Many churches keep records of baptisms, christenings, confirmations, marriages, burials, memberships, admissions, and removals. Some keep minutes of church meetings and the histories of their local churches. Each church has its own policies on record keeping.

Church records are very important for family research because civil authorities in most states did not begin registering vital statistics until after 1900. They are excellent sources—and sometimes the only sources—of names, dates, and places of births, marriages, and deaths. The records of some denominations, such as the Lutherans, are valuable for identifying the town or parish an immigrant came from.

History of American Churches

The United States is a country of religious diversity. Unlike many other countries, there has been no “state church,” except for a few periods in some of the early colonies. To know and understand your ancestors, you will want to learn about their religious faith. To locate records kept by their church, you may need to learn the history of the denomination.

The first major group of Roman Catholics to live in what is now the United States started a colony in Florida in 1565. Beginning in 1598 Roman Catholics also began to settle areas that are now states along the Mexican border. Other Roman Catholics from England settled in colonial Maryland before 1649. Louisiana was settled by Spanish and French-Canadian Catholics in the 1700s. By 1850 the Catholic Church had the largest church membership in the United States. Much of this growth was due to immigration of Catholics from Ireland and other countries. In the late nineteenth century, millions of Roman Catholic immigrants came from southern and eastern Europe. In addition, most Hispanic immigrants also belonged to the Catholic Church. The largest Catholic groups settled in major cities.

In 1660 approximately 75 percent of the total population of the thirteen British colonies was either Anglican or Congregationalist. The Anglican Church (the Church of England, also known as Protestant Episcopal or Episcopal) was well-established in Virginia and a few other English colonies.

The Puritans who established the Massachusetts Bay Colony and the Separatists of Plymouth Colony were the first of many groups known as Congregationalists. Several of these congregations later united to become either the Disciples of Christ, the Christian Church, or the United Church of Christ.

Seventeenth and eighteenth century immigrants from Scotland and Northern Ireland brought Presbyterianism to Pennsylvania and later to many of the middle and southern colonies. By the mid-eighteenth century, Presbyterianism had nearly as many members as the Anglican and Congregationalist churches.

Members of the Society of Friends (often referred to as Quakers) began immigrating from England, Wales, and Germany in the late 1600s. A large group of Quakers settled near Philadelphia. By 1700 the Society gained considerable influence in most of the New England and middle-Atlantic colonies. Quaker migration to the southern colonies, especially North Carolina, continued until the Revolutionary War when the strength of the Society began to decline. Many Quakers left the southern states and migrated primarily to Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and Canada.

Several groups of the Evangelical, German Reformed, and German Lutheran faiths settled in Pennsylvania in the 1700s. At the same time, several small groups of German Pietists, such as the Mennonites, Dunkards, Brethren, and Amish also arrived in Pennsylvania. Groups of Dutch Reformed from Holland became well-established in New York and New Jersey in the mid 1600s.

The nineteenth century was a period of church growth, diversity, and division. Millions of new immigrants reshaped American religious life. For example, large numbers of German and Scandinavian (particularly Swedish) immigrants established many Lutheran congregations, especially in the upper midwest states.

The Baptist religion, established in colonial Rhode Island, became the largest Protestant denomination in the United States by the early 1800s, when many Baptist churches were organized throughout the middle-Atlantic and southern states. The Baptists again became the largest Protestant denomination after 1920.

By 1850 approximately one-third of all American Protestants were Methodists. From about 1820 to 1920 Methodism was the largest Protestant denomination.

Many Jewish immigrants have also been attracted to America's largest cities. The ancestors of most American Jewish families arrived in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. These included many immigrants from eastern Europe, particularly Austria and Russia.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (also known as the Mormon Church) was organized in New York in 1830. Latter-day Saint communities were established in Kirtland, Ohio, central western Missouri, and Nauvoo, Illinois, before the main group of the Church migrated to the Intermountain West. By 1900, there were LDS settlements in Utah, Nevada, Arizona, Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, California, Mexico, and Alberta, Canada. The LDS Records Research Outline (34080) gives more information about records of The church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

For a history of religions in the United States see:

Ahlstrom, Sydney E. A Religious History of the American People. New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press, 1972. (FHL book 973 K2ah; computer number 270727.)

Finding Church Records

Many original church records are still at the local church. Others have been gathered into a church or state archives or deposited with a local historical society. To locate them, you must first identify your ancestor's denomination.

If you know the denomination:

• Look for their records in the Locality Search of the Family History Library Catalog under [STATE], [COUNTY], [TOWN] - CHURCH RECORDS.
  
• Write directly to the minister of the local church. The addresses are usually in city or telephone directories. Some denominations, such as the Roman Catholics and Lutherans, also publish directories. Addresses are also listed in Melton's National Directory . . . cited in “Guides to Church Records” below.
  
• Write to the historical society or church archives that may have the records.
  
• Write to the church headquarters to ask where the records of the specific congregation are located.
  

If you do not know the denomination of your ancestors:

• Search marriage records, obituaries, family and local histories, cemeteries, and family Bibles for clues.
  
• Check local histories and city directories to determine which churches were in the area or neighborhood at the same time as your ancestors.
  
• Write to a local library or historical society for information on churches in the area. Regardless of your family's past or present denomination, look for family information in the records of other churches in the area.
  

The following is a partial list of some of the major denominational archives and sources that can provide more information.

Baptist

American Baptist - Samuel Colgate Historical Library
1106 South Goodman Street
Rochester, NY 14620-2532
Telephone: 716-473-1740

Southern Baptist Historical Library and Archive
901 Commerce Street, Suite 400
Nashville, TN 37203-3630
Telephone: 615-244-0344

Congregational

Congregational Library
14 Beacon Street
Boston, MA 02108
Telephone: 617-523-0470
Fax: 617-523-0470

Jewish

American Jewish Archives
3101 Clifton Avenue
Cincinnati, OH 45220
Telephone: 513-221-1875
Fax: 513-221-7812

American Jewish Historical Society Library
2 Thornton Road
Waltham, MA 02154
Telephone: 617-891-8110
Fax: 617-899-9208

Latter-day Saints (Mormons)

Family History Library
35 N. West Temple Street
Salt Lake City, UT 84150-3400
Telephone: 801-240-2364
Fax: 801-240-1584

Other archives and libraries also have records. For information about records of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints see the LDS Records Research Outline (34080).

Lutheran

Concordia Historical Institute
The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod
801 De Mun Avenue
St. Louis, MO 63105
Telephone: 314-505-7900
Fax: 314-505-7901

Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (ELCA Archives)
8765 West Higgins Road
Chicago, IL 60631-4198
Telephone: 773-380-2818

If a local church is still active, it will be able to help find their records. The records of disbanded U.S. churches are at the ELCA Archives in Chicago. The archives has records of many congregations; those on microfilm can be borrowed for a small fee. Partial lists of church records in its collection are:

ALC (American Lutheran Church) Archives. ALC Congregations on Microfilm. Dubuque, Iowa: The Archives, [197-?]. (FHL fiche 6330690-93; computer number 170040.) Arranged by state and city of congregation. The ALC Archives are now part of the ELCA Archives.

American Lutheran Church Shelf List Index to Their Church Records Microfilmed as of 1987. N.p., 1988. (FHL book 973 K2aL; computer number 522728.)

A guide to most Lutheran churches and addresses is:

Lutheran Church Directory for the United States 1982. New York: Lutheran Council in the USA, 1981. (FHL book 973 K24L; computer number 54222.)

Methodist

United Methodist Archives Center
Drew University Library
P.O. Box 127
Madison, NJ 07940
Telephone: 201-408-3189
Fax: 201-408-3909

Presbyterian

Southern Region
Presbyterian Church (USA) Dept. of History
318 Georgia Terrace
Box 849
Montreat, NC 28757
Telephone: 704-669-7061
Fax: 704-669-5369

Northern Region
Presbyterian Historical Society
425 Lombard Street
Philadelphia, PA 19147-1516
Telephone: 215-627-1852
Fax: 215-627-0509

For their obituaries, news clippings, ministerial service, genealogies, histories, and biographical sketches see:

Presbyterian Historical Society (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania). Miscellaneous Biographical Collection. Salt Lake City: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1967. (On 69 FHL films starting with 506383; computer number 325991.)

Benedetto, Robert. Guide to the Manuscript Collections of the Presbyterian Church, USA. New York: Greenwood Press, 1990. (FHL book 973 A3ben; computer number 612308.) Indexed.

Roman Catholic

Records of most parishes are kept in the individual parishes or in diocese offices. Guides to dioceses and parishes are:

Official Catholic Directory. Wilmette, Ill.: P.J. Kenedy & Sons, annual. (FHL book 282.025 Of2; computer number 38388.)

Humling, Virginia. U.S. Catholic Sources: A Diocesan Research Guide. Salt Lake City: Ancestry, 1995. (FHL book 973 K2hu; computer number 761916.)

For older North American church records kept by priests of the Order of the Holy Cross contact:

Holy Cross Provincial Archives
P.O. Box 568
South Bend, IN 46556
Telephone: 219-631-5371

Society of Friends (Quakers)

Orthodox Records
Magill Historical Library
Haverford College
Haverford, PA 19041
Telephone: 610-896-1175
Fax: 610-896-1102

Hicksite Records
Friends Historical Library
Swarthmore College
500 College Ave.
Swarthmore, PA 19081
Telephone: 610-328-8496

Important guides to records include:

Hinshaw, William Wade. Encyclopedia of American Quaker Genealogy. 6 vols. Ann Arbor, Mich.: Edwards Bros., 1936-1950. (FHL book 973 D2he; film 432597-606; fiche 6051371-79; computer number 246279.)

Hill, Thomas C. Monthly Meetings in North America: An Index. 2nd ed. Cincinnati: n.p., 1993. (FHL book 973 K22h 1993; film 1698282 item 11; computer number 703086.) Alphabetical by monthly meeting. Gives address and sometimes location of records.

United Church of Christ

(Merger of the Evangelical and German Reformed churches and some Congregational churches)

Evangelical and Reformed Historical Society and Archives
555 West James Street
Lancaster, PA 17603
Telephone: 717-290-8711 or 717-393-0654

Church Records at the Family History Library

The library has a substantial collection of original church records and transcripts on microfilm. These include records of many denominations, particularly the Quaker, Presbyterian, Congregational, Lutheran, Reformed, and Roman Catholic churches in the eastern, southern, and midwestern states.

The library also has an extensive collection of records of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This includes membership records, temple records, and church censuses. Although these records pertain to all states and many countries, they are described in more detail in the Utah Research Outline (31081) and in the LDS Records Research Outline (34080).

Church records are generally found in the Locality Search of the Family History Library Catalog under [STATE], [COUNTY], [TOWN] - CHURCH RECORDS. Histories of churches are listed under [STATE], [COUNTY], [TOWN] - CHURCH HISTORIES.

Many christenings and marriages listed in the records of some churches (such as the Congregational, Dutch Reformed, and Lutheran) have been listed in the International Genealogical Index (IGI). This index is available at the Family History Library and Family History Centers (see the “Genealogy” section of this outline).

Guides to Church Records

Sources that can help you locate churches and church records are:

Melton, John Gordon, ed. National Directory of Churches, Synagogues, and Other Houses of Worship. 4 vols. Detroit: Gale Research, 1994. (FHL book 973 K24nd; computer number 707243.) 350,000 church addresses, telephone numbers, and sometimes size of congregation. Alphabetical by region, state, town, denomination, and name of church.

Jacquet, Constant H. Yearbook of American and Canadian Churches. Nashville: Abingdon Press, annual. (FHL book 970 K2wh; computer number 16749.) This yearbook provides brief histories of each denomination and the names and addresses of officials.

Melton, John Gordon. The Encyclopedia of American Religions. 3rd ed. Detroit: Gale Research, 1989. (FHL book 973 K26me; computer number 491196.) This source provides basic doctrine, history, addresses, and other sources of information about 1,350 denominations.

For more information on obtaining addresses, see the “Archives and Libraries” and “Directories” sections of this outline.

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