Guide To St. Louis Catholic Archdiocesan Parish Records
LincolnSt. CharlesWarrenSt. Louis CitySt. LouisCountyFranklinArchdiocese ofSt. LouisJeffersonWashingtonSte. GenevieveSt. FrancoisPerryGuide to St. LouisCatholic ArchdiocesanParish RecordsChristine Human Hughes, CompilerRevised EditionHistory & GenealogySt. Louis County Library1640 South Lindbergh BoulevardSt. Louis, Missouri 63131www.slcl.org
Copyright 2001 Friends of St. Louis County LibraryRevised edition, 2015Published St. Louis County Library, 1640 South Lindbergh Boulevard, St. Louis,Missouri 63131 USAwww.slcl.org
GUIDE TO ST. LOUIS CATHOLIC ARCHDIOCESAN PARISH RECORDSDedicationThis book is dedicated to our Special Collections patrons. It is our hope that this reference guide will helpyou more efficiently use the Catholic parish records from the St. Louis Archdiocese and be successful inthe search for your family.Special Collections Staff, St. Louis County LibraryJoyce Loving, ManagerFebruary 2001AcknowledgementsWith appreciation to the Archdiocese of St. Louis, Archbishop John L. May and Rev. Mr. Martin G.Towey, Ph.D., Archdiocesan Archivist, for their foresight in preserving the St. Louis Archdiocesan ParishRecords on microfilm and their willingness to share these records with our library.With appreciation to the St. Louis Archdiocesan Archives, specifically Sr. Teresa Maria Eagan, C.S.J.,Mrs. Elaine Snyder and Mr. Robert Fahey, Archivist, without whose unflagging cooperation andassistance this project would have been much more complicated to complete.With appreciation to Fr. John Miller, Central Bureau of the Central Catholic Union of America and Mr.John Waide, St. Louis University Archives, for their knowledge and assistance in adding to thiscollection.With appreciation to Ruth Ann Abels Hager and Emily Wilson, St. Louis County Library Staff, for theirassistance and diligence in the publication of this book.Christine Human HughesCompiler, St. Louis County Library StaffAbout the revised editionThis edition was revised in March 2015 based on notes and corrections made by the author and otherlibrary staff members.St. Louis County Library www.slcl.orgiii
GUIDE TO ST. LOUIS CATHOLIC ARCHDIOCESAN PARISH RECORDSivSt. Louis County Library www.slcl.org
GUIDE TO ST. LOUIS CATHOLIC ARCHDIOCESAN PARISH RECORDSTable of ContentsDedication . iiiAcknowledgements . iiiIntroduction . viiSources for further information .xMap of St. Louis Archdiocese .1Parish Listings .3Appendix - AListing of Parishes Known to Have Ethnic Backgrounds .323Appendix - BListing of Parishes by the Year Founded .327Appendix - CListing of Parishes by Location (County, then City) .335Appendix – DFormer Place NamesFormer Place Names in the City and County of St. Louis .343Former Place Names of Parishes and/or Missions OutsideSt. Louis City and County .345St. Louis County Library www.slcl.orgv
GUIDE TO ST. LOUIS CATHOLIC ARCHDIOCESAN PARISH RECORDSviSt. Louis County Library www.slcl.org
GUIDE TO ST. LOUIS CATHOLIC ARCHDIOCESAN PARISH RECORDSIntroductionCreated to facilitate access to a unique part of our collection, this book lists St. Louis CatholicArchdiocesan parish records available at the St. Louis County Library, History & GenealogyDepartment, including microform and print sources. The St. Louis area has a rich Catholic historythat makes these records invaluable to genealogists and historians. Information has been gleanedfrom other sources about the founding of the parishes and the ethnic origin of the early parishionersto help further genealogical and historical research. Parish histories available in History &Genealogy have also been noted. Family History Library roll number(s) has been included for theconvenience of those researchers outside of the St. Louis area.Within the St. Louis Archdiocesan Parish Records microfilm set, the contents vary immensely byindividual parish–earliest noted record is 1766 and as recent as 1993, but most baptismal recordsend at approximately 1922. The St. Louis Archdiocese includes all or parts of these counties:Franklin CountyJefferson CountyLincoln CountyPerry CountySt. Charles CountySt. Francois CountySt. Louis CitySt. Louis CountySte. Genevieve CountyWarren CountyWashington CountyThis volume is arranged in alphabetical order by parish name followed by several usefulappendices listing parishes by county and city nationality date of originEach parish has records on one or more microfilm roll(s). It is important to note the roll number(s)for that parish. Each microfilm roll is then broken down into individual items or books. Typically,one item or book will contain sacramental records for one specific rite covering multiple years.Once a specific parish is determined, much time can be saved by checking the specific sacramentand date in which you are interested and going straight to that item. If you know the parish youwant to research, go straight to that record alphabetically in the main body of the book. If you donot know the parish to search, keep reading.It is also important to note that few of the older records are in English. Most are in Latin but can befairly easily translated and other records vary according to nationality, for example: German,French, Czech, Polish, Italian, Slovak or Croatian.The Catholic Church in St. LouisSt. Louis has always had a proportionately large Catholic population, stemming back to its Frenchheritage, often being described as "The Rome of the West." Prior to 1838 the Catholic churches inthe Louisiana Purchase territory including the St. Louis area were very distant from one another.Three basic churches were located in the St. Louis area–the Cathedral (1766), Saints Mary andJoseph (1821) in Carondelet and St. Ferdinand (1788) in Florissant. St. Peters in Kirkwood,St. Louis County Library www.slcl.orgvii
GUIDE TO ST. LOUIS CATHOLIC ARCHDIOCESAN PARISH RECORDSSt. Louis County, was formed in 1832. In this diocese early churches were also found inSte. Genevieve (1759) and St. Charles (St. Charles Borromeo and St. Francis of Assissi both in1792). This means that if your ancestor lived in the city of St. Louis prior to 1838, they most likelyworshiped at what we call the Old Cathedral in what is now downtown St. Louis. Keep in mindthat St. Louis boundaries in 1840 did not include the towns of Carondelet and Florissant. As thepopulation grew, so did the city boundaries, until the split of St. Louis City and St. Louis County in1876.With the advent of more missionaries (typically Jesuits or Lazarists, i.e. Vincentians) to thiscountry in the 1820s, additional parishes were founded in other counties. Perry County establishedAssumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (1817) in Perryville and St. Joseph (1828) in Apple Creek.Early Washington County parishes were St. Joachim (1822) in Old Mines, St. James (1829) inPotosi and St. Francis Borgia (1834) in Washington. Following the flood of Irish and Germanimmigration in the 1840s and 1850s, a fairly regular increase in parishes began to occur.In St. Louis, as the population grew (e.g. 1830–4,977, 1840–16,469, 1850–77,860) a series ofchurch openings occurred systematically to the north, south and west. Eventually these were soclose together that to the current generation they would seem to be on top of one another. However,keep in mind that immigrants were flooding into the area in the 1850s and after the Civil War,transportation was very poor and sidewalks few. Different ethnic groups sought places for worshipin their native language and with whom they shared a common cultural background. According toan article in Gateway Heritage, Spring 1990 entitled “German Church Irish Church,” PeterKenrick, Archbishop of St. Louis from 1841-1893, “National Parishes” first served these ethnicgroups rather than parishes based on strictly geographical districts.The ethnic origin of a family is important to note when seeking church records. The Appendixcontains a list of St. Louis Catholic churches in order by nationality and date of founding. Note thatat one time in St. Louis, German and Irish/English-speaking churches were opened in pairs. Mostchurches that opened during the latter half of the nineteenth century in St. Louis thus served aspecific ethnic group. By the turn of the century, it was not uncommon for these groups to begindispersing throughout the region.Why Are Catholic Church Records So Valuable?Church records are valuable because a census record of an early immigrant often can not be found,but the family would not miss observance of a sacrament. The most common Catholic Churchrecords usually are baptism and marriage which provide birth and wedding dates. The CatholicChurch records may also contain first communion, confirmation and, with less consistency, death.Death record information can be very limited and varies greatly according to parish and year.The parish records can vary somewhat from parish to parish but quite often will includeinformation not found in census or civil records. A common example of this is a church marriagerecord that includes names of parents of both bride and groom and names of witnesses. Some earlymarriages had no civil record. In the City of St. Louis, birth and death records started in 1850 butare estimated to be 40 percent unrecorded. Also birth records were not required by the state ofMissouri until 1910. A child's existence may not be documented on a census but is verified becauseof his/her baptismal record, which usually included date of birth and baptism and names of parentsand godparents. It is quite common that the individual volumes of baptismal records contain anindex. The baptismal and marriage records can truly add to your knowledge of the family.viiiSt. Louis County Library www.slcl.org
GUIDE TO ST. LOUIS CATHOLIC ARCHDIOCESAN PARISH RECORDSDeath and burial are not a sacrament according to the Catholic Church and that is why a lack ofconsistency exists in these records. According to Sr. Teresa Eagan, C.S.J. of the St. LouisArchdiocesan Archives, death records began to be more regularly maintained as of the 1930's.The St. Louis County Library does have interment records for the major Catholic cemeteries in theSt. Louis area on microfiche. These cemeteries and their founding dates are listed below.St. PeterCalvarySacred HeartSt. Charles BorromeoMount OliveSt. Peter & PaulSt. MonicaSt. FerdinandResurrectionOur Lady of The Miraculous MedalHoly Kirkwood)(St. Louis)(Florissant)(St. Charles)(Lemay)(St. Louis)(Creve le)The cemetery records can be a good alternate source for determining date of death. Cemeteryrecords can also provide the age at time of death, funeral home from which buried and a listing offamily members that are buried within the same section and lot. It is worthwhile to note that it wasquite common that early burials were removed to newer cemeteries as homes and industry in St.Louis began to encroach on cemetery grounds.Additional CluesClues in searching church records can be found in the census, which will usually give ethnic originand location. City directories for St. Louis published 1821 to 1980 also provide place of residence.Civil marriage records can help by providing a priest's name at the wedding. His name can then beconnected to a specific parish. The St. Louis County Library and the St. Louis ArchdiocesanArchives both have an excellent wall map that reflects the parish boundaries within St. Louis Cityand St. Louis County in approximately 1970. Keep in mind that these boundaries changed as newparishes opened or older parishes closed.In the counties outside the St. Louis area, mission churches were more numerous. The missionchurch had no resident priest, but a priest would come from a neighboring parish to administer thesacraments. It is important to check both the records of the mission church and its mother church(usually the main church in the area) because these records were often intermingled.The full parish mailing address was included for writing directly to parishes. Zip codes wereintentionally left off the addresses of closed parishes. Quite often with mission churches it isnecessary to write the parish that is administering the mission. Following is the address of theArchdiocesan Archives if it is necessary to contact it directly:Archdiocese of St. Louis Archives20 Archbishop May DriveSt. Louis, Missouri 63119-5738(314) 792-7020St. Louis County Library www.slcl.orgix
GUIDE TO ST. LOUIS CATHOLIC ARCHDIOCESAN PARISH RECORDSConclusionThe St. Louis Archdiocesan Parish Records microfilm set contains almost 2,500 volumes of parishrecords on microfilm. With A Guide to St. Louis Catholic Archdiocesan Parish Records, St. LouisCounty Library has gathered information regarding its holdings of all types of records for the St.Louis Archdiocesan Catholic community. This material can provide information to supplementgovernmental sources or give more detail to family research. There is a wealth of genealogicalinformation to be found in these church records.With appreciation for assistance from the St. Louis Archdiocesan Archives, specificallySr. Teresa Maria Eagan, C.S.J. and Mrs. Elaine Snyder.Sources For Further Information:MICROFICHER 977.865 C394Catholic Cemeteries of St. Louis. St. Louis: Calvary, 1988. 222Microfiche; negative. Each cemetery is divided into three sections;interment reports, lot purchase reports and section/lot reports.MICROFILMCatholic Parish Jubilee Histories. St. Louis: Central Bureau of the CCUA,1999. 12 microfilm reels: positive; 35 mm. Over 200 parish histories(check catalog for others in paper copy).R 977.866 C562The Churches of Soulard: Celebrating 14 Churches in and aroundthe Historic Soulard District of Saint Louis. St. Louis: The Churches ofSoulard Foundation, 1998.R 282.778 F157CFaherty, William Barnaby. The Catholic Ancestry of Saint Louis. St. Louis:Archdiocese Of St. Louis, 1965.R 282.778 F157DFaherty, William Barnaby. Dream by the River: Two Centuries of SaintLouis Catholicism, 1766-19- . Saint Louis: Piraeus: Archdiocese ofSt. Louis, for date see holdings.R 282.09 F157RFaherty, William Barnaby. The Religious Roots of Black Catholics ofSt. Louis. St. Louis: St. Stanislaus, 1977.R 282/H673Historic Churches in St. Louis: Self-guided Tour. St. Louis: ArchdiocesanCouncil of the Laity, 1976.R 026 H924UHumling, Virginia. U.S. Catholic Sources: a Diocesan Research Guide.Salt Lake City, Utah: Ancestry, 1995.R 282 O32The Official Catholic Directory ; with supp. New York: P. J. Kenedy,1999.R 282.778 R147CRahill, Peter J. Catholic Beginnings in Saint Louis: BicentennialHistory Series. St. Louis: Archdiocese of St. Louis, 1964.R 277.78 R846HRothensteiner, John Ernest. History of the Archdiocese of St. Louis,1673-1928; 2v. Blackwell, 1928.xSt. Louis County Library www.slcl.org
GUIDE TO ST. LOUIS CATHOLIC ARCHDIOCESAN PARISH RECORDSMICROFILMSt. Louis Archdiocesan Parish Records: Salt Lake City, UT: GenealogicalSociety of Utah, 1991-94. 242 microfilm reels: positive; 35 mm. Includesrecords for all parishes which are currently part of the St. LouisArchdiocese, and those parishes which have closed. Early records forparishes which started out as part of the St. Louis Archdiocese and latertransferred to other dioceses are not included.R 977.866 S311Scharf, J. Thomas. History of Saint Louis City and County: from theEarliest Periods to the Present Day. Philadelphia : L.J. Everts, 1883.R 277.78 S334HSchild, James. House of God: the Historic Churches and Places ofWorship of the St. Louis Area. Florissant, MO: Auto Review, 1995.R 477 S824DStelten, Leo F. Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin: with an Appendix ofLatin Expressions Defined and Clarified. Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson,1995.R 977.866 S861SStiritz, Mary M. St. Louis, Historic Churches and Synagogues [St. Louis]:St. Louis Public Library, 1995.R 977.866 S145HR 977.866 W358HR 977.866 W567Wayman, Norbury L. History of St. Louis Neighborhoods; 16 volumes.St. Louis: St. Louis Community Development Agency, 1980?Where We Live: a Guide to St. Louis Communities. St. Louis: MissouriHistorical Society, 1995.Please NoteFor clarity: Basilica of St. Louis, otherwise known as the Old Cathedral, will be listed under theheading "St. Louis Cathedral (Old)." Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis, otherwise known as the New Cathedral, will be listedunder the heading "St. Louis Cathedral (New)." If a parish name begins with the word "Most", the parish will be listed in this guideunder the second word e.g. "Most Holy Trinity" see "Holy Trinity."CPJH Catholic Parish Jubilee HistoryFHL Family History Library, Salt Lake City, UtahSaint St.Sainte Ste.Saints Sts.St. Louis County Library www.slcl.orgxi
GUIDE TO ST. LOUIS CATHOLIC ARCHDIOCESAN PARISH RECORDSxiiSt. Louis County Library www.slcl.org
GUIDE TO ST. LOUIS CATHOLIC ARCHDIOCESAN PARISH RECORDSLINCOLN CO.NElsberryMillwoodWTroyEHawk PointOld MonroeSPortageDes SiouxSt. PaulJosephvilleFlint HillWarrentonWARREN CO.BergerConcordHillSt. PetersO’FallonWentzvilleCaseWestAltonSt. CharlesDardenneNewMelleCottlevilleST. CHARLES CO.CityOfSt.LouisST. ildehausPortHudsonCloverBottomKrakowHigh RidgeCatawissaUn-GeraldNeierArnoldArchdiocese ofSt. LouisImperialMoselleArmaghHouseSpringsKimmswickSt. LIN JEFFERSON CO.BloomsdaleOld MinesPotosiTiffBonneTerreFrenchVillageSte. GenevieveLawrencetonZellSt. Mary’sWeingartenOzoraPark HillsSTE. GENEVIEVECO.WASHINGTON villeBismarckCities or Towns with Parishes outsideof St. Louis City and CountyST. FRANCOIS CO.CrosstownSilverLakeHighlandBiehlePERRY CO.Apple CreekMission ChurchesThis map was adapted from a map showing deaneries, cities, towns and missions which appears in theArchdiocese of St Louis Yearbook: 1998. St. Louis: St. Louis Archdiocese. Chancery, 1998, p. 1.Adapted map used here with permission.St. Louis County Library www.slcl.org1
GUIDE TO ST. LOUIS CATHOLIC ARCHDIOCESAN PARISH RECORDS2St. Louis County Library www.slcl.org
GUIDE TO ST. LOUIS CATHOLIC ARCHDIOCESAN PARISH RECORDS– Parish Listings –In this section, parishes are listed in alphabetical order. Notes such as Continued from previous page Continued on next pageindicate the records for that parish are listed on more than one page.St. Louis County Library www.slcl.org3
GUIDE TO ST. LOUIS CATHOLIC ARCHDIOCESAN PARISH RECORDSAll Saints 19016403 Clemens AvenueUniversity City, Missouri 63130St. Louis CountyLocated at the western city limits of St. Louis.Text in English and athFirst 71-1993YY1454SacramentYearsIndex FHL RollComments19017201901721St. Louis County Library www.slcl.org
GUIDE TO ST. LOUIS CATHOLIC ARCHDIOCESAN PARISH RECORDSAll Saints 18237 McMenamySt. Peters, M
Church records may also contain first communion, confirmation and, with less consistency, death. Death record information can be very limited and varies greatly according to parish and year. The parish records can vary somewhat from parish to parish but quite often will include information not found in census or civil records.
The Bulgarian Catholic Church The Slovak Catholic Church The Hungarian Catholic Church Byzantine Catholic in former Yugoslavia Eastern Catholic Communities without Hierarchies: Russian, Georgian, Belarusan, Albanian The Italo-Albanian Catholic Church The Chaldean Catholic Church The Syro-Malabar Catholic Church The Armenian Catholic Church The .
227. Catholic Charities Diocese of Pueblo 228. Catholic Charities of Fairfield County 229. Catholic Charities Archdiocese of Hartford 231. Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Washington 232. Catholic Charities, Inc. of the Diocese of Wilmington 233. Catholic Charities of Idaho 235. Catholic
For 110 years, Catholic Charities has been a recognized name at the forefront of social services in America. Dedicated to the reduction of poverty, the Catholic Charities . Catholic Charities Diocese of Pueblo Catholic Charities of Fairfield County, Inc. Catholic Charities Archdiocese of Hartford Catholic
Holy Trinity Catholic Church, Peachtree City Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church, Atlanta Mary Our Queen Catholic Church, Peachtree Corners Our Lady of the Mountains Catholic Church, Jasper Queen of Angels Catholic Church, Thomson St. Andrew Catholic Church, Roswell St. Francis
Saint Michael's Catholic Church Prior Lake 3000 3000 Catholic Iglesia Encarnacion Sagrado Corazon De Jesus Minneapolis 2500 2975 Catholic Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church Hastings 2500 2716 Catholic Saint Alphonsus Catholic Church Brooklyn Center 3500 2625 Catholic Saint Joseph o
St. Camillus Catholic Academy St. Elizabeth Catholic Academy St. Helen Catholic Academy St. Mary Gate of Heaven School St. Nicholas of Tolentine Catholic Academy St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Academy Sts. Joachim and Anne School Northern Queens Divine W
St. Frances Xavier Cabrini Catholic Church First Presbyterian Church of St. Pete Sacred Heart Catholic Church (Tampa) Michael and Sandra Maslowski Light of Christ Catholic Church* Sacred Heart Catholic Church (St. Joe) Diocese of St. Petersburg, Inc. Florida Council of Catholic Women Golf Car Depot Pasadena Community Church* St. Pete Vineyard .
All Saints Catholic Academy Trust 7943555 Divine Saviour Roman Catholic Primary School** Hertfordshire Holy Rood Catholic Primary School - Watford** Hertfordshire Saint Joan of Arc Catholic School Hertfordshire St John Catholic Primary School** Hertfordshire All Saints Catholic Collegiate 8709352 Ou
