religion

Religion and Morality

The 18th Century

Colonial

Letter of Father Sebastien Louis Meurin to Monseigneur Briand, Bishop of Quebec, 1768

  • This letter was sent from Kaskaskia to inform the bishop of the state of the mission in that area and to beg a replacement for Father Sebastien, as he was growing older and was no longer capable of handling his duties, especially under the new jurisdiction of the British. 
  • Citation:Gold Thwaites, The Jesuit Relations and Allied Documents: Travels and Explorations of Jesuit Missionaries in New France, 1610-1791. R. ed. Cleveland, OH: The Burrows Co., 1901. Vol 71. 33-45.

The 19th Century

Pre-Statehood

Law Concerning Fornication and Adultery, 1809

  • This law requires judges to bring couples engaged in fornication and adultery to trial. It also establishes fines for this offense.
  • Citation: Philbrick, Francis S. The Laws of Illinois Territory 1809-1818. Springfield: Illinois State Historical Library, 1950. Used by permission of the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency.

Early Statehood

Excerpt of a letter to Reverend Asa Cummings from Rev. Elijah Lovejoy, 9 February 1837

  • Reverend Elijah Lovejoy established an abolitionist press in Alton, Illinois in 1836, much to the dismay of residents. In this letter excerpt, he answers the question "What is slavery?"
  • Citation: Lovejoy, Joseph C. and Owen Lovejoy. Memoir of the Rev. Elijah Lovejoy, 1838. Reprint, Freeport: Books for Libraries Press, 1970.

"The Right Remedy" by Rev. Elijah Lovejoy, 16 March 1837

  • Reverend Elijah P. Lovejoy agrees that the Gospel is the remedy for slavery, but asserts that it must be actively applied to be effective.
  • Citation: Lovejoy, Joseph C. and Owen Lovejoy. Memoir of the Rev. Elijah Lovejoy, 1838. Reprint, Freeport: Books for Libraries Press, 1970.

Minutes of an Anti-Abolition Meeting in Alton, Illinois, 11 July 1837

  • The town of Alton resolves that Reverend Elijah P. Lovejoy is an unwelcome presence, requests he cease promoting abolition, and declares its disapproval of the Abolitionist movement.
  • Citation: Lovejoy, Joseph C. and Owen Lovejoy. Memoir of the Rev. Elijah Lovejoy, 1838. Reprint, Freeport: Books for Libraries Press, 1970.

Excerpt of a letter to Brother Leavitt from Rev. Elijah Lovejoy, 3 October 1837

  • Reverend Elijah P. Lovejoy describes the danger he and his associates face in Alton, Illinois as a result of operating an Abolitionist press.
  • Citation: Lovejoy, Joseph C. and Owen Lovejoy. Memoir of the Rev. Elijah Lovejoy, 1838. Reprint, Freeport: Books for Libraries Press, 1970.

Writ for the Apprehension of Rodney Messer & James P. Judkins, 7 January 1858 / Typed Transcription

  • This document asks the sheriff of Shelby County to arrest Rodney Messer and James V. Judkins on charges of keeping their "tippling house," or saloon, open on a Sunday. The reverse of this document shows how the sheriff took notes on these men's captures and bail postings. This document is cross-listed on the Crime and Punishment page.
  • Citation: I/B/Box 5 Shelby County Circuit Court People v. Messer and Judkins. IRAD in Booth Library at Eastern Illinois University.

Account of Reverend Elijah Lovejoy's Murder, 1881

  • Henry Tanner was an eye-witness to the events of 7 November 1837 that resulted in Reverend Elijah P. Lovejoy's death. He was a proponent of Lovejoy and wrote this account to honor Lovejoy's memory. Here Tanner recounts the confrontation between Lovejoy and the mob.
  • Citation: Tanner, Henry. The Martyrdom of Lovejoy: An Account of the Life, Trials, & Perils of Rev. Elijah P. Lovejoy. Chicago: Fergus Printing Company, 1881. Reprint, New York: Augustus M. Kelley, 1971.

The Civil War

Whiskey Complaint, Christian County, 1865 / Typed Transcription

  • To obtain a license to do business, tavern owners had to post a bond and agree to abide by the laws of the state. If proprietors allowed disorderly conduct or sold alcoholic beverages to servants or minors, they could be fined or lose their license. Reverend James A. Gunn registered this complaint against the tavern in his town of Blueville. This complaint came on the heels of widespread agitation for prohibition during the 1850s.
  • Citation: Turnbaugh, Dr. Roy C. Jr. and Robert E. Bailey. Windows to the Past: A Selection of Illinois County Records from 1818 to 1880. Springfield: Illinois State Archives, 1985. Used by permission of the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency.

The Late 19th Century

Law Concerning Licenses for Intoxicating Liquor and Prohibiting Prostitution, 1874

    These acts passed in March of 1874 regulated the issuing of liquor licenses in Illinois and prohibited the licensing of prostitution.
  • Citation: Gross, William L., ed. The Statutes of Illinois: An Analytical Compilation of All the General Laws of the State in Force at the Present Time, Volume III: Acts of 1873-4. Riverside: H. O. Houghton & Company, 1874.

A section of Ann-Eliza Young's Autobiography, the estranged wife of Brigham Young, 1875

  •  In this portion of her autobiography, Ann-Eliza talks about the Mormon faith in general and about the Mormon settlement and expulsion from Illinois at Nauvoo.
  • Citation: Young, Ann-Eliza. Wife No. 19: The Story of A Life in Bondage, Being a Complete Expose of Mormonism, and Revealing the Sorrows, Sacrifices and Sufferings of Women in Polygamy. Salem, NH: Ayer Company Publishers, 1875.

The 20th Century

The Early 20th Century

Excerpt, The Challenge of the City by Josiah Strong, 1907

  • Josiah Strong (1847-1916) was one of America's leading religious and social voices during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Strong was born into an Illinois family with deep colonial roots, although he left the state at an early age. Strong was a clergyman who proposed revolutionary religion-oriented solutions to perceived inequities in America's social and economic network, and adhered to a brand of Christianity that came to be known as Christian Socialism. In this excerpt, Strong argues that the social message of Jesus is the solution to America's problems. He describes a new Social Spirit based on Christ's laws of service, sacrifice, and love.
  • Citation: Strong, Josiah. The Challenge of the City. New York: Eaton & Mains, 1907.

World War II

Communication from Rev. J. Mueller Concerning Lutheran Services in the German Language, 26 September 1942

  • Citation: Bailey, Robert E. and Elaine Shemoney Evans. Illinois at War, 1941-1945. Springfield: Illinois State Archives, 1994. Used by permission of the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency.

Resolution of the Polish Roman Catholic Union of America Concerning the Partition of Their Homeland, 25 January 1944

  • Citation: Bailey, Robert E. and Elaine Shemoney Evans. Illinois at War, 1941-1945. Springfield: Illinois State Archives, 1994. Used by permission of the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency.