United States Church Records

Information in Church Records
Church records can be an important source for finding birth, marriage, death, and relationshp information. Church records vary in completeness by denomination, time period, and minister. The most useful church records might include these details:
 * A baptism or christening could be either for a child or an adult, depending on the church and would include the name, date, and place of this event. An actual birth date may be included in some cases. Parents' names will be included in infant christenings.


 * A church marriage record gives the name of the bride and groom, the date of marriage, the ages of the couple, and the residence of the couple.


 * Burial records include the name of the deceased, the date of burial, place of burial, the age of the deceased and may include the date and place of death, the name of the spouse, or the name of the parents.


 * Church membership records give the name of the person and the date and the place the list was made. They may also give the spouse’s name, the date of admission, and letters of admission or dismissals.


 * Minutes and historical narrative, for many denominations, intersperse the above records chronologically throughout, without placing them in separate registers.
 * Other records, less specifically genealogical, include congregational histories, church newspapers, donation lists, business meeting minutes, correspondence, Sunday School records, church cemetery records, and pastor's notes or memoirs.

Finding an Ancestor's Church
Searching for church records can be simplified by determining an ancestor's faith. Although, especially among Protestants living in frontier situations, people could change to the only convenient congregation available, regardless of faith. For tips on discovering where an ancestor worshipped, study Determining the Church Your Ancestor Attended.'''

How to Find Church Records in the US
Because of separation of church and state in the United States, there are no central repositories of church records. Some will be digitized and available online. Others may be deposited in state, college, or ecclesiastical archives; with historical or genealogical societies; local libraries; or still at the local church itself. Some will be organized by denomination, and some will be organized by location.

These pages will give you links to nationwide archives and address directories for each denomination.

Searching by State
Choose a state below to see available online records and repositories with church records for that state