Illinois Archdiocese of Chicago Cemetery Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This Collection?
This collection contains Catholic cemetery records which begin as early as 1864 and go through 1989.

The Archdiocese of Chicago Catholic Cemeteries. The records are 95% in English with the remaining 5% distributed in Czech, Latin, German, and Hungarian. See also Genealogical Resources

What Can These Records Tell Me?
The following information may be found in these records: • 2

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Church records in the United States began in the early 1600s. They can be found in the churches, church archives, or university archives. They normally record christenings, confirmations, marriages, and deaths.

The Roman Catholic Church is the largest Christian church in the world. Traditionally Catholic records have been kept at the parish level, so a majority of records will be found at the church where the event transpired. Older Catholic records and records of defunct Catholic parishes have often been moved to archives, historical archives or university libraries.

To know who were members, Churches were required to record the date a person was baptized in the Christian religion. Many churches also recorded the date of birth along with the date of baptism. Churches were also required to record the burial and marriage dates of the members of the local congregation. Only some churches performed confirmations and were required to record the names of those that were confirmed members of the church.

Church records are considered a primary source. They are usually reliable because they are kept by the priest or a clerk appointed by the priest, who usually recorded an event at or very near the time it occurred.

How Do I Search This Collection?
Before searching this collection, it is helpful to know:
 * The name of your ancestor
 * The approximate burial or death date
 * The cemetery where your ancestor was buried

How Do I Analyze the Results?
Compare each result from your search with what you know to determine if there is a match. This may require viewing multiple records or images. Keep track of your research in a research log.

What Do I Do Next?
When you have located your ancestor’s cemetery record, carefully evaluate each piece of information about them. These pieces of information may give you new biographical details that can lead you to other records about your ancestors.

I Found the Person I Was Looking For, What Now?

 * Use the birth date or year to search for birth records
 * Use the birth date along with relative’s names to find the family in census records
 * Search for the death record
 * Search for an obituary

I Can't Find the Person I'm Looking For, What Now?

 * Check for variant spellings of the surnames
 * Search the indexes and records of nearby cemeteries

Research Helps
The following articles will help you in your research for your family in the state of Illinois.
 * Cemeteries
 * Sexton Records
 * Illinois Guided Research
 * Illinois Record Finder
 * Research Tips and Strategies
 * Step-by-Step Research

Citing this Collection
Citations help you keep track of places you have searched and sources you have found. Identifying your sources helps others find the records you used.