Marriage Certificate from St. Boniface

Date: 1910

 

Description: This is the marriage certificate that once belonged to Casimir Von Hatten and Johanna Krevymborg, both German immigrants to Sioux City. They were married at St. Boniface Catholic Church in 1910. The vast majority of Sioux City’s population come from Northern European stock, including Germans, which is a common trend for most of the Midwest. However, Catholics did not have a significant presence here until later in Sioux City’s history, and most of the early population was Protestant. Catholic Masses were read here by missionaries as early as 1850 but the first Catholic Church was not built until 1862. It was known by several names but eventually was called St. Mary’s, and it stood in a rather unassuming building on West 7th and Perry Streets. A newer, brick building for the church was built on the site in the 1870s. The original church house was moved to a different location and is today the house at 314 West Street. When Sioux City became the head of a diocese in 1902, St. Mary’s was changed to the Cathedral of the Epiphany, which is the name it retains today.

 

St. Boniface was the second Catholic parish in Sioux City, organized in December 1885 by a group of German Catholics. In 1887 the first Mass was held at the church and in the same year the church opened a school. The original building was located at 416 Main Street, and improvements to the building took place through the end of the 19th century. In 1910, when this certificate was drafted, St. Boniface was the Catholic parish for all German-speaking residents of Sioux City. The Sacred Heart Friars served the parish and plans were made to form a new building. The new building was erected in 1911 and today still stands on the Westside, with its characteristic tall tower and steeple standing proudly on the skyline. The major Catholic schools were all consolidated in the 1980s into the Holy Family School. This school was eventually discontinued, and today the major Sioux City Catholic Schools are Mater Dei, Holy Cross, and Sacred Heart for elementary and middle schools, and Bishop Heelan High School. Briar Cliff is the local Catholic affiliated college.

 

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On display