This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Classification: Query Message Board URL: http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/msg/rw/3EC.2ACE/639.2 Message Board Post: As Joe Chase's reply points out, I do not know if Stephanie is asking about St. John's Lutheran or St. John the Baptist Cartholic Church, both of which are in Montello. On the assumption that it might be St. John the Baptist Catholic, I'll reply with what little I know about its records. I'm sure there are others who have more, and more up-to-date, information, and I encourage them to reply too. There are probably others who would be interested in knowing about this too. First, I have a copy of a history of this congregation, published in 1926, which was the parish's 75th anniversary year. It says nothing about the church's records of births, deaths, marriages, or first communions. It does say the parish's first resident priest came in 1862, so it is unlikely there are records earlier than that. Prior to that, Catholic settlors were served by priests who visited Montello from nearby parishes. The book says the first Catholic settlers in Montello were Antonius Quantius and his wife and two children. Second, I visited the church and used its records for family history research in about 1974. I cannot easily find my notes from the records, but I remember for sure that they went back at least as far as 1870 for deaths. The records were then kept in a metal cabinet in a building located behind the church. They were in one or more large register books of the type used by most churches to record births, marriages, etc. It is possible that these records have since been transferred to a diocesan archives office. I'm sure the best first step is to call the church and ask. I hope that others who have more knowledge than I do will reply.