It's summertime, and a chance to get back to gen research, so I'm
re-subscribing to this list to hopefully pursue my KELLY/KELLEY and STEVENS
lines in Fort Wayne in the mid 1800s-early 1900s.
Right now, I have a question about the history of founding of the Catholic
parishes in Fort Wayne, so that I can look at the right church baptismal
records.
My KELLY family usually attended St. Patrick's, but when I looked for bapt
records for Patrick KELLY, b July 1869, or even John J. KELLY, b February
1876, FHC showed a microfilm for St. Patrick's going back only to 1891. Is
that when the church was established?
If so, any good guesses on which parish preceded St. Patrick's? Should I
look for these KELLY records in the film for the Cathedral? Was the
Cathedral the first Catholic church in Fort Wayne? I know that is the parish
where my STEVENS family attended, until moving in the 1920s.
Another question: would it be worth my while to pursue records of First
Communion or Confirmation? Do those records generally show any data useful
for genealogical research? I know the Fort Wayne newspapers often published
announcements of First Communion, so I have dates for my family
members...but wondering if that would be helpful for research, or just a
curiosity item for now???
Thanks for any guidance on these issues.