Illinois, Diocese of Belleville, Catholic Parish Records, 1695-1956

Illinois Bellville Church Records

A help guide for accessing the images of parish registers recording the events of baptism, first communion, confirmation (to 1907), marriage (to 1930) or death (to 1956) in the Diocese of Belleville (Illinois), Roman Catholic Church. The index to some volumes may reference pages within a given volume beyond current publication dates. As such, these images are not currently available. In addition to traditional parish registers, this collection includes a small number of census, church history, family and financial records. To assist the researcher I have broken down the available registers by county and name of parish, including the years covered by those parish records.

Biography of Louis J. Oatman, M. D.

Dr. Louis J. Oatman, born on December 13, 1874, in O’Fallon, Illinois, was a distinguished physician and surgeon in St. Louis. He graduated from St. Louis University in 1893 and gained extensive experience through various hospital roles. Professionally, he served as chief medical examiner for multiple insurance companies and was active in medical associations. Married to Anna Martin, they had one daughter, Olive. A Republican by political stance, Dr. Oatman is also a member of the First Presbyterian Church and enjoys travel.