Sts Peter and Paul Catholic Church is located at 717 State Street. You really can't miss it as it is situated practically on the street itself. There is only the sidewalk which separates the street and from the front door of the church and the rectory which is either directly next to or connected to the church on the south side. The school and school playground is on the north side of the church. Belle Street just happens to be a couple of blocks east of State Street.
You didn't mention anything about the burial location. There was at one time a church cemetery but some graves were relocated to St Patrick's Cemetery while others may have been left only to become the back yard of the church or now under some building or parking lot or playground on the church property. Then there was also another Catholic cemetery but there is some confusion as to who was buried there and if any of the stones are still around. Last I heard in the 1980's that only a few stones were still in existence and were in the wooded area behind some houses in North Alton near the Confederate Cemetery and were resting against a tree or two.
I think for the most part those that attended the Old Cathedral use St Joseph's Cemetery. At least my family who attended this church did. This cemetery is located very near St Anthony's Hospital. Here's the directions from the Old Cathedral (simplest way and avoiding the casino traffic):
Go north of the Old Cathedral passing up 7th Street. Go one more block to Dry Street and go down this one block hill (less steep and no problems). At the bottom will be 9th Street. Turn right and follow it for about 1-1/2 blocks when it will curve to the left and then there will a stop sign at the intersection (Belle Street). Go straight one more block to the next stop sign and turn left onto MLKing Drive. This is a fairly new road and is a 4-lane (sometimes divided) highway/road. Follow it until you get to the stoplight directing you to St Anthony's Hospital. At this stoplight you'll turn right onto College Avenue. Go up the hill to what is referred to as State Courthouse Circle. You have no choice but to turn right onto the circle drive which has three other outlets in addition to the one you will be leaving. Be careful as the circle drivers do not have to stop or yield to anyone. Get onto the circle and go almost the entire length of the circle to get to the outlet which goes in front of the Hospital. The 1st outlet will be Central Avenue, the 2nd a continuation of College Avenue and then the 3rd will be Central Avenue again. Be careful at this point as you want to turn right onto the first street on your right off Central Avenue - it's called Wallace. Go down a very short distance and you'll see the cemetery on your left (cyclone fence around it's perimeter).
However there is also St Patrick's Cemetery (aka Greenwood Cemetery) in Godfrey which some may use. Here's the directions from the Old Cathedral:
Follow State Street north until you come to a 3-way stop - 9th Street will be on your right and State Street will continue by making a left turn. Along the way you'll pass West Middle School on your right. At one point you may be required to stop because State Street will meet Belle Street. Belle Street ends when it meets State Street and I believe the southbound State Street and northbound Belle Street Traffic have the right-of-way. You want to continue on State Street. About a block north of the State Street and Belle Street point there is either a stop sign or stop light (Elm Street runs east from State Street here). Continue to go north to the stoplight that will have a Quik Trip on the corner across the street from you. You will want to turn left at this stoplight (Homer Adams Parkway on right). Go down about 1/2 mile or so and St Ambrose Catholic Church will be on your right. Just on the other side of this church is St Patrick's Cemetery. You can enter through the stone/brick columns next to the office (which may or may not have anyone there) or the street a few car lengths further.
One fair warning - The street next to the Old Cathedral school's playground is 7th Street. Unless you have the guts to drive on this street, I suggest you avoid it. It is nothing but a hill which feels like you are going straight down as if you made a 90-degree drop. Your brakes need to be in great shape and will need to be used the entire length of the block (one that is). At the bottom of the hill is Belle Street, so I'm sure your husband's ancestor was very knowledgeable about this street and probably avoided walking it himself. And yes, there are some houses on it, but I don't even try to think about the wintry conditions for them. (Now you know why I took you down Dry Street in my directions to get to St Joseph's Cemetery.)
In all fairness, I didn't give you directions to include travelling Belle Street. Unless times have changed, it's not a good part of the town. Unless someone from the area is with you and knows their way, I would not travel it whatsoever. But you and your husband can discuss your desire to be daredevils.
I hope that all of this made sense. You might want to go to the following website:
www.mapquest.comEnter "Dry and State" into the intersection box and zip code 62002. You'll be able to navigate the map to follow the directions I gave you above.
Debbi