St. Luke (Belleville) Catholic Parish Records

Compilation Copyright 2019, Gloria Dettleff. Donated to and for the use of the
St. Clair County Genealogical Society (SCCGS), as per Agreement, February, 2019.

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 from which it was derived, available online at FamilySearch.  Should the online image be unsatisfactory, help may be requested from the Archives of the Diocese of Belleville at (618) 722-5057.

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 (an example). Commercial use is expressly prohibited.

Baptisms A – F | G – M | N – Z | ♦ |  Marriages A – Z | ♦ | Burials A – F |  G – M|   N – Z  |

About the Parish

St. Peter’s was the only Catholic church in Belleville which lay in the then Alton Diocese in 1850. St. Peter’s congregation had mostly German-speaking members. By 1866 there were enough English-speaking members to warrant a second church. Until 1883 when the first St. Luke Church was built it shared its location with St. Peter. (Note 1)

St. Luke is in the Diocese of Belleville and as of about 2004 is in partnership with St. Teresa Catholic Church. St. Luke is located at 301 North Church Street in Belleville, IL 62220.

About these records, this database, caveats

• The church records were written entirely in Latin and translated to give the gist of the meaning to the best of the compiler’s ability.
• Due to small, difficult handwriting, faint images, and partially hidden areas, researchers can expect errors and incomplete entries. Please keep in mind that spelling was not standardized, spelling variations were the norm. Please send corrections or comments to the SCCGS office, attention Ms. Dettleff.
• The data
  • In some instances data was consolidated from two or more columns into one.
  • Many entries are out of sequence suggesting the entries were made from another source. Most records appear in chronological order on numbered pages.
  • The information contained in each entry varies, e.g., some priests included personal information such as a person’s birth place, the parents, spouse and also the place of burial.
• Baptisms
  • A location mentioned for parents might refer to place born. Use records suggested below to determine the meaning of location.
• Marriages
  •  A bride or groom’s location may refer to current residence, or perhaps place born. The census and records suggested below may help determine the meaning of location.
•  Burials
  • When a burial place was mentioned in the record book, it is included in this database.
  • The burial locations in St. Luke’s book can be confusing. PLEASE NOTE that St. Peter’s Catholic Church bought several large plots in the Walnut Hill Cemetery after it opened in the 1850s. These plots were referred to as St. Peter’s Cemetery or simply the Catholic Cemetery. In 1875, St. Peter’s bought land for a new cemetery called St. Peter’s Roman Catholic Cemetery on Green Mount in which burials began in 1877. In 1887 St. Peter’s parish became a Cathedral and the cemetery’s name was officially changed to Green Mount Catholic Cemetery of the Cathedral Congregation. Next to this cemetery is the non-sectarian Green Mount Cemetery. (Note 2) Unless otherwise noted, “Green Mount” in Catholic parish records would refer to Green Mount Catholic Cemetery.
  • Confirmation of the actual place buried should be sought in records of the named cemetery, or in other sources such as an obituary, funeral card, or death certificate, or probate record.
• SCCGS also microfilmed these records which may contain additional events or record books not available from FamilySearch. The reverse may also apply. Further research suggestions below may be helpful. Read about SCCGS’s project. Images at FamilySearch are of superior quality.

Notes:

1. History of the Diocese of Belleville, Illinois: 125th Anniversary (2011), 6, 38.
2. A Wealth of a Century by Msgr. Leonard Bauer (1952), manuscript, vault Cathedral of St. Peter, rectory vault, 18, 35. Photocopy at the Belleville Public Library.

Further research

• Civil birth, death, and marriage certificates, if recorded, may provide additional information. See 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. That site also has abstracts of pre-1910 death records but not images.
• Microfilmed baptismal records to 1930 for St. Luke (Belleville) are at the Belleville Public Library. (A finding aid to churches by city; St Luke is on reels 9, 10, and 154.)

Sample citation to a specific record in this database

Gloria Dettleff, compiler, “St. Luke (Belleville [Illinois]) Catholic Church Baptisms (1883 – 1907) A-F,” St. Clair County Genealogical Society (https://stclair-ilgs.org : date viewed) ; [ancestor’s name, date of baptism].

Sample citation to a digital image of the original church register

FamilySearch provides a citation with each image on its website.

Back to top

Translation Aids

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

Back to top