Nebraska Church Records

Before 1900 the largest religious groups in Nebraska were the Roman Catholic, Methodist Episcopal, Lutheran, and Presbyterian churches.

The Nebraska State Historical Library has an extensive collection of Protestant church records. These are listed in the Guide to the Manuscript Division of the State Archives (see the Archives and Libraries section). For a fee, the staff will check the records if you provide the exact name and location of the church and the date and nature of the information desired.

The Family History Library has very few church records from Nebraska. It has microfilms of some Presbyterian records, such as session minutes, baptisms, and membership rolls. The library also has DAR transcripts of some other denominations' records.

You can write to the following addresses to learn where their records are located:

Lutheran
Archives of the Nebraska Synod 4980 South 118 Street, Suite D Omaha, NE 68137-2220 Telephone: 402-896-5311 Fax: 402-896-5354 E-mail: [mailto:nebsynod@aol.com office@nebraskasynod.org]

Early congregations and pioneers are described in Charles F. Sandahl, The Nebraska Conference of the Augustana Synod. (n.p.: Nebraska Conference, 1931; Family History Library film 1036240 item 3).

Odessa3.org - This site contains German-Russian emigrant ancestry in pocket settlements in mid-west states of North Dakota, South Dakota and Nebraska. Contains transcribed minutes of meetings, membership lists (some with parentage listed), birth, deaths, and marriages.]

Methodist
Nebraska Wesleyan University Historical Archives United Methodist Church 5000 St. Paul Avenue Lincoln, NE 68504 Telephone: 402-465-2400 Fax: 402-465-2189

United Methodist Historical Center Nebraska Conference P.O. Box 4553 Lincoln, NE 68504-0553 Telephone: 402-465-2175

Presbyterian
Presbyterian Historical Society United Presbyterian Church in the U.S. 425 Lombard Street Philadelphia, PA 19147 Telephone: 215-627-1852 Fax: 215-627-0509

Roman Catholic
Chancery Office Archdiocese of Omaha 100 North 62 Street Omaha, NE 68132-2795 Telephone: 402-558-3100 Fax: 402-558-3026

For a helpful history see Henry Weber Casper, History of the Catholic Church in Nebraska, Three Volumes. (Milwaukee, Wisconsin: Catholic Life Pub., 1960-66; Family History Library book 978.2 K2c). A brief History of the Archidiocese of Omaha is available as part of the Catholic Encyclopedia.