Saint Kitts and Nevis Church Records

For information about records for non-Christian religions in Saint Kitts and Nevis, go to the Religious Records page.

Parish Registers
Bishop's transcripts covering the 1720s to 1740s were found in the Public Record Office in England (now The National Archives). Other records have survived on the islands. Many were published 100 years ago and are now available online:


 * 1721-1730 - 'Christ Church, Nicola Town in St. Christopher: Transcripts of Parish Registers,' Caribbeana, Vol. 1 (1910):37-39. Digitised by dLOC - free. Baptisms and burials.


 * 1721-1730 - 'St. John, Cabesaterre: Transcripts of Parish Registers,' Caribbeana, Vol. 1 (1910):39-40. Digitised by dLOC - free. Baptisms and burials.


 * 1721-1730 - 'St. Mary Cayan: Transcripts of Parish Registers,' Caribbeana, Vol. 1 (1910):40-42. Digitised by dLOC - free. Baptisms and burials.


 * 1729-1800 - 'Parish Register of St. John's, Fig Tree, Nevis,' Caribbeana, Vol. 1 (1910):145-149, 231-232, 324-328, 376-378; Vol. 2 (1911):165-168, 323-326; Vol. 3 (1912):213-215. Digitised by dLOC - free. Baptisms, marriages, and burials.


 * 1733-1734 - 'Christ's Church, Nicola Town: Transcripts of Parish Registers,' Caribbeana, Vol. 1 (1910):141-142. Digitised by dLOC - free. Baptisms and burials.


 * 1733-1734 - 'St. Mary Cayon: Transcripts of Parish Registers,' Caribbeana, Vol. 1 (1910):142. Digitised by dLOC - free. Baptisms and burials.


 * 1733-1734 - 'St. George Basseterre, St. Christopher's: Transcripts of Parish Registers,' Caribbeana, Vol. 1 (1910):142. Digitised by dLOC - free. Baptisms and burials.


 * 1733-1734 - 'St. Peters, St. Christopher's: Transcripts of Parish Registers,' Caribbeana, Vol. 1 (1910):158-162. Digitised by dLOC - free. Baptisms and burials.


 * 1733-1734 - 'St. Ann, Sandy Point, St. Christopher's: Transcripts of Parish Registers,' Caribbeana, Vol. 1 (1910):162-164. Digitised by dLOC - free. Baptisms and burials.


 * 1733-1734 - 'St. John's Parish, Nevis: Transcripts of Parish Registers,' Caribbeana, Vol. 1 (1910):233. Digitised by dLOC - free. Baptisms and burials.


 * 1733-1734 - 'St. Thomas's Parish, Nevis: Transcripts of Parish Registers,' Caribbeana, Vol. 1 (1910):233-234. Digitised by dLOC - free. Baptisms and burials.


 * 1733-1734 - 'St. George's Parish, Nevis: Transcripts of Parish Registers,' Caribbeana, Vol. 1 (1910):234. Digitised by dLOC - free. Baptisms and burials.


 * 1733-1831 - 'Trinity, Palmetto Point, St. Kitts,' Caribbeana, 1733-1756 Baptisms: Vol. 6 (1919):27-33; 1756-1831 Baptisms, 1732-1822 Marriages: Vol. 6 (1919):53-60; 1826-1828 Marriages, 1733-1829 Burials: Vol. 6 (1919):84-93. Digitised by [http://www.dloc.com/ dLOC - free. Baptisms, marriages, burials, brief history, list of rectors.


 * 1738-1745 - 'Saint Mary Cayon Parish, St. Christophers: Transcripts of Parish Registers,' Caribbeana, Vol. 1 (1910):259-260, 299-300. Digitised by dLOC - free. Baptisms and burials.


 * 1740-1745 - 'St. James's Parish, Nevis: Transcripts of Parish Registers,' Caribbeana, Vol. 1 (1910):234-235. Digitised by dLOC - free. Baptisms and burials.


 * 1743-1744 - 'St. George's Parish [St. Christopher's]: Transcripts of Parish Registers,' Caribbeana, Vol. 1 (1910):301-304, 355-358. Digitised by dLOC - free. Baptisms and burials.


 * 1742-1745 - 'St. George Basseterre Parish, St. Christophers: Transcripts of Parish Registers,' Caribbeana, Vol. 1 (1910):358-361. Digitised by dLOC - free. Baptisms and burials.

Clergymen

 * Fothergill, Gerald. A List of Emigrant Ministers to America, 1690-1811. London: E. Stock, 1904. Digital versions at Ancestry ($); Google Books; Internet Archive, 1965 reprint: . Addendum published in Caribbeana, Vol. 3 (1914):312-313. Digital version at dLOC - free.


 * Anglican servants in the Caribbean, c.1610-c.1740. University of Lancaster. Identifies Anglican clergymen and career information.

Historical Background
Most inhabitants (82%) are Christians, mainly Anglicans and other Protestants denominations, with a smaller population of Catholics.[1] Roman Catholics are pastorally served by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Bridgetown (on Barbados), while the Anglicans by the Diocese of the North East Caribbean and Aruba.

Anglicanism constitutes the largest religious group, with 20.6% of the population. Methodists are the second largest group (19.1%). The next largest group is the Pentecostals 8.2% of the population, followed by the Church of God (6.8%). 6.7% of the population are Roman Catholics. Other Christians include Moravians (5.5%), Baptists (4.8%), Seventh-day Adventists (4.7%), Evangelicals (2.6%), Brethren Christian (1.8%), Jehovah's Witnesses (1.3%) and the Salvation Army (0.1%).

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:

Digital Copies of Church Records in the FamilySearch Catalog
Watch for digitized copies of church records to be added to the collection of the FamilySearch Library. Some records might have viewing restrictions, and can only be viewed at a Family History Center near you, and/or by members of supporting organizations. To find records:
 * a. Click on the records of Saint Kitts and Nevis.
 * b. Click on Places within Saint Kitts and Nevis and a list of towns will appear.
 * c. Click on your town if it appears, or the location which you believe was the parish which served your town or village.
 * d. Click on the "Church records" topic. Click on the blue links to specific record titles.
 * e. Some combination of these icons will appear at the far right of the listing for the record. FHL icons.png. The magnifying glass indicates that the record is indexed. Clicking on the magnifying glass will take you to the index. Clicking on the camera will take you to an online digital copy of the records.

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 Letter 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: Saint Kitts and Nevis

Historical Background
The state of Saint Kitts and Nevis includes the islands of Saint Kitts and Nevis. Catholicism began to flourish on the island of Saint Kitts during the nineteenth century thanks to Irish and Portuguese immigrants. In 1858 it was appointed the first parish priest, the priest Phillip Lynch. Today Catholics of Saint Kitts and Nevis belong to the Diocese of Saint John's - Basseterre, which has its headquarters in the city of Saint John's on the island of Antigua. In Basseterre, the capital of Saint Kitts and Nevis, is the Co-Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary, built in 1856, and rebuilt in the years 1927 - 1928. In Saint Kitts there are two other parishes, the Holy Family and Sacred Heart. In the island of Nevis there is the parish of Santa Teresa. In total, there are four Catholic parishes in the nation.

Online Records
Information is available to current members only for deceased members and immediate family members who are still living. Sign in to FamilySearch and then select Family Tree in the drop-down menu.

Writing for Records

 * [ Google Maps search results for Anglican churches in Saint Kitts and Nevis]