St. Louis Church in Fond du Lac was the first Catholic Church in the community. Organized in 1847, the first building was erected at the corner of Second and Marr Streets (present site of St. Joseph Church). In 1862 the Society of St. Louis was organized to plan an 'all-French' parish. In 1869 the cornerstone for the new church was laid at Follett and Macy, and the first Mass was held in the basement in 1870. Because the French parishioners desired to take the name of St. Louis, the remaining congregation chose the name of St. Joseph. (The History of Fond du Lac County, As told by its Place-names by Ruth Shaw Worthing, 1976) you can find a listing of the churches in the county, at http://www.rootsweb.com/~wifonddu/resources/church/chindex.htm The Archdiocese of Milwaukee allowed filming of all church records, which includes all Catholic churches, so your best source of Catholic records in Fond du Lac is now as close as your local Mormon library. Tracy