Illinois, U.S., Catholic Diocese of Joliet, Sacramental Records, 1800-1976

Source Information

Illinois, U.S., Catholic Diocese of Joliet, Sacramental Records, 1800-1976 [database on-line]. Lehi, Utah, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2023.
Original data: Sacramental Records, 1800-1976. Joliet, Illinois: Catholic Diocese of Joliet.

About Illinois, U.S., Catholic Diocese of Joliet, Sacramental Records, 1800-1976

About the Joliet, Illinois, U.S., Catholic Diocese of Joliet, Sacramental Records, 1800-1976

General collection information

This collection includes sacramental records from Catholic Churches in the Diocese of Joliet, Illinois, dated between 1800 and 1976. The documented events include births, baptisms, confirmations, marriages, deaths, and burials. Many entries in the sacramental registers are handwritten. Some entries may be written in French or Latin. Images of the original documents are included in the collection.

Using this collection

Records in this collection may include the following information:

  • Name
  • Age
  • Birth date and place
  • Baptism date and place
  • Confirmation date and place
  • Confirmation name
  • Marriage date and place
  • Death date and place
  • Burial date and place
  • Parents' names
  • Parents' birthplaces
  • Spouse names
  • Spouse birth date and place
  • Spouse baptism date and place
  • Spouse's parents' names
  • Next of kin names and relationship

    • The records in this collection can be used to verify important dates in your ancestor's life from birth to death. The records also include information about your ancestor's relatives and in-laws. They may be helpful in uncovering maiden names and details that pre-date civil registrations.

    Some common Latin phrases will help you understand these records:

  • Nomen is Latin for "name."
  • Renatus est is Latin for "was baptized" or "reborn."
  • Natus est is Latin for "was born."
  • Conjuncti sunt is Latin for "were married." Copulati sunt or intronizati sunt may also be used.
  • Mortuus est is Latin for "died." Obitus est, defunctus est, or denatus est may also be used.
  • Filia is Latin for "daughter."
  • Filius is Latin for "son."
  • Mater is Latin for "mother."
  • Pater is Latin for "father."
  • Uxor is Latin for "wife."
  • Vir is Latin for "husband."

    • These French words also may help you explore the records:

  • Nom de famille is French for "last name."
  • Prénom is French for "first name."
  • Lieu de is French for "place of."
  • Désignation refers to a physical address.
  • Naissance is French for "birth."
  • Mariage is French for "marriage."
  • État civil des habitants refers to marital status.
  • Décès is French for "death."
  • Fille de is French for "daughter of."
  • Fils de is French for "son of."
  • Éspouse is French for "wife."
  • Époux is French for "husband."

    • Collection in context

    The sacramental records were created by Catholic Church officials in the Diocese of Joliet and its predecessors. The records are high quality primary historical sources. The original documents are housed by the Diocese of Joliet.

    From 1844 to 1949, the territory that is now the Diocese of Joliet was split among the dioceses of Chicago, Rockford, and Peoria. Pope Pius XII decreed the creation of the Diocese of Joliet on December 11, 1948. Seven counties were included in the new diocese, including DuPage, Kendall, Will, Grundy, Kankakee, Iroquois, and Ford.

    The Catholic population in the diocese was 90,544 in 1949. By 1955, it had increased to 122,416, and in 1966 there were 270,000 Catholics in the diocese. The increase in population was accompanied by the construction of churches, convents, rectories, and schools. By 1979, the diocese included 113 parishes with a Catholic population of 401,000.

    Bibliography

    Roman Catholic Diocese of Joliet. "History of the Diocese of Joliet." Accessed December 2, 2022. https://www.dioceseofjoliet.org/about/sectioncontent.php?secid=6.