Holy Angels (East St. Louis) Catholic Parish Records

SCCGS presents this data unaltered and as donated to the Society for genealogical research purposes only. SCCGS does not certify the accuracy of this data but recognizes it was done in good faith by an experienced compiler. The Society and the compiler recommend researchers verify information provided here with the original record before forming conclusions about a person, family, or relationship, available online at the Browse link on FamilySearch. See also Further research suggestions below.

In keeping with the compiler’s wishes and SCCGS’s Terms and Conditions of Use, you may not publish material from this site in whole or in part in any electronic, print or other medium, except as unique elements that are part of a unique family history or genealogy. For special circumstances, seek required permission in writing from SCCGS and the compiler. Kindly credit this work in your citation Commercial use is expressly prohibited.

Please send corrections or comments on the contact form to the SCCGS office, attention Ms. Dettleff.

Sample Citation | Translation Aids

Marriages (1924–1932) | Burials (1924–1956)

About the Parish

Holy Angels Parish was organized in 1924 in the Landsdowne subdivision of East St. Louis (at 37tyh Street and Caseyville Avenue). Farm buildings on the new parish property were torn down and reused to erect “the pavilion”‘ which served as Holy Angels Church until the new church was dedicated on 29 Oct 1950.

Pastors were Msgr. William Trombley, Msgr. C.J. Cunningham, Father Emil Maziarz, Father Clyde Grogan, and Father Stephen Humphrey.

The parish closed in 1982 due to decline during the prior decade. The convent was repurposed as a shelter for the homeless.

The records, this database, caveats

• Names and phrases in Latin were translated to give the gist of the meaning to the best of the compiler’s ability. More recent entries may be written in English. Given names abbreviated in the church book are spelled out when the English equivalent is certain (Elizabeth for Eliz., Louis for Ludovicus). When no apparent equivalent was known or ambiguous, the Latin name or initials were transcribed.
• Square brackets [   ] indicate wording added by the compiler to clarify an entry.
• Researchers are urged to correlate information here with that found in other records. 
• Terminology reflects the time period and Roman Catholic Canon Law, both have changed over time.
• Cramped handwriting, faint images, possible transcription errors, and names spelled phonetically or with diacritical marks will undoubtedly affect this compilation. Search tips may help locate an ancestor’s name if misspelled.
• Some priests recorded more information than others.

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Further research

• Baptisms 1924–1930 and some later indexes are on in microfilm holdings of the SCCGS at the Belleville Public Library. See reels 16 and 17 in this descriptive finding aid, courtesy SCCGS. No images are online following FamilySearch’s own guidelines.
• Obituaries and tombstone inscriptions, will or estate records, and civil birth, death, or marriage certificates may fill in record gaps or provide more information about the people in these databases. See courthouse and IRAD links offsite.
• If a person died in Missouri 1910-1968, their death certificate may be digitized and freely accessed on the  Missouri Secretary of State web site.
• The Illinois State Archives’ Statewide Death Index (1916 – 1950) is online. Order death certificates through the Illinois State Genealogical Society or the County Clerk’s office.

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Sample citation to a specific record in this database

Gloria Dettleff, compiler, “Holy Angels (Belleville [Illinois]) Catholic Church Marriages (1924 – 1982),” St. Clair County Genealogical Society (https://stclair-ilgs.org : date viewed) ; [ancestor’s name, date of marriage].

Sample citation to a digital image of the original church register

FamilySearch provides a citation with each image on its website.

Translation Aids

• Latin language aids
• French language word list
• Given names translated from French and Latin into English, courtesy American-French Genealogical Society.

Bibliography:

The Messenger: Catholic Newspaper of the Diocese of Belleville: Commemorating Our Time of Favor, April 24, 1988. 1988. See pages 133, 146, 151.

St. John’s Orphanage edition of The Messenger. History of the Diocese of Belleville. Belleville, Ill: Publisher Joseph Nicholas Buechler. 1919.