Archives

The Archives is the repository for all available records pertaining to the Archdiocese of Dubuque. The collections include documents and letters that belonged to former bishops, beginning with Bishop Loras (1839-1858). The Archives’ collections are open for scholarly research.

Some of the items found in our collection include:

• Administrative records of various Archdiocese offices
• Blueprints/Architectural renderings of churches and schools
• Parish histories
• St. Bernard Seminary Records
• Photos of churches, schools, colleges, rectories, convents, priests, institutions, Archiepiscopal residences
• Various liturgical artifacts
• Information on historical properties once owned by the Archdiocese
• Information on the Bishops and Archbishops of the archdiocese
• Original Bishop Loras letters
• Parish information
• Priest information
• Click here for a basic finding aid/overview of the collection 

Sacramental records (of interest to genealogists & family historians):

The Archives office maintains a limited collection of sacramental records.
Click here for a list of sacramental records located in the archdiocesan archives. Please note, most sacramental records in the Archdiocese remain at the parish.

Click here regarding the location of sacramental records of closed parishes. 

Click here for contact information on active parishes within the Archdiocese.

Information request process:
Please complete the following form:  Archives Request Form

Email: archives@dbqarch.org
or
Send a letter to:

Archives
Archdiocese of Dubuque
1229 Mt. Loretta Avenue
Dubuque, IA 52003

Requests will be answered in the order received. We appreciate your patience.

Resources that may be helpful for genealogists:
The Iowa Genealogical Society webpage (www.iagenweb.org) has numerous resources for genealogists.  Additionally, iowagravestones.org allows users to search for deceased relatives by name or browse by location. Finally, most counties in the state have their own genealogical societies, which can be of great assistance in tracking down hard to find records. The Archdiocese of Dubuque includes the following counties: Allamakee, Benton, Black Hawk, Bremer, Buchanan, Butler, Cerro Gordo, Chickasaw, Clayton, Delaware, Dubuque, Fayette, Floyd, Franklin, Grundy, Hamilton, Hancock, Hardin, Howard, Jackson, Jones, Linn, Marshall, Mitchell, Story, Tama, Winnebago, Winneshiek, Worth, Wright

We do not have:

• Information regarding sisters (women religious)
• School records
• Orphanage records
• Catholic institution records (hospitals, homes for the aged, etc.)
• Most sacramental records
• Records of the Sioux City, Davenport, or Des Moines dioceses that once comprised the Dubuque diocese. Click here for contact information on other diocesan archives in Iowa.

General Rules:

• Sacramental records of the Archdiocese of Dubuque are NOT open to the public.
• Genealogists must establish a family connection in order to be granted conditional access to sacramental records
• No photocopies of records may be made.