GUIDE TO CATHOLIC RECORDS ABOUT NATIVE AMERICANS IN THE U.S.
Volume 2: Midwest United States
Illinois: IL-2

Catholic Church. Archdiocese of Chicago. Joseph Cardinal Bernardin Archives and Records Center
711 West Monroe Street
Chicago, IL 60661

Phone: 312-831-0711
Email: See website

 

Hours: See website

Access: Some restrictions may apply

Copying facilities: Yes

 

History: In 1843, the Diocese of Chicago was erected for Illinois from portions of the Dioceses of St. Louis and Vincennes, and with diminished area, it was elevated to an archdiocese in 1880. It reported no baptized Native American Catholics in 1900 and 1,500 in 1999. Within its current area, the Chicago Archdiocese and its predecessors administered the following missions and schools that served Native Americans:

1803-1837 (closed)	Fort Dearborn (e.g. Potawatomi, Métis) station, Illinois Territory/ Indiana Territory
1833-1840s (no longer Indian)	St. Mary Church (Potawatomi, Métis, in part), Chicago,Illinois
1883-1885 (closed)	St. Mary Training School (Dakota?, Santee?, Sisseton Wahpeton?), Feehanville near Des Plaines
1952-present	St. Kateri Center of Chicago/ Anawim Center/ Archdiocesan American Indian apostolate, Chicago

 

Holdings of Catholic records about Native Americans: Includes sacramental records (e.g. baptisms, marriages, burials) for (Old) St. Mary Church and school records for St. Mary Training School; parishioners included Chief Billy Caldwell or Sauganash (Potawatomi, 1780-1841).

 

Unless otherwise noted, the repository on this page holds (or held) the records described here and they are not held at the Marquette University Archives.

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