Digitized Content from the First Italian Presbyterian Church, Chicago, Ill. Records | Illinois History and Lincoln Collections

The digitized content of the First Italian Presbyterian Church, Chicago, Ill. Records, 1891-1940 consists of the Minutes of the First Italian Presbyterian Church of Chicago, Ill., 1891-1926, as well as the Church Register for those years, listing pastors, elders, deacons, communicants, baptisms, marriages, and deaths. In addition, the collection includes the Minutes of the Session of the Samaritan (later Waldensian) Presbyterian Church, a splinter group of the First Italian Presbyterian Church, 1923-40.

The First Italian Presbyterian Church in Chicago was the earliest Presbyterian Church in Chicago, and it is considered the first church organized in Chicago, Illinois. Founded in June 1833, it is the oldest continuously operating institution in Chicago and predates the founding of Chicago as a town by two months.

The digitized content contains organizational records of the Church’s members, meetings, and functions. The content provides information on subjects including Cook County, Italian Americans, Presbyterianism, and religious communities in Illinois.

The First Italian Presbyterian Church, Chicago, Ill. Records were completely digitized in 2022. Items are available online at the University of Illinois Digital Library. A preservation copy of the items is available to IHLC and digital preservation staff at the Library Digital Repository: https://medusa.library.illinois.edu/collections/2216.