Early Catholic Church Records in the Northwest

In 1834 and in 1835, retired French Canadian fur trappers from the Hudson Bay Company at Fort Vancouver sent letters to the Bishop Provencher at Red River, Quebec and asked him to send priests to the Oregon Territory. In 1838, the Bishop sent the Fathers Francis Norbert Blanchet and Modeste Demers to the Oregon Territory.

Fathers Blanchet and Demers first established a mission at St. Paul, north of Salem, on what is called French Prairie. Then they traveled throughout the Pacific Northwest, establishing missions and churches.

Harriet Duncan Munnick read the original church registers for the earliest Catholic churches and extracted the records in a series of seven books. Each book is completely indexed (person named in the record, parents, witnesses). These books are a "must-have" for anyone who has early Oregon Catholic ancestors. Not only do you get an accurate transcription of a church record that was created at the time of the event, you get a book with information on the entire community. You can see who your ancestors saw on a daily basis.

The books can be purchased from the St. Paul Mission Historical Society. A link to their website is below.

• Munnick, Harriet Duncan. Catholic Church Records of the Pacific Northwest; Vancouver, Volumes I & II (1838–1856) and Stellamaris Mission (1848–1860). St. Paul, OR: French Prairie Press, 1972. [This book contains the earliest Catholic Church records.] Click here to learn more about this book.

• Munnick, Harriet Duncan. Catholic Church Records of the Pacific Northwest; St. Paul, Oregon, 1839–1898. Portland, OR: Binford & Mort, 1979. [For people with French Canadian ancestors who lived on French Prairie.] Click here to learn more about this book.

• Munnick, Harriet Duncan. Catholic Church Records of the Pacific Northwest; St. Louis Register (1845–1890), Brooks Register (1893–1909). Portland, OR: Binford & Mort, 1982. Click here to learn more about this book.

• Munnick, Harriet Duncan. Catholic Church Records of the Pacific Northwest; Oregon City Register (1842–1890), Salem Register (1864–1885), Jacksonville Register (1854–1885). Portland, OR: Binford & Mort, 1984. Click here to learn more about this book.

• Munnick, Harriet Duncan. Catholic Church Records of the Pacific Northwest; Roseburg Register & Missions (1853–1911), Portland Register (1852–1871). Portland, OR: Binford & Mort, 1986. Click here to learn more about this book.

• Munnick, Harriet Duncan. Catholic Church Records of the Pacific Northwest; Grand Ronde Register (1860–1898). Portland, OR: Binford & Mort, 1987. [For people with Western Oregon Indian ancestors, this is the book to buy.] Click here to learn more about this book.

• Munnick, Harriet Duncan. Catholic Church Records of the Pacific Northwest; Missions of St. Ann & St. Rose (1847–1888), Walla Walla and Frenchtown (1859–1872), and Frenchtown (1872–1888). Portland, OR: Binford & Mort, 1989. [For people with Eastern Washington Indian ancestors, this is the book to buy.] Click here to learn more about this book.