Kingdom of Eswatini Church Records

For information about records for non-Christian religions in ESwatini, go to the Religious Records page.

Historical Background
Christianity is the dominant religion in Eswatini.[2] The relative prevalence percentage vary by source. According to Pew Research, over 88% of the total 1.2 million population of Eswatini express Christianity to be their faith, over 0.2% express no affiliation. According to the CIA world fact book, the distribution is 40% Zionist, 20% Roman Catholic, Muslim 10.2%, other (including Anglican, Baha'i, Methodist, Mormon, Jewish) 3.0%. In other sources such as Clay Potts, the religious demographics are 80% Christian, and 20% Islam and Traditional Swazi religion.[4]

Anglican, Protestant and indigenous African churches including African Zionist, and Roman Catholics constitute the majority of the Christians in the country.[

Information Recorded in the Records
Different denominations, different time periods, and practices of different record keepers will effect how much information can be found in the records. This outline will show the types of details which might be found (best case scenario):

Baptisms
In Catholic and Anglican records, children were usually baptized a few days after birth, and therefore, the baptism record proves date of birth. Other religions, such as Baptists, baptized at other points in the member's life. Baptism registers might give:

Marriages
Marriage registers can give:

Burials
Burial registers may give:

Writing for Records
You will probably need to write to or email the national archives, the diocese, or local parish priests to find records. See French Letter Writing GuideLetter Writing Guide for Genealogy for help with composing letters.

Writing to a Local Parish
To locate the mailing address or e-mail address for a local parish, consult:
 * The Catholic Directory: ESwatini

Writing for Records

 * [ Google Maps search results for Anglican churches in ESwatini]

Writing for Records

 * [ Google Maps search results for African Zionist churches in ESwatini]

Writing for Records

 * [ Google Maps search results for Methodist churches in ESwatini]