a list of Catholic cemeteries within the boundaries of the diocese. In some places and years, Catholics buried their dead in consecrated ground right next to the church. The practice continued until there was no longer room, or because of health considerations. Records for those buried in the church yard are generally found with other parish records, but sometimes originals or copies may have been centralized in a diocesan cemetery office.
Some cemeteries have been indexed by genealogical societies, an on-going project. Tombstones may reveal more information than is available in cemetery books or indexes. Many monuments provide the place and date of birth, and the death date; others may note an individual's military unit. Some ethnic cemeteries contain tombstones bearing photographs of the deceased. Interestingly enough, Catholic records are not always most accessible through the Catholic church. The small staffs of parishes or diocesan archives are generally unable to search records for genealogical purposes.
A number of dioceses have microfilmed or allowed others to microfilm their records (usually only those up to around 1900). A number of these microfilmed records are available through The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Family History Library (FHL) in Salt Lake City, Utah, and through its family history centers across the country. The Archdiocese of Chicago, for example, does not welcome genealogists to its archives. Records of the more than 400 Chicago parishes were microfilmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah and are available on microfilm through the FHL. The Burton Collection of the Detroit parish records that can be viewed at that library with few restrictions. Records of dioceses that have had their records microfilmed are listed in Humling's guide (mentioned earlier).
A number of genealogical societies have indexed local Catholic church records. The St. Louis Genealogical Society, for example has indexed and published Catholic Baptisms, St. Louis 1765-1840, and Catholic Marriages, St. Louis 1774-1840. The Federation of Genealogical Societies has recently published the 1995 Federation of Genealogical Societies FGS Membership Directory, which lists other church records that have been indexed and made available by genealogical societies.
Start at Home
Without Catholic records, my own family history may not have been uncovered. Raised by relatives in Texas, I knew nothing of my father's side of the family. All contact with them had been lost at his death (many years before I became interested). My first genealogy instructor insisted that students should study documents relating to themselves before moving back a generation. Her advice paid off! My baptismal certificate listed the name of my godfather-a name totally unfamiliar to me.
A long distance call to a brother in New York told me that Joseph Rogers was my father's sister's son. He also remembered that another of my father's sisters had been a Sister of Charity and had taught at the high school connected to St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City.
After a bit of detective work and much studying of The Official Catholic Directory, I located the mother house for the correct order of Sisters of Charity. I received a wonderful response from a nun at the mother house archives, telling me that my aunt, Sister Marita Gertrude, had indeed taught at St. Patrick's Cathedral. She also gave me her birth and death dates and the names of her parents-my grandparents. She noted that my aunt also had an aunt who was a member of the order; her birth and death dates were included, and her parents' names-my great-grandparents. Best of all, by using a very old address provided by the Sisters of Charity, I was able to track my godfather/cousin, who had moved several times since the sisters lost track of him in the 1950s. I received exciting information from my cousin and his sister, who put me in touch with their mother. In addition to finding my lost family history, I was able to meet my aunt, who died shortly after I found her.
Sources of Interest
Banet, Charles H. Index to the Records of Saint Augustine Church at Rennsselaer, Indiana, 1865-1983. Rensselaer, IN, 1985.
Barton, Noel. "Research in California and Spanish Missions: in Ancestry Newsletter, vol. Xi, no. 4, July-August 1993.
Dolan, Jay P. The Immigrant Church: New York's Irish and German Catholics, 1815-1865. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1975. Rich in footnotes that lead to other sources.
Donnelly, Sister Mary Louise. "Avenues for Finding Your Catholic Ancestors" in Ancestry Newsletter, September/October 1986.
Loretto Dennis Szucs has been a professional genealogist for nearly thirty years. She is the co-editor of The Source.
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