Local Catholic Church and Family History - Genealogical Research Guide

Kentucky and Tennessee

      The geographic areas of Kentucky and Tennessee are in the ecclesiastical province of Louisville which includes the Archdiocese of Louisville (Kentucky) and Dioceses of Covington, Lexington, and Owensboro (Kentucky) and Diocese of Knoxville, Memphis and Nashville (Tennessee).  See additional links and information for Byzantine Catholic Research.

 

 [Geographical Research by Diocese for Kentucky  and Tennessee Catholic Church and Family History]

[Catholic Church History and Timeline]  [Catholic Biographies]

[Local Tennessee History and Genealogy Links]

[Local Kentucky History and Genealogy Links]

[Do you know of a site to link?  Contact: Ann]

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Genealogical Research by Diocese

      The geographic areas of Kentucky and Tennessee are in the ecclesiastical province of Louisville which includes the Archdiocese of Louisville (Kentucky) and Dioceses of Covington, Lexington, and Owensboro (Kentucky) and Diocese of Knoxville, Memphis and Nashville (Tennessee).  See additional links and information for Byzantine Catholic Research.

Genealogical Research of Catholic Ancestors

Kentucky and Tennessee

KENTUCKY DIOCESES

Online web sites found for the Archdiocese and Dioceses are below with online Churches, maps and histories highlighted.  The geographic area of Kentucky includes the Archdiocese of Louisville (Kentucky) and Dioceses of Covington, Lexington, and Owensboro (Kentucky)

v Archdiocese of Louisville  (Kentucky)  (official), [Diocese est. 1808; Archdiocese 1937]

§  Chancery:  212 E. College St. - P.O. Box 1073 - Louisville, KY  40201

   The Archdiocese of Louisville encompasses the central Kentucky counties of Adair, Barren, Bullit, Casey, Clinton, Cumberland, Green, Hardin, Hart, Henry, Jefferson, LaRue, Marion, Meade, Metcalf, Monroe, Nelson, Oldham, Russel, Shelby, Spencer, Taylor, Trimble and Washington.  See  Map

Archdiocese of Louisville / Diocese of Bardstown (Nelson County, KY), History from the Notre Dame Archives (Indiana)

History of the Louisville Diocese, by P. M. J. Rock, from The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume IX, 1910, by Robert Appleton Company, Online Edition, 1999 by Kevin Knight.

   "...Prior to the erection of the Covington Diocese (29 July, 1853), it embraced all the State of Kentucky with an area of 47,000 square miles. Originally it was called Diocese of Bardstown, and its bishop administered spiritually a territory now divided into over twenty-eight dioceses (five of which are archdioceses)..."

§  Parish DirectoryBy CountyBy CityBy NameBy Map

o   Cathedral of the Assumption [est. ca. 1841] - with HISTORY as third oldest Cathedral in the U.S.

   Rectory: 443 S. Fifth Street - Louisville, Ky 40202;  Phone: (502) 582-2971.

   Located on the site of the old St. Louis Church [est. ca. 1830]…

o   St. Louis Bertrand Church Parish [est. ca. 1866] (Dominican Friars)

   Rectory: 1104 S. Sixth Street - Louisville, KY 40203-3114.

o   St. Luke Parish [est. 1965]

   4211 Jim Hawkins Drive - Louisville, KY 40229.

o   St. Margaret Mary [est. 1951]

   7813 Shelbyville Road - Louisville, KY 40222;  Phone: (502) 426-1588.

o   St. Martin of Tours Catholic Church [est. 1853]

   639 South Shelby Street, Louisville, KY 40202;   (502) 582-1780.

(Established in 1853, this site includes a History from Louisville's first German Catholic Church of St. Boniface established in 1836.)

o   St. Joseph Proto-Cathedral - Bardstown, Nelson County, KY [Est. 1816] designated a national landmark by the U.S. Congress.  In 1808, the four new Catholic dioceses of Bardstown, Boston, New York, and Philadelphia were created at the request of Bishop Carroll of Baltimore.  "...The new diocese of Bardstown covered almost the entire Northwest Territory, south to New Orleans and as far north as Detroit..." In 1995 Bardstown was named a titular see by the Vatican for its contributions to Catholic Church heritage in America. see History.

   Location: Flaget Hall, 110 North Fifth Street, Bardstown, KY

   Mailing:  P. O. Box 548 - Bardstown, KY 40004-0548

   Phone: (502) 348-3126; E-mail: [email protected]

o   St. Thomas Parish Bardstown, Nelson County, KY [est. 1812] 

     870 St. Thomas Lane - Bardstown, KY 40004;  Phone: (502) 348-3717  

o   St. Joseph Catholic Orphan Society History

2823 Frankfort Ave. - Louisville, KY 40206;  Phone:  (502) 893-0241

 

v Diocese of Covington  (Kentucky) [est. 1853, formed from a portion of the Diocese of Louisville, Kentucky]

§  Chancery:  P.O. Box 15550 Covington, KY 41015;  Phone: (859) 392-1500

§  The Diocese of Covington encompasses the northern Kentucky counties of Boone, Bracken, Campbell, Fleming, Gallatin, Grant, Harrison, Kenton, Lewis, Mason, Owen, Pendleton,  and Robertson.  (see map)

§  Diocese of Covington Archives

§  Catholic Cemeteries Office

§  History of the Covington Diocese, by James L. Gorey, from The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume IV, 1908, by Robert Appleton Company, Online Edition, 1999 by Kevin Knight.

§  Parish Directory for the Diocese of Covington

 

 

v Diocese of Lexington  (Kentucky) [est. 1988] with Parish Directory  Cursillo

§  Chancery:  1310 West Main Street - Lexington, KY  40508;  Phone: (859) 253-1993.

§  The Diocese of Lexington encompasses the eastern Kentucky counties of Bath, Bell, Bourbon, Boyd, Boyle, Carter, Clark, Clay, Elliott, Estill, Fayette, Floyd, Franklin, Garrard, Greenup, Harlan, Jackson, Jessamine, Johnson, Knott, Knox, Laurel, Lawrence, Lee, Letcher, Lincoln, Madison, Magoffin, Martin, McCreary, Menifee, Mercer, Montgomery, Morgan, Nicholas, Owsley, Perry, Pike, Powell, Pulaski, Rockcastle, Rowan, Scott, Wayne, Whitley, Wolfe and Woodford.

§  Parish Directory

o   Cathedral of Christ the King [est. 1945]

    299 Colony Blvd., Lexington 40502-2322.

o   Holy Family Parish [est. 1860] - (Ashland, Boyd County, TN)

   900 Winchester Avenue, Ashland 41101-7497; Phone: (606) 329-1607.

o   St. Gregory Parish [est. 1960] - (Barbourville, KY; near TN)

   329 N. Sycamore, Barbourville, KY 40906-1129;  Phone: (606) 546-4461.

o   Queen of All Saints Parish [est. 1965] - (Beattyville, Lee County, TN)

   90 Railroad Street, P.O. Box 563, Beattyville 41311-0563;  Phone: (606) 464-3357.

Missions: St. Therese, Heidelberg; Holy Family, Booneville; and Good Shepherd, Campton.

 

 

v Diocese of Owensboro  (Kentucky) [est. 1937;  western Kentucky]

§  Chancery:  600 Locust St. - Owensboro, KY  42301;  Phone:  (270) 683-1545.

§  Diocesan Archives (Historical and genealogical research)

§  History of the Diocese of Owensboro, KY.

§  2011 Diocesan Directory (.pdf)

§  Parish Directory for the Diocese of Owensboro

o   St. Stephen Cathedral – Owensboro, KY

610 Locust Street – Owensboro, KY  42301;  Phone: (270) 683-6525.

 

TENNESSEE DIOCESES

      The geographic area of Tennessee is within the ecclesiastical province of Louisville, Kentucky which includes the Diocese of Knoxville, Memphis and Nashville in Tennessee.

 

v Diocese of Knoxville  (Tennessee) [est. 19881]

§  Chancery:  805 Northshore Drive, SW - P.O. Box 11127 - Knoxville, TN 37919; (865) 584-3307 (Archives and Cemeteries)

§  Diocesan Archives

§  History of Tennessee, by Thos. J. Tyne, from The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume XIV, 1912, by Robert Appleton Company, Online Edition, 1999 by Kevin Knight.

§  East Tennessee Catholic News

§  Parish Directory – By City - area map

o   Sacred Heart Cathedral [est. 1952] – see parish history

711 Northshore Drive – Knoxville, TN  37919

o   Holy Ghost Parish - Information

   1041 North Central Avenue - Knoxville, TN 37917 + Phone: (423) 522-2205.

Ø St. Thomas the Apostle Byzantine Catholic Church – Knoxville, KY (Ukrainian Catholic Church; within the Eparchy of St. Josaphat, Parma, Ohio)

 

 

v Diocese of Memphis  (Tennessee) [est. 1970]

§  Chancery:  Catholic Center - P.O. Box 341669 - Memphis, TN  38184

§  "...The Catholic Diocese of Memphis in Tennessee, comprises the 21 counties of west Tennessee - Benton, Carroll, Chester, Crockett, Decatur, Dyer, Fayette, Gibson, Hardeman, Hardin, Haywood, Henderson, Henry, Lake, Lauderdale, McNairy, Madison, Obion, Shelby, Tipton, and Weakley..."  The city of Memphis is located in Shelby County, Tennessee.

§  History of Tennessee, by Thos. J. Tyne, from The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume XIV, 1912, by Robert Appleton Company, Online Edition, 1999 by Kevin Knight.

§  Diocesan Archives and History;  Phonr: (901) 373-1218.

§  Catholic Cemeteries

§  The West Tennessee Catholic Newspaper Online.

§  Diocese of Memphis Parish Directory

o   The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception [est. 1921]

   1695 Central Avenue - Memphis, TN;  Phone: (901)725-2700.

o   St. Andrew the Apostle Parish  (Lexington, Henderson County, TN) - Information

   895 N. Broad Street - Lexington, TN 38351; Phone: (901) 968-6393.

o   St. Mary Catholic Church (Bolivar, Hardeman County) - with brief History - Information

  223 Mecklinburg Drive - Bolivar, TN 38008-1736;  Phone: (901) 658-4627.

 

 

v Diocese of Nashville  (Tennessee) [est. 1837]

§  Chancery:  2400 - 21st Ave. S. - Nashville, TN  37212.

§  On June 24, 1883, Father Rademacher was consecrated Bishop of Nashville.  He remained the Bishop of Nashville until 1893, when he was transferred, by Pope Leo XIII, to the Diocese of Fort Wayne.  In his "History of the Diocese of Fort Wayne", Bishop Alerding reports: "...His Vicar General and intimate friend, Rev. P. J. Gleeson, in reply to an inquiry, writes:  "It gives me pleasure to do anything to honor the memory of Bishop Rademacher.  When he took charge the diocese of Nashville was still suffering from the effects of the yellow-fever in Memphis, where so many priests and religious had fallen victims to that dreaded scourge..."

§  History of the Nashville Diocese, by Jas. T. Lorigan, from The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume X, 1911, by Robert Appleton Company, Online Edition Copyright © 1999 by Kevin Knight

§  History of Tennessee, by Thos. J. Tyne, from The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume XIV, 1912, by Robert Appleton Company, Online Edition, 1999 by Kevin Knight.

§  Diocesan Parish Directory with map - or Alphabetical List of Parishes

§  Parish Directory for Nashville and Davidson County Parishes.

o   The Cathedral of the Incarnation:  2015 West End Avenue – Nashville, TN 37203;  Phone: (615) 327-2330.

o   Assumption Parish:  1227  7th Avenue North – Nashville, TN 37208;  (615) 256-2729.

o   Christ the King Parish

o   Holy Name Parish

o   Holy Rosary Parish

o   St. Ann Parish

o   St. Edward Parish: 188 Thompson Lane - Nashville, TN  37211.

o   St. Henry Parish

o   St. Ignatius of Antioch Parish [est. 1976]:  601 Bell Road - Antioch, TN 37013.

o   St. Joseph Church: 1225 Gallatin Road S. - Madison, TN 37115;  Phone: (615) 865-1071

o   St. Lawrence Church - Joelton

o   St. Mary Church

o   St. Mary Villa Parish Community

o   St. Patrick Church

o   St. Pius X Church

o   St. Vincent de Paul Church

§  Parish Directory for Parishes outside of Nashville – or Alphabetical List of Parishes

o   Alto - St. Margaret Mary Mission

o   Antioch - St. Ignatius of Antioch Church

o   Ashland City - St. Martha Church

o   Brentwood - Holy Family Church

o   Centerville - Christ the Redeemer Church

o   Celina - Divine Savior Mission

o   Clarksville - Immaculate Conception Church

o   Columbia - St. Catherine Church

o   Cookeville - St. Thomas Aquinas Church

o   Decherd - Good Shepherd

o   Dickson - St. Christopher Church

o   Dover - St. Francis of Assisi Church

o   Fayetteville - St. Anthony Church

o   Franklin - St. Matthew Church

o   Franklin - St. Phillip Church

o   Gallatin - St. John Vianney Church

o   Hendersonville - Our Lady of the Lake Parish

o   1729 Stop Thirty Road - Hendersonville, TN 37075

o   Mail to: P. O. Box 279 - Hendersonville, TN 37077-0279

o   Hohenwald - Holy Trinity Church

o   Joelton - St. Lawrence Church

o   Lafayette - Holy Family Church

o   Lawrenceburg - Sacred Heart Church

o   Lebanon - St. Frances Cabrini Church

o   Lewisburg - St. John the Evangelist Church

o   Loretto - Sacred Heart Church

o   Madison - St. Joseph Church

o   McEwen - St. Patrick Church

o   McMinnville - St. Catherine Church

o   Murfreesboro - St. Rose of Lima Church

o   Old Hickory - St. Stephen Parish:

o   14544 Lebanon Road - Old Hickory, TN 37138  Phone: (615) 758-2424.

o   Pulaski - Immaculate Conception Church

o   Shelbyville - St. William Church

o   Smithville - St. Gregory Church

o   Smyrna - St. Luke Church

o   Sparta - St. Andrew Church

o   Springfield - Our Lady of Lourdes Church

o   St. Joseph - St. Joseph Church

o   Tennessee Ridge - St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church

o   Tullahoma - St. Paul the Apostle Church

o   Waynesboro - St. Cecilia Church

For Byzantine Catholic Churches

v The Apostolic Exarchate Armenian-Rite for the U.S. & Canada  in New York  (Venerable Exarch.: Hovhannes Terzakian, 1995)

§  Address: 110 East, 12th Street - New York, NY 10003 U.S.A.  Ph: (212) 477-2030

v Eparchy of Our Lady of Deliverance of Newark of the Syrians: Syriac Catholic Diocese for Syrians in the U. S. and Canada (Chorbishop Joseph Younan appointed as the first Bishop of this diocese in 1995)

§  P.O. Box 8366 - Union City, NJ 07087-8262

v Archeparchy of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (Byzantine)

§  Address: 66 Riverview Ave. - Pittsburgh, PA  15214

v The Archeparchy of Philadelphia (Byzantine)

§  The Byzantine Catholic Church in America (unofficial)

For more information on the Byzantine Catholic Churches in the United States Click here to return to Main Local Catholic Byzantine Links

 

Additional Catholic HISTORY Resources and TIMELINE:

Kentucky and Tennessee

Catholic History in Kentucky, by Frank M. Tracy, from The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume VIII, 1910, by Robert Appleton Company, Online Edition, 1999 by Kevin Knight.

History of Tennessee, by Thos. J. Tyne, from The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume XIV, 1912, by Robert Appleton Company, Online Edition, 1999 by Kevin Knight.

St. Martin of Tours Catholic Church - 639 South Shelby Street, Louisville, KY 40202.   (Established in 1853, this site includes a History from Louisville's first German Catholic Church of St. Boniface established in 1836.)

1792:  Three French priests, Revs., Flaget, Levadoux, and Richard, met in Louisville, Kentucky, and probably said Mass there for the first time in 1792.

1808 Apr 8:  The Diocese of Bardstown, Kentucky was established.  It originally encompassed the entire states of Kentucky and Tennessee.  Bishop Benedict Joseph Flaget was the first bishop.   (see Descendants of the Diocese of Bardstown)

1837 Jul 28:  The Diocese of Nashville, Tennessee was formed.

1841 Feb 13:  The see of the Diocese of Bardstown was removed to Louisville, Kentucky.

1853 July 29:  The Diocese of Covington, Kentucky was formed, 29 July 1853, from a portion of the Diocese of Louisville, Kentucky.

1937 Dec 9:  The Diocese of Owensboro, Kentucky was formed.

1971 Jan 1:  The Diocese of Memphis, Tennessee was formed.

1988 Mar 2:  The Diocese of Lexington, Kentucky was formed.

1988 Sep 8:  The Diocese of Knoxville, Tennessee was formed.

 

 

CATHOLIC BIOGRAPHIES

If you know of a web site for a biography of a Catholic with a Kentucky or Tennessee connection, please let me know.

          On June 24, 1883, Father Rademacher (1840-1900) was consecrated Bishop of Nashville.  He remained the Bishop of Nashville until 1893, when he was transferred, by Pope Leo XIII, to the Diocese of Fort Wayne.  In his "History of the Diocese of Fort Wayne", Bishop Alerding reports: "...His Vicar General and intimate friend, Rev. P. J. Gleeson, in reply to an inquiry, writes:  "It gives me pleasure to do anything to honor the memory of Bishop Rademacher.  When he took charge the diocese of Nashville was still suffering from the effects of the yellow-fever in Memphis, where so many priests and religious had fallen victims to that dreaded scourge..."

          The Abbey of Gethsemani, in Trappist, Kentucky, contains a brief biography of Thomas Merton born in Padres, France, in 1915, he entered the Abbey of Gethsemani in 1941.

          Thomas Merton (1915-1968) from Saint Joseph's College Wellehan Library (in Maine).

 

LOCAL HISTORY and GENEALOGY LINKS for KENTUCKY and TENNESSEE RESEARCH

KENTUCKY – GENEALOGY AND HISTORY RESOURCES

(The links below are not necessarily Catholic; rather, they are primarily civil and genealogical links.)

§  State of Kentucky (Official)

§  Kentucky Maps

§  Cabinet for Health Services - Office of Vital Statistics

                            275 East Main Street

                            Frankfort, KY 40621

                            Phone: (502) 564-4212

§  Birth Certificates

§  Death Certificates

§  U. of K.: Kentucky Vital Records Index: 

o   includes Kentucky Death Index, 1911-1989 and 1987-1992

o   includes Kentucky Marriage Index, 1973-1993 and Divorce Index, 1973-1993

§  Marriage and Divorce Records

§  Kentucky Genealogy Records prior to 1911

§  Kentucky Historical Society:  100 West Broadway, Frankfort, KY 40601;  Phone: (502) 564-1792.

§  Kentucky Land Office / Kentucky Secretary of State – Land Records Database

§  Kentucky Atlas and Gazetteer - from the University of Kentucky, Lexington

§  Kentucky Department for Libraries & Archives

 

TENNESSEE GENEALOGY AND HISTORY RESOURCES:

The links below are not necessarily Catholic; rather, they are primarily civil and genealogical links.)

§  State of Tennessee (Official)

§  Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County, TN

§  Circuit Court Clerk:  506 Metro Courthouse - Nashville, TN 37201;  Phone: (615) 862-5181.

§  Metropolitan Archives of Davidson County:  1113 Elm Hill Pike - Nashville, TN 37210-3505;  Phone: (615) 862-5880

§  The Friends of Archives- The Friends of the Public Library of Nashville and Davidson County with

§  Tennessee Department of Health

o   Vital Records

§  Tennessee State Archives & Library

o   Vital Records Death Index, 1914-1932

o   History and Genealogy Resources

§  Shelby County (Memphis), Tennessee

§  Memphis, Shelby County Public Library

§  Tennessee Genealogy - TNGenWeb

§  Goodspeed's History of Tennessee, County Histories.  Nashville: The Goodspeed Publishing Co.  1887. brought to you online by TNGenWeb

§  History of the Catholic Church in Tennessee, From History of Tennessee From the Earliest Time to The Present, Goodspeed Publishing Co., Nashville, TN, 1887.  Retyped for the page by Diane Payne & Danene Vincent, 1998.

§  East Tennessee Historical Society:  601 S. Gay Street (PO Box 1629) Knoxville, TN 37901; Phone: (865) 215-8824.

 

About this site?

Explanation and disclaimer:  Though the beliefs and practices of individual members of the Catholic Church may differ from the official teachings of the Catholic Church, I have tried to gather information and links that appear to follow the official teachings of the Roman See.  I cannot, however, control the content of others' web sites, and I myself can err.  Please inform me of errors on my site, and of any links which may become inappropriate to family viewing. 

I am creating this site as a helpful guide to researching the history of the local Catholic Churches and Catholic ancestors in this geographic area.  This is not an official Catholic Church page.

Though links to this page are encouraged, please do not download the page without requesting permission since it contains copyright protected material.

If you find an error, have a suggestion, or a site that you believe will be helpful, please let me know.

--Ann Mensch, Professional Historical Genealogist

E-mail:  [email protected]

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URL: http://freepages.history.rootsweb.com/~localcatholic/Index.htm

Appreciation
With appreciation and love, I would like to thank my family and friends for their love, assistance, patience and guidance.  

Copyright 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004-2011, by Ann Mensch.

 

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Copyright 1998, 1999-2011, by Ann Mensch.  All Rights Reserved. 

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References used include:

11990 Catholic Almanac.  Felician A. Foy, O.F. M. (Editor), Rose M. Avato (Associate Editor).  Huntington: Our Sunday Visitory Publishing Division, Our Sunday Visitor, Inc.

 

2New Advent, Inc.  From the Catholic Encyclopedia, copyright © 1913 by the Encyclopedia Press, Inc. Electronic version copyright © 1997 by New Advent, Inc.  (A Catholic Web Site transcribing The Catholic Encyclopedia: an International Work of Reference on the Constitution, Doctrine, Discipline and History of the Catholic Church.  Herbermann, Pace, et al. (Editors). Imprint:  Appleton (New York) 1907-1912.) Information learned from the web sites for the Archdioceses, Dioceses, and Catholic Church.

List:

  Archdiocese of Louisville  (Kentucky)

   Diocese of Covington  (Kentucky)

   Diocese of Lexington  (Kentucky)

   Diocese of Owensboro  (Kentucky)

   Diocese of Knoxville  (Tennessee)

   Diocese of Memphis  (Tennessee)

   Diocese of Nashville  (Tennessee)